Neobarombiella medvedevi, Bolz & Wagner, 2012

Bolz, Helmut & Wagner, Thomas, 2012, 3463, Zootaxa 3463, pp. 1-112 : 92-93

Neobarombiella medvedevi sp. n.

( Figs 27, 165–168)

Etymology. Dedicated to Vladimir Medvedev, the well-known Russian chrysomelid systematist. Total length. 4.35–5.55 mm (mean: 4.84 mm) (n=12).

Head. Frons, vertex and labrum brown, labial and maxillary palpi dark brown or black. Antenna yellowishbrown, apical antennomere darker ( Fig. 165), length of second to third antennomere 0.58–0.64 (mean: 0.60), and length of third to fourth antennomere 0.63–0.71 (mean: 0.67) ( Fig. 167). Eyes large with short interocular distance ( Fig. 165), width of eye to interocular distance 0.42–0.52 (mean: 0.49).

Thorax. Pronotum reddish-brown; strongly trapezoidal, pronotal width 1.56–1.94 mm (mean: 1.70 mm), pronotal length 0.82–1.08 mm (mean: 0.92 mm), and pronotal length to width 0.52–0.56 (mean: 0.54). Elytron yellowish-brown or brownish-red, rarely darker at humeral base; densely, but shallowly, punctuated; elytral length 3.55–4.55 mm (mean: 3.93 mm), elytral width 2.20–2.60 mm (mean: 2.35 mm), and maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.57–0.65 (mean: 0.60) ( Fig. 165). Meso-, metathorax and legs reddish-brown or entirely brown; length of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.47–0.51 (mean: 0.49).

Abdomen. Brownish yellow or brown.

Male genitalia. Median lobe long and slender, parallel-sided in ventral view ( Fig. 166a), apical section with two projections; apex ventrally elongate and lacking sclerotized ridges or spikes and poorly sclerotized in lateral view; endophallic brush covered by tectum and median lobe.

Diagnosis. Neobarombiella medvedevi sp. n. can best be characterized by its dense but shallow punctuation of the elytra, short broad antennomeres, long pronotum and the dull brownish-red or yellowish-brown colouring of the elytra, lacking dark sutural or elytral margins ( Fig. 165). N. naumanni sp. n. is has similar elytral colouring, but the pronotum, in contrast, is paler ( Fig. 169). Neobarombiella spielbergi sp. n. occurs syntopically but has uniformly yellow elytron and long antennomeres ( Fig. 185). In N. flavicollis the pronotum has lighter colouring than the elytron and it has dark humeral spots. It can also be distinguished by its pronotal shape, pronotal length to width 0.43–0.49 (0.52–0.56 in N. medvedevi ) ( Figs 82, 165). Another species that occurs syntopically is N. suturalis , but it has more coarsely punctuated elytron with dark outer elytral and sutural margins and is not as slender as N. medvedevi , width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.66–0.73 (0.57–0.65 in N. medvedevi sp. n.); it has larger eyes, width of eye to interocular distance 0.52–0.61 (0.42–0.52 in N. medvedevi sp. n.) and a longer pronotum, pronotal length to width 0.45–0.52(0.52–0.56 in N. medvedevi sp. n.) ( Figs 88, 165).

Distribution. Recorded from the Guinea-Congolian forest region, from Guinea in the west to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the east ( Fig. 27).

Type material. Holotype, male: “Guinée.franc, Dabola / Muséum Paris, 1937, L. Berland / Holotype, Neobarombiella medvedevi, Bolz & Wagner, 2010 / AfriGa, specimen ID:, 1884, specimen data, documented, 10.III.2011 ” ( MNHN; Fig. 168). Type locality: Guinea, Dabola, 10°50'N / 11°05'W .— Paratypes: Cameroon. 1 ex., Douala , 4°10'N / 9°37'E, II.1959, J. Cantaloube ( MNHN) .— Democratic Republic of the Congo. 1 ex., Kivu , Mokoto, 1°16'S / 29°00'E, 1927, G. Babault ( MNHN) .— Equatorial Guinea. 2 ex., 02°00’N / 10°00’E, Dr. L. Baguena ( MNCN) ; 1 ex., Fernando Póo , Santa Isabel, 03°21’N / 08°40’E, Dr. L. Báguena ( MNCN) ; 7 ex., Fernando Póo , Santa Isabel, 03°21’N / 08°40’E, VII .–IX.1919, Escalera ( MNCN) ; 1 ex., Fernando Póo , Basupú, 03°44’N / 08°49’E, V .1919, Escalera ( MNCN) .— Guinea. 1 ex., Dabola , 10°50'N / 11°05'W, 1937, L. Berlaud ( MNHN) .— Nigeria. 1 ex., Biafra, Cabo S. Juan , 05°01’N / 07°56’E, VIII .1901, Escalera ( MNCN) .