Stenostoma lowei Wollaston, 1854

Poloni, Riccardo, Bologna, Marco A. & Riccieri, Alessandra, 2024, One genus, four different stories: evolutionary history, bionomics and biogeography of the monotypic tribe Stenostomatini (Coleoptera: Oedemeridae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 200 (3), pp. 705-719 : 714-715

Stenostoma lowei Wollaston, 1854

(F I G S 1B, G, 2C, D, 6B)

Stenaxis lowei Wollaston, 1854: 524 .

Oedemera (Oedemerella) lowei – Seidlitz 1899: 912.

Stenostoma lowei – Švihla 1988: 378, figs 13–15.

Type locality: [ Portugal] Madeira Island ‘ In floribus Jladerse , inde a l000’ s. m., restate non infrequens: in Madeira boreali predominat, qua inter flores Dahlia ad Sanctam Annam mense Junio a.d. 1850 copiosissime deprehensi’ ( Wollaston 1854) .

Type specimens: We did not examine the types, hosted in the Wollaston collection (split between NHM and MNHN), but some topotypic specimens.

Short description: For an extended description, see Wollaston (1854) and Švihla (1988). Body length: 5.4–8.1 mm. Head and elytra metallic green, pronotum red and legs orange. Head not distinctly rostrate, almost as long as wide ( Fig. 1G ). Pronotum slightly cordiform, as long as wide, prolonged towards the head ( Fig. 1G ). Elytral sub-humeral costa well marked and distinct. Female pygidium not emarginated at apex. Aedeagus short, with a square-like apex slightly curved ( Fig. 2D ).

Distribution: Endemic to Madeira Island ( Portugal), in the eastern portion of North Atlantic Ocean, 935 km west of the Moroccan shoreline.

Ecology: This species inhabits vegetated rocky slopes and scrubland ( Fig. 6B ), also mountainous areas; according to Wollaston (1854) it is distributed between 600 and 1800 m a.s.l., seldom <300 m a.s.l. (Supporting Information, Table S2). It is found on different flowers: cultivated Dahlia Cav. and other not identified Asteraceae , Aeonium glutinosum (Aiton) Webb. & Berthel. ( Crassulaceae ) and Agapanthus praecox Wild ( Liliaceae ) ( Wollaston 1854, 1865; J. Hájek and A. Franquinho-Aguiar, pers. comm.). Its documented polyphagy and the fact that it was found on the alien species Agapanthus praecox suggest that it does not have specific preferences. The ascertained phenology is June–August ( Wollaston 1854; new records by J. Hájek and A. Franquinho-Aguiar; Supporting Information, Table S2).

Figures

Figure 1. Habitus and detail of head and pronotum of the species within the genus Stenostoma. A–E, habitus. A, Stenostoma cossyrense. B, Stenostoma lowei. C, Stenostoma melitense. D, Stenostoma rostratum rostratum. E, Stenostoma rostratum septentrionale. F–L, detail of head and pronotum. F, S. cossyrense. G, S. lowei. H, S. melitense. I, S. rostratum rostratum. L, S. rostratum septentrionale.

Figure 2. Genitalia of the species within the genus Stenostoma. A, B, Stenostoma cossyrense tegmen (A) and aedeagus (B). C, D, Stenostoma lowei tegmen (C) and aedeagus (D). E, F, Stenostoma melitense tegmen (E) and aedeagus (F). G, H, Stenostoma rostratum rostratum tegmen (G) and aedeagus (H). I–M, Stenostoma rostratum septentrionale tegmen (I) aedeagus (L) and aedeagus, variability (M).

Figure 6. Biotopes of the species within the genus Stenostoma. A, Pantelleria, Piano Ghirlanda (Stenostoma cossyrense). B, Madeira, Eira do Serrado, Madeira (Stenostoma lowei). C, Sicily, Punta Braccetto, stabilized dunes (Stenostoma melitense). D, Malta, Gozo Island (S. melitense). E, Sicily, Punta Braccetto, dunes (Stenostoma rostratum). F, Sardinia, Porto Ferro (S. rostratum, habitat and oviposition site with dead wood).