Dodomeira pfisteri (Stierlin, 1864), comb.n.

(Figures 26, 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, 26e, 26f, 43c, 85, 124)

Cathormiocerus pfisteri Stierlin, 1864: 150, 151.

Peritelus pfisteri: Rottenberg, 1871: 227; Gemminger & Harold 1871: 2282; Vitale, 1906: 85.

Peritelus (Meira) pfisteri: Seidlitz, 1865: 291; Seidlitz, 1866: 19; Seidlitz, 1868: 31, 32; Bertolini, 1872: 168; Marseul, 1872: 91–92; Stierlin, 1883: 600; Bertolini, 1899: 89; Ragusa, 1904: 59; Porta, 1932: 63; Winkler, 1932: 1435; Lona, 1937: 266.

Meira pfisteri: Heyden, Reitter & Weise, 1883: 151; Desbrochers des Loges, 1888: CCVI; Vitale, 1890: 39; Vitale, 1892: 225; Vitale, 1900: 19; Vitale, 1904: 13.

Peritelus (Peritelus) pfisteri: Luigioni, 1929: 873 .

Peritelus (Pseudomeira) pfisteri: Péricart, 1963: 44 .

Pseudomeira pfisteri: Solari, 1955: 41, 52; Abbazzi & Osella, 1992: 305; Pierotti & Bellò, 1994: 116; Abbazzi et alii, 1995: 23; Pierotti & Bellò, 1998: 105; Sparacio, 1999: 138; Pierotti & Bellò, 2001: 177; Colonnelli, 2003: 48; Osella et alii, 2005; Pierotti, 2006: 25; Pierotti, 2009: 481 –486; Abbazzi & Maggini, 2009: 62; Bellò & Baviera, 2011: 35 –68; Pierotti, 2012: 3; Pierotti, 2013a: 49; Pierotti, 2013b: 352; Alonso-Zarazaga et alii, 2016: 29.

Type locality. Sicily, Palermo, Monte Pellegrino (Fig. 157).

Diagnosis. A medium-sized Dodomeira (3.35–4.20 mm) belonging to the pfisteri group with slender body (length/width ratio: 1.68–1.78) and cylindrical elytra shape. Within the species group, it is recognisable by elytral declivity with clavate raised setae (30°–45°), protibia with three acute spines on inner edge and vertex between eyes twice as wide as mesorostrum between antennae (ratio 2.00). Sizes: pronotum (length: 0.80–0.90 mm, width: 0.80–1.00 mm, ratio 0.90–1.00), elytra (length: 2.10–2.75 mm, width: 1.24–1.44 mm, ratio 1.68–1.78).

Material examined. Lectotypus with the following labels: [white, printed] 52 // [white, handwritten] Cathormiocerus pfisteri Strl., Sicil. (Strl.) // [red, printed] Syntypus // [white, printed] coll. L. v. Heyden, DEI- Eberswalde // [red, handwritten and printed] Pseudomeira pfisteri (STIERL.), Lectotypus det. Pierotti.

Other material: we have examined 91 specimens all females (APA, CBA, CBE, GOS, HPI, LCO, LFO, MTE, MCIZ, MCZR, MSNG, MSNM, MZUB, MZUF and SDEI).

Redescription. Female Figs. 26, 26a. Total length: 3.85 mm. Slender body with elytra elongate-cylindrical. Dorsal vestiture with imbricate, golden-brown scales with metallic sheen.

Rostrum covered by golden-brown scales, transverse (length/width ratio 0.72), conical to the sides. Pterygia barely protruding from the rostrum. Epistome absent. Mesorostrum concave, anteriorly with twelve/fourteen thin, curved, semi-erect setae. Vertex wide and convex (vertex width / mesorostrum width: ratio 2.00) with several, elongate, clavate, raised setae. Interocular space without visible fovea.

Lateral, normal, slightly convex eyes not protruding from outline of head. Antenna quite robust and short with recumbent, golden-silvery, widened setae. Antenna with ratio 0.75 (scape length: 0.75 mm, funicle length: 1.00 mm). Scape clubbed, slightly more robust than funicle, curved at the basal third and progressively thickening towards apex. Funicle segments including club, relative lengths as follows: 10.5.4.3.3.3.3.15; first six segments with widened setae silvery; segments 4–7 pearl-shaped. Club at least twice wider than funicle, short, fusiform with suture between first and second segment visible.

Pronotum clothed with golden-brown scales, quite sub-square (length: 0.85 mm, width: 0.90 mm, ratio: 0.94), slightly sub-conical, sinuate to the sides, wider in the middle, with short, widened-clavate, golden raised setae. Punctation usually covered by scales. Scutellum not visible.

Elytra (length: 2.55 mm, width: 1.45 mm, ratio: 1.76) vaulted dorsally, cylindrical, covered by golden-brown scales, with flat suture, wider at the middle. Elytral declivity with clavate and raised setae (30°–45°). Punctation of striae, shallow, rather catenulate and impressed. Interstriae flat, with clavate, elongate, golden, raised setae. Humeri short and rounded.

Legs short and robust clothed by golden-brown scales and rather short, widened golden setae. Femora little clubbed. Protibia with three acute spines on inner edge, with evident mucro on inner apical angle. Protibia quite sinuous on inner edge, metatibia and mesotibia straight in side view.

Tarsal segment 1 short, conical; segment 2 short and transverse; segment 3 shallowly bilobed; all segments with thin golden setae. Onychium curved, robust and short.

Female genitalia. See Figures: spermatheca (Fig. 85), sternite VIII (Fig. 124). Genitalia were examined in five specimens.

Distribution. See Fig. 140. Italian endemic. Known only from the type locality “Pellegrino Mount” at 400– 500 meters a.s.l..

Ecology and Phenology.

Collected by Berlese and Winkler extractors from soil obtained sifting the leaf litter under Rubus sp. on a pasture in spring and automn, at 400–500 meters.

Collections in the summer season gave negative results.

Main soil type. Chromic-Luvisol (European Soil Data Centre; Panagos et al. 2012).

Reproduction. Parthenogenetic.

Chorological relationships. Sympatric with D. exigua (Stierlin, 1861), Pseudomeira erinacea Bellò & Baviera (2011), Dolichomeira microphtalma (Seidlitz, 1868) and Typhloreicheia praecox (Schaum, 1857) .