Pseudomeira trinacriae, Bellò, Cesare & Baviera, Cosimo, 2011

Bellò, Cesare & Baviera, Cosimo, 2011, On the Sicilian species of Pseudomeira Stierlin (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Zootaxa 3100, pp. 35-68 : 47-48

Pseudomeira trinacriae sp. n.

( Figs. 21, 22 , 47, 48 , 61 , 73 , 89 , 103 )

Diagnosis: Small (3.00– 3.75 mm), elongate-oval. Epistoma shallowly impressed, clypeus longitudinally impressed in middle; frons wide and almost flat. Elytra almost flat dorsally, humeri weakly developed, clothed by just slightly imbricate brown scales and short nearly almost recumbent pale setae, here and there scales paler. Aedeagus with rounded apex.

Type series: Holotype male ( BEL) with the following labels: [transparent label with genitalia in DHMF], "Palermo, Altavilla Milicia, Capo Grosso, 24.V.97, leg. Bellò" [white, printed], "coll. Cesare Bellò" [green, printed]; " Pseudomeira trinacriae sp. n., Holotype, det. Bellò 2010 " [red, partly printed]. Paratypes: 14 males and 16 females, Palermo, Altavilla Milicia, Capo Grosso, 24.V.97, leg. Bellò ( BAV, BEL); 10 males and 12 females, ibidem, leg. Pierotti ( PIE); 1 male and 1 female, Palermo, Altavilla Milicia, m.70, N 38°01' 473’’, E 013°35' 566’’, 28.XI.2009, leg. Bellò ( BEL). Types are 25 males and 30 females, genitalia of 4 were studied and molecular data from 1 male and 1 female were obtained.

Holotype male. Length: 3.15 mm. Elongate oval, elytral sides almost straight. Dorsal vestiture of overlapping, earth-brown scales and short almost recumbent pale setae slightly widening towards apex; paler small markings of scales are on disc of both elytra and pronotum.

Rostrum approximately as long as wide, sided converging towards apex. Epistoma and dorsal plate inconspicuous; pterygia hardly noticeable; clypeus with a longitudinal depression not continuing on frons. Eyes round, small, nearly hemispherical. Antennal scape more robust than funicle, slightly curved and progressively thickening towards apex; first 5 funicular segments with clubbed setae; first segment as long as than the combined length of the following two, second twice as long as third, segments 4–7 pearl-shaped; club robust, shortly fusiform and with the first segment widely conical. Antennae short and robust; scape hardly more robust than funicle, curved al basal third and progressively thickening towards apex; first 5 funicular segments with clubbed setae; first segment as long as the combined length of the following two, second twice as long as third, segments 4–7 pearl-shaped; club shortly fusiform and with the first segment widely conical.

Pronotum slightly transverse (length: 0.75 mm, width: 0.83 mm), sides sinuate, disc with punctures usually hidden by the scales.

Elytra elongate oval (length: 1.85 mm, width: 1.25 mm), disc almost flat, humeri short, round and slightly prominent. Striae punctured, catenulate, interstriae feebly convex.

Legs short and robust; femora slightly clubbed, edentate; tibiae slightly curved, external margin of protibiae blunt, internal one devoid of spines but with apical mucro; protarsi short and robust, third joint shortly bilobed, onychium short and curved, claws short and fused at base.

Aedeagus: see Figs. 61 , 73 . Spiculum ventrale: see Fig.89 ; spermatheca: see Fig. 103 .

Paratypes: Males are almost identical to the holotype; females differ from males by their usually larger size, more elongate shape, and thinner antennae. Length: mm 3.00–3.75.

Distribution: This species is only known from the type locality.

Etymology: The species name is from Trinacria, the ancient name of Sicily.

Ecology: Adults have been sifted from leaf-litter of a degraded fired bushy fields with Chamaerops humilis L, Erica sp., Vitex agnus castus L., and other Mediterranean plants. Adults appear in late spring (some of them collected at the end of May still had the deciduous mandibular cusps), probably aestivate and reappear, less common, in autumn.

Reproduction: Amphigonic.

Figures

FIGURES 19 – 26. Habitus of Pseudomeira ssp. (scale bar: 1 mm).

FIGURES 45 – 52. Lateral view of Pseudomeira ssp. (scale bar: 1 mm).

FIGURES 53 – 64. Aedeagus of Pseudomeira ssp.

FIGURES 65 – 76. Apex aedeagus of Pseudomeira ssp.

FIGURES 77 – 90. Spiculum ventrale of Pseudomeira ssp.

FIGURES 91 – 104. Spermatheca of Pseudomeira ssp.