Apatenia mesostigma Wolfrum, 1961

Trýzna, Miloš & Rakotonirina, Jean Claude, 2024, A new species of Apatenia Pascoe (Coleoptera: Anthribidae) from central Madagascar, with a key to species, additions to the distribution of rare species of the genus, and general notes about threats to anthribid diversity, Zootaxa 5537 (3), pp. 325-347 : 332-338

Apatenia mesostigma Wolfrum, 1961

( Figs 29–32 )

Apatenia mesostigma Wolfrum, 1961: 306

Type material. Holotype (male): East MADAGASCAR, TOAMASINA PROvINCE: ‘ Moramanga / Rte d´Anosibe / I. [19]57, R.J.E. [h] // Apatenia mesostigma sp. nov. Wolfr. [h], Typus [h, red label] // Institut / scientifique / Madagascar // Muséum Paris [p]’ ( MNHN).

Note: Wolfrum described this species based on only a single male specimen.

Other material. 1 female: East Madagascar, Fianarantsoa province, Ranomafana N. P., circuit Talatakely , S 21°15´47.2´´, E 47°25´20.7´´, 1000 m, 8.–12.i.2019, M. Trýzna leg. ( Fig. 29 ) ( MTDC) .

Diagnosis. Elytra grey, even-numbered interstriae II, IV, VI and VIII with a number of small and blunt tubercles. Disc of elytra with one conspicuous oval black spot, area of this spot smooth and lacking tubercles. Frons with coarse sculpture. Underside of the body, femora and tibiae white-speckled. Size of the body ca. 8.0 mm.

Interestingly, the visible colour of the spot on the central part of elytra depends on the angle of the view of the observation. While the spot is very conspicuous, sharply delimited and deeply black coloured from the posterio-dorsal view (i.e. from the apex of elytra anteriorly), in contrast to the anterio-dorsal point (from the head posteriorly), at which saturation of elytral spot suddenly disappears and becomes a grey colour like the rest of elytra. This phenomenon resembles the changing colour of the wings of butterflies of the genus Apatura spp. ( Lepidoptera , Nymphalidae ) ( Krizek et al. 2014).

Distribution and biology. Only two specimens are known from the narrow strip of remaining rainforests on the eastern part of Madagascar. The Holotype comes from the area surrounding the town of Moramanga. The second specimen comes from the primary rainforest of Ranomafana National Park from an elevation of 1000 m a.s.l. The species was collected in primary forest on dead wood of larger diameter (more than ca. 30 cm) in a slightly disturbed and sunny place near a footpath.

Figures

FIGURES 27–31. Malagasy Apatenia species, habitus in dorsal view. 27, A. longiclava Wolfrum, 1955 (male); 28, A. fallax Frieser, 2010 (female); 29–31, A. mesostigma Wolfrum, 1961 (female): 29, habitus in dorsal view; 30 and 31, colour of elytral spot in different viewing angles.

FIGURE 32. Distribution of selected rare Apatenia species. Triangle–type locality, circle–other distribution.