Blepharidina ornaticollis (Jacoby)

Iannella, Paola D’Alessandro Mattia & Biondi, Maurizio, 2019, Revision of the Afrotropical flea beetle subgenus Blepharidina s. str. Bechyné (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), Zootaxa 4545 (1) : -

Blepharidina ornaticollis (Jacoby)

( Figs 15 , 25 , 31 , 51 , 62 , 69 )

Blepharida ornaticollis Jacoby, 1888: 196

Blepharidina ornaticollis (Jacoby) : Biondi et al. 2017: 131, 143

Type material examined. Lectotype ♂ (Biondi des. in Biondi et al. 2017): “Africa, Jacoby coll. (1909-28 a)” ( BMNH). Additional material examined in Appendix 1.

Taxonomic observations. Blepharidina ornaticollis shows clear affinities with B. macarthuri . They share general shape, sculpture and size ( Figs 13, 15 ), with anterior margin of pronotum slightly thicker medially than laterally ( Figs 23, 25 ), and anterior angles of pronotum sharply pointed and laterally oriented ( Fig. 31 ). Aedeagus is also very similar in the two species ( Figs 49 , 51 ), with the densely carinate longitudinally dorsal surface ( Figs 49 , 51 ). However, B. ornaticollis is distinguishable by the anterior margin of pronotum more distinctly wider medially than laterally ( Figs 23, 25 ), the more thickset aedeagus ( Figs 49 , 51 ), and the spermatheca with piriform, elongate basal part (thick and subcylindrical in B. macarthuri ) ( Figs 60, 62 ). Females similar to males in morphometry (see Appendix 2).

Distribution. Kenya ( Fig. 69 ). Possibly Northern-Eastern Afrotropical (NEA) chorotype.

Ecological notes. Not available. The known collection site falls within the area of Indo-West Pacific Mangrove (belonging to the Mangrove formation).

Figures

FIGURES 11–19. Blepharidina s. str. species habitus: 11, B. knighti (Bryant), ♂ lectotype; 12, B. laesa (Kolbe), ♂ lectotype; 13, B. macarthuri (Bryant), ♂ lectotype; 14, B. matabelelandensis sp. nov., ♂ holotype; 15, B. ornaticollis (Jacoby), ♂ lectotype; 16, B. partita (Jacoby), ♂ from Solwezi, Zambia; 17, B. picta (Kolbe), ♂ from Mikindani, Tanzania; 18, B. regalini sp. nov., ♂ holotype; 19, B. rudeli (Weise), ♀ lectotype.

FIGURES 20–25. Blepharidina s. str. species pronotum, in dorsal view: 20, B. guttulata (Baly); 21, B. himba sp. nov.; 22, B. intermedia (Jacoby); 23, B. macarthuri (Bryant); 24, B. matabelelandensis sp. nov.; 25, B. ornaticollis (Jacoby).

FIGURES 26–33. Blepharidina s. str. species pronotum and basal part of elytra, in lateral view: 26, B. aliquantula sp. nov.; 27, B. burtli (Bryant); 28, B. kasigauensis sp. nov.; 29, B. kenyana sp. nov.; 30, B. knighti (Bryant); 31, B. ornaticollis (Jacoby); 32, B. picta (Kolbe); 33, B. regalini sp. nov.

FIGURES 50–54. Blepharidina s. str. species aedeagus, from left to right in ventral, dorsal, and lateral view: 50, B. matabelelandensis sp. nov., holotype; 51, B. ornaticollis (Jacoby), from Ramisi River, Kenya; 52, B. partita (Jacoby), from Solwezi, Zambia; 53, B. picta (Kolbe), from Mikindani, Tanzania; 54, B. regalini sp. nov., holotype.

FIGURES 55–67. Blepharidina s. str. species spermatheca: 55, B. burtli (Bryant), lectotype; 56, B. carinata (Bryant), paralectotype from Angola; 57, B. delineata (Bryant), lectotype; 58, B. guttulata (Baly) lectotype; 59, B. intermedia (Jacoby), from Bagamoyo, Tanzania; 60, B. macarthuri (Bryant), from Usambara, Tanzania; 61, B. matabelelandensis sp. nov., paratype from Lonely, Zimbabwe; 62, B. ornaticollis (Jacoby), from Ramisi River, Kenya; 63, B. partita (Jacoby), from Huila region, Angola; 64, ditto, from Democratic Republic of The Congo; 65, B. picta (Kolbe), from Lindi region, Tanzania; 66, B. regalini sp. nov., paratype from Taveta, Kenya; 67, B. rudeli (Weise), lectotype.

FIGURES 68–69. Blepharidina s. str. species distribution. Vegetation types are from Sayre et al. (2013).

FIGURES 44–49. Blepharidina s. str. species aedeagus, from left to right in ventral, dorsal, and lateral view: 44, B. intermedia (Jacoby), from Kindwitvi, Tanzania; 45, B. kasigauensis sp. nov., holotype; 46, B. kenyana sp. nov., holotype; 47, B. knighti (Bryant), lectotype; 48, B. laesa (Kolbe), lectotype; 49, B. macarthuri (Bryant), lectotype.