Neobarombiella grotefendi, Bolz & Wagner, 2012

Bolz, Helmut & Wagner, Thomas, 2012, 3463, Zootaxa 3463, pp. 1-112 : 88-89

Neobarombiella grotefendi sp. n.

( Figs 57, 157–160)

Etymology. Named after Jens Grotefend, a long-time friend of Helmut Bolz.

Total length. 3.35–3.80 mm (mean: 3.50 mm) (n=10).

Head. Head, labial and maxillary palpi yellow. Antenna slender, entirely yellow in about 50% of material studied, rest brown from fourth to ninth antennomere ( Fig. 157). Length of second to third antennomere 0.83–0.85 (mean: 0.84), and length of third to fourth antennomere 0.60–0.67 (mean: 0.63) ( Fig. 159). Eyes small ( Fig. 157), width of eye to interocular distance 0.47–0.50 (mean: 0.48).

Thorax. Pronotum yellow; coarsely and deeply punctuated; trapezoidal, pronotal width 1.08–1.22 mm (mean: 1.14 mm), pronotal length 0.56–0.62 mm (mean: 0.58 mm), and pronotal length to width 0.49–0.52 (mean: 0.51). Elytron yellow, deeply and coarsely punctuated; elytral length 2.60–3.00 mm (mean: 2.74 mm), elytral width 1.70–2.10 mm (mean: 1.88 mm), and maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.65–0.70 (mean: 0.68) ( Fig. 157). Meso- and metathorax yellow, legs entirely yellow; length of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.38–0.39 (mean: 0.38).

Abdomen. Yellow.

Male genitalia. Median lobe very short, parallel-sided in ventral view, rounded apically with deep U-shaped incision; down-curved in lateral view and apically elongate, lacking sclerotized ridges or other characteristic structures; endophallic brush covered by tectum and median lobe, and lacking spiculae ( Fig. 158).

Diagnosis. Neobarombiella grotefendi sp. n. is characterised by the coarse punctuation of the pronotum and the elytra, its colouring, distribution range and peculiar median lobe. Neobarombiella budongoensis sp. n., which occurs syntopically, has narrow outer elytral and sutural margins and the median lobe differs in having sclerotized structures laterad of the apical V-shaped incision. The median lobe of Neobarombiella grotefendi sp. n. is very short and has no sclerotized structures ( Figs 130, 158). Although N. frohnorum sp. n. is rather similar, it is generally bigger, total length, 4.35–4.85 mm (3.35–3.80 mm in N. grotefendi sp. n.) and has superficially punctuated elytron ( Figs 149, 157).

Distribution. Only recorded from Tanzania ( Fig. 57).

Type material. Holotype, male: “Tanzania, Morogoro, Bahati camp, beaten, No. 20, 2.II.1987, S. Mahunka & A. Zicsi / Holotype, Neobarombiella grotefendi, Bolz & Wagner, 2010 / AfriGa, specimen ID:, 1882, specimen data, documented, 10.III.2011 ” ( MZHF; Fig. 160). Type locality: Tanzania , Morogoro, 6°49'S / 37°40'E .— Paratypes: Tanzania. 1 ex., Morogoro, 6°49'S / 37°40'E, I.1974, H. Silfverberg ( MZHF) ; 5 ex., Muansa, Kirumba , 4°50'S / 39°09'E, XI.1915, Holtz ( BMNU) ; 6 ex., Kilimandjaro, 3°04'S / 37°22'E, Buchberger ( MRAC) .