Pseudomeira lepida, Pierotti & Bellò & Alonso-Zarazaga, 2010

Pierotti, Helio, Bellò, Cesare & Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A., 2010, 2376, Zootaxa 2376, pp. 1-96 : 29

Pseudomeira lepida sp. n.

( Figs. 27a–b, 52d, 73)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:07AAC428-EA19-4166-B09C-5E286F44505E

? Peritelus quadraticollis Desbrochers sensu Torres Sala, 1962: 360 .

Diagnosis. Species of small size (3.5–4.5 mm), distinguished from P. quadraticollis , apart from characters in the key, also by widely and shallowly notched epistome, shape of aedeagus and endophallic structures and by different host plant.

Description. Body outline narrow. Dorsal vestiture composed of silvery scales with emerald and bronze shimmer, not or hardly imbricate, and of short, broadened setae, flattened even near supraocular margin. Rostrum strongly transverse, sides weakly convergent apicad, epistome widely notched, pterygia well developed but evenly projecting from lateral margins, metarostrum with median but sometimes very faint keel, prorostrum with longitudinal sulcus usually confluent with frontal fovea. Frons not or scarcely wider than metarostrum. Eyes flattened. Antennae with scape and funicle robust, desmomeres progressively incrassate towards club, at least last two transverse, desmomere 7 not much narrower than club; club robust, first segment widely cup-shaped. Pronotum weakly transverse, sides sinuate, base as wide or narrower than apex, disc with robust punctures. Elytra elongate oval (male) or with sides almost straight and widest near humeral calli (female), striae with evident punctures, interstriae flat. Legs short and robust, protibiae straight on outer margin up to apex, metatibiae with a series of teeth on inner margin more (male) or less (female) developed. Aedeagus in dorsal view with vaguely subpentagonal outline in apical region ( Fig. 27a); endophallic structures as in Fig. 27b. Spermatheca as in Fig. 52d.

Etymology. A Latin adjective meaning graceful, named after its slim body outline.

Distribution. Iberian endemite: eastern Spain (Fig. 73).

Material examined. Holotype male: Valencia: Tavernes, s.ra de les Agulles, m. 390, camí de la Font del Barber, 2.XI.00, leg. Bellò ( MMA); paratypes: Valencia: do., 2.11.2000, leg. Bellò (13 BEL); do., leg. Pierotti (4 PIE); do., 29.IV.2001, leg. Bellò (19 BEL, 1 OSE); do., leg. Pierotti (1 MPA, 1 OSE, 18 PIE); do., 18.5.2002, leg. Bellò (16 BEL); do., leg. Pierotti (11 PIE); do., 2.VI.2005, leg. Bellò (6 BEL); do., leg. Pierotti (4 PIE).

Biology. The specimens were beaten from Thymus vulgaris L. subsp. vulgaris (Lamiaceae) .