Pseudomeira adusticornis (Kiesenwetter)

Pierotti, Helio, Bellò, Cesare & Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A., 2010, 2376, Zootaxa 2376, pp. 1-96 : 19

Pseudomeira adusticornis (Kiesenwetter)

( Figs. 16a–b, 50a, 71)

Peritelus adusticornis Kiesenwetter, 1852: 635 ; Iglesias Iglesias, 1922: 6; Navás, 1924: 54; Solari, 1955: 41; Gurrea Sanz & Sanz Benito, 2000: 236.

Peritelus (Peritelus) adusticornis Kiesenwetter : Seidlitz, 1866: 18, 41, 51; Stierlin, 1883: 591, 596; Lona, 1937: 256.

Pseudomeira adusticornis (Kiesenwetter) : Pierotti & Bellò, 1998: 105; Alonso-Zarazaga, 2002: 24.

Diagnosis. Species of small to medium size (3.9–5.5 mm), distinguished by abruptly projecting pterygia, flattened eyes, scape not particularly robust, more or less regularly incrassate from base to apex, pronotum evidently transverse, and elytra short, rounded in outline.

Redescription. Body outline shortly ovoid. Dorsal vestiture composed of grey, greenish to golden scales, with evident metallic shimmer, strongly imbricate on elytra, with two darker lateral bands on pronotal dorsum and appressed setae on the frons, pronotum and elytra, irregularly grouped on odd elytral interstriae, sparse elsewhere, robust on dorsum of elytra, at most weakly widened at apex, even on declivity. Head with sides convergent from temples to pterygia. Rostrum a little longer than wide, with deeply excised epistome, epistomal keel present; pterygia strongly developed, sharply projecting from rostral margin; prorostrum with deep longitudinal median sulcus. Frons with median fovea, narrow, scarcely wider than prorostrum. Eyes large, very weakly elongate, flattened, not prominent beyond genae. Antennae with scape not very robust, more or less uniformly incrassate from base to apex, funicle robust, desmomere 1 scarcely wider than 2, this subequal to 3+4, 3–7 progressively wider, transverse, first three desmomeres with setae denser, weakly widened; club more or less elongate, first segment widely cup-shaped. Pronotum clearly transverse, wider at base than at apex, sides distinctly sinuate, disc with dense, foveiform punctures. Elytra rather globose, lateral and posterior outline rounded, weakly impressed at base, convex on dorsum, humeral calli more (male) or less (female) obsolete, elytral striae with punctures evident in spite of vestiture, interstriae not or scarcely convex. Tibiae robust, protibiae straight on outer margin, metatibiae with a series of more (male) or less (female) developed teeth on inner margin. Aedeagus in lateral view strongly curved in front of temones, straight beyond; in dorsal view oval before apex, this shortly pointed ( Fig. 16a); endophallic structures as in Fig. 16b. Spermatheca as in Fig. 50a.

Distribution. Iberian endemite: north-eastern Spain (Catalonia) (type locality: Mont Serrat, Catalonia). Spanish literature records: Barcelona: Montserrat (type loc.), Horta, San Genís ( Iglesias Iglesias, 1922), Hostalets de Bas ( Navás, 1924), Begas ( Gurrea Sanz & Sanz Benito, 2000).

Material examined ( Fig. 71): Spain: Gerona : Hostalets d’en Bas , VI.27, leg. Codina (MBA); Llaers , V.60, leg. Freixa ( GON). Barcelona : Santuari de Sant Juliá de Cabrera , 20.VII.22, leg. Codina (MBA); do., VIII.23, leg. Codina (MBA); Plà d’Aiats , 21.VII.22, leg. Codina (MBA); do., VIII.28, leg. Codina (MBA); Barcellona ( MMA) ( MMI) ( MUL) ( OSE); Montserrat ( DES) ( MAN) ( MMA) ( MUL) ( SOL); do., VII.1909, leg. Codina ( DOD); do., 30. V.55, leg. González ( GON); do., 7.5.59 leg. González ( GON); do., 3. V.91, 19. V.92, 1. VI.98, 4. V.01 leg. Bellò (BEL); do., leg. Pierotti ( PIE); Centelles, 10.VII.21 ( DOD) ( MAN); Sant Boi de Llobregat, 130 m. 41º20'39" N 02º00'45" E, 5.IV.02 leg. Stüben ( STU); Rubí (MBA); Riells [del Fai], Vallés, 5.III.34 leg. Museu (MBA); Balenyá, 15. VI.27, 22. V.30, 24. VI.30, 2.VIII.30, 12–31. V.31, 9. VI.31, 1.XI.31, V.34, 7. V.54, leg. Vilarrubia (MBA); Montseny, Viladrau, IX.68, leg. Español (MBA); Valldoreix, 11. V.72 leg. Español (MBA); do., 4.VIII.75 leg. Español (MBA); Mura, 12.XII.32, leg. Español (MBA); Sardanyola, Montflorit, 24.IV.60 (MBA). In GON there are two specimens labelled: “Cartagena, V.1909, Cáceres”, but this record seems doubtful to us .

Biology. This species lives on Buxus sempervirens L. ( Buxaceae ) and Rubus sp. (Rosaceae) , as we ascertained at the type locality.