Bengalia roubaudi Rickenbach, Hamon & Mouchet, 1960

Rognes, Knut, 2012, 3553, Zootaxa 3553, pp. 1-79 : 46-49

6. Bengalia roubaudi Rickenbach, Hamon & Mouchet, 1960

Figs. 119–139.

Bengalia roubaudi Rickenbach, Hamon & Mouchet, 1960: 155 , 156 fig. 1. Holotype male (IRD, examined), by original designation. Type locality: Democratic Republic of Congo, Brazzaville. For more details, see below.

Bengalia roubaudi: Zumpt 1962b: 241 .

Bengalia roubaudi: Pont, 1980: 791 . Catalogue entry.

Afridigalia roubaudi: Lehrer 2005: 65 , 66 figs. 28A–E. Angola (Congulu).

Afridigalia roubaudi: Lehrer 2006: 9 . Angola (Congulu).

Diagnosis. Male. Length: 9–11mm (n=4). Frons at vertex / head width ratio: 0.23–0.26 (mean 0.25, n=4). Easily recognisable by the shape of the ST5 flap and the strikingly narrow frons for a Bengalia species.

Anepimeron with predominantly dark setulae, lower ones may appear yellowish in some lights; very few truly yellow setulae present in lower hind corner. Fore tibia without short v spine-like setae. Mid tibia without a fringe. Hind tibia with a very sparse fringe consisting of 5–7 thin setae on av surface only, about as long as or slightly longer than width of tibia.

ST5 flap ( Fig. 133) distally convex.

Distiphallus with a distal finger shaped like strongly sclerotised short peg, a little shorter than the one in B. depressa , hidden from lateral view by sclerotisation proceeding form upper lip to base of antler. Each finger proceeding obliquely mediad and distad in dorsal view. Upper lip almost straight in dorsal view, a small emargination laterally on each side; strongly concave on underside in front view. Dorsolateral wing as in Fig. 128. Tip of antler claw-like, a short basal tooth opposing the curved distal tip ( Fig. 132).

Female. Unknown.

Discussion. The species is very rare. The convex ST5 flap is unique for a Bengalia .

Biology. Capture dates for the material I have examined are from March, April and November. The Angola specimen from “Congulu” in BMNH was captured in April (“iv”) according to the label, not September (“IX”) as given by Lehrer (2006: 9).

Distribution. * Angola, * Democratic Republic of Congo.

Material examined. Type material. Bengalia roubaudi Rickenbach, Hamon & Mouchet, 1960 . Holotype male, in IRD, labelled (1) BRAZZAVILLE / IEC 15.11.59 / J. Hamon réc [handwritten]; (2) BENGALIA / roubaudi n. sp. / A. Rickenbach ORSTOM dét. [handwritten in blue ball-point pen], except last line, which is printed; a dotted line present along upper and lower edge of label; whole label coloured red by red pencil]; (3) 143 [handwritten in blue]. The specimen has the tip of the abdomen removed. The genitalia are on a separate slide.

Note. Rickenbach, Hamon & Mouchet (1960: 157) described the species on the basis of two males and stated that “L’holotype et le paratype sont conservés à l’Institut d’Enseignement et de Recherches Tropicales…” [now = IRD]. The holotype is not labelled with a holotype label and the authors did not specify in the original publication which of the two identically labelled specimens is the holotype. However, the holotype has the “n.sp.” label (label no. 2 above) coloured all over with red, and a small label (“143”) referring to a numbered microscope slide. The slide with the dissected genitalia is labelled “ Holotype ” / “143” / “ Bengalia / roubaudi / n.sp. / Brazzaville” so there is no doubt which specimen is the holotype. The slide has two small circular and one large square cover slip for (from left to right) the distiphallus, the ST5 and ST5 flap, and the flat-mounted cerci and surstyli. Paratype. IRD: 1 male (1) BRAZZAVILLE / IEC 15.11.59 / J. Hamon réc.; (2) BENGALIA / roubaudi n.sp. / A. Rickenbach ORSTOM dét. [handwritten, except last line, which is printed; a dotted line present along upper and lower edge of label; a broad oblique red line crosses the label, colouring by red pencil]. Note. The “n.sp.” label has obviously been furnished with the broad oblique red line to distinguish it from the holotype. This specimen has not been dissected .

Other material. BMNH: Angola: 1 male labelled (1) ANGOLA: / Congulu. / iv. 1934. / K.Jordan. / B.M.1934- 435 [printed]; (2) Afridigalia ♂ / roubaudi (R.,H. & M.) / Det. Dr. A.Z.LEHRER / 2005 [pinhole in the middle of the label]; (3) Afridigalia ♂ / roubaudi (R.,H. & M.) / Det. Dr. A.Z.LEHRER / 2005 [pinhole towards the right end of the label]; (4) My determination label. The specimen had been dissected by Lehrer. The genitalia, consisting of the epandrial complex, the hypandrial complex with aedeagus, a large flat piece of unknown identity, whereas the ST5 flap was lacking, were in glycerol in a big plastic vial when received by me. The genitalia were removed from the vial by slitting it across with a scalpel, and the various parts transferred to glycerol in a glass microvial which was placed under the original labels. For a description of the condition of the specimen, see section Material and methods, above. NMSA: Democratic Republic of Congo: 1 male labelled: (1) COLL.MUS. CONGO / Banana / 31- III – 1903 / (Dr. J. Bequaert) [handwritten except first line which is printed]; (2) slide no. 17 [Zumpt’s handwriting]; (3) Bengalia / roubaudi / R. H. & M. [Zumpt’s handwriting]; (4) NMSA-DIP / 57939 [printed]; (5) NATAL MUSEUM / Pietermaritzburg / South Africa [printed on green label]; (6) KR’s determination label. The accompanying slide no. 17 in NMSA examined. It is labelled: (Upper label) Bengalia / roubaudi R., H., & M. / ♂ term. 17; (Lower label) Banana / Belg. Congo / 31.III. 1903 [both labels in Zumpt’s handwriting]. Genitalia squashed flat in Zumpt fashion.