Micropria Grouvelle, 1899

Audisio, Paolo, Cline, Andrew Richard, Biase, Alessio De, Antonini, Gloria, Mancini, Emiliano, Trizzino, Marco, Costantini, Lorenzo, Strika, Sirio, Lamanna, Francesco & Cerretti, Pierfilippo, 2009, Preliminary re-examination of genus-level taxonomy of the pollen beetle subfamily Meligethinae (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (2), pp. 341-504 : 448-451

30. Micropria Grouvelle, 1899

(Figs. 30 a–z)

Micropria Grouvelle, 1899: 131 .

Metapria Grouvelle, 1909: 105 . Unnecessary replacement name for Micropria (cf. KIREJTSHUK 2008; see below).

Type species. Micropria kraatzi Grouvelle, 1899: 131 (by monotypy).

Generic redescription and diagnosis. Inclusive species vary moderately in size (1.1–1.7 mm length), and share the following combination of characters.

Body color and pubescence: pubescence silvery-whitish, short and fine, recumbent, never obscuring the usually shining and metallic black to ochraceous dorsal body surface; pronotal and elytral sides narrowly flattened, typically same color as disc; lateral margin of pronotum and elytra with a series of faintly distinct, small and short setae, each seta 0.3–0.5× as long as those on elytral disc; posterior margin of pronotum with moderately long, usually distally bifid microsetae, microsetae absent from narrow middle portion anterior to scutellum.

Dorsal habitus: body small, more or less strongly convex, variably shaped, usually shortly oval (Figs. 30a, b; Figs. 53, 63, 71 in KIREJTSHUK 1980b), pronotum as wide as or slightly wider than elytra; dorsal punctures on discal portion of pronotum usually larger than eye facet, moderately deeply impressed and densely distributed, but variable; anterior margin of clypeus usually truncate, rarely sinuate, narrowly but distinctly bordered, without small, faintly distinct, medial bulge, lateral angles obtuse (Figs. 54, 64, 72 in KIREJTSHUK 1980b); circumocular furrows (occipital sulci) on dorsal side of head completely absent; eyes moderately large and projecting laterally (Figs. 30a, b); pronotum with distinct and nearly right posterior angles, rarely faintly directed posteriorly (Figs. 30a, b; Figs. 53, 63, 71 in KIREJTSHUK 1980b); lateral area adjacent to posterior outer portions of pronotum impunctate, glabrous; scutellum

Fig. 30. Micropria Grouvelle, 1899 : a, c–d, f, h, k, m–n, p, r–s, v–w – M. perparva (Grouvelle, 1909) ; b, q, t–u, y–z – M. densepunctata (Kirejtshuk, 1980) ; e, x – M. oviformis (Kirejtshuk, 1980) ; g – M. diluticolor (Kirejtshuk, 1980) . a, b – male habitus; c – labium and left palpus; d, e, g – prosternal process; f – last tarsomere with tarsal claws; h – male mesotibia; k – exposed portion of last visible abdominal ventrite; m, x – ovipositor; n – protibia; p–q – antennal club; r–s, t–u – male genitalia; v–w, y–z – major sclerites of male endophallus (dorsal and lateral view). All drawings modified from KIREJTSHUK (1980b); refer to KIREJTSHUK (1980b) for scale.

minutely and sparsely punctured on posterior part of exposed portion; elytra with variable punctation, usually simple, not transversely strigose, some species faintly reticulately rugose with orange-peel like sculpturing; elytral humeral angles more or less distinctly laterally projecting, usually obscured under posterior corners of pronotum; elytral humeral striae usually scarcely distinct or indistinct; elytral pre-sutural striae fine but visible, originating at scutellar vertex, terminating before elytral apex, and delimiting on each elytron a faintly distinct, flat sutural area, distinctly wider than distal width of third antennomere; elytral apices truncately rounded in both sexes (Fig. 30a); pygidium partially exposed, moderately convex, apically rounded or slightly acuminate in both sexes (Figs. 30a, b).

Ventral habitus: antennal furrows markedly delimited, parallel-sided anteriorly, distinctly convergent posteriorly; mentum subpentagonal, strongly transverse, trapezoidal; prosternal antennal furrows of anterior margin of prosternum obliterated, not distinct; prosternal process variably shaped, usually wide, subapical dilated portion 2.6–3.8× as wide as maximum width of 1 st antennomere, apex truncate or moderately concave (Figs. 30d, e, g), posterior margin not microscopically crenulate; lateral borders of prosternal process delimiting shallowly impressed but wide and distinct furrows, distally terminating over predistal lateral expansions (Figs. 30d, e, g); posterior margin of mesoventrite never medially incised, slightly to markedly arcuately convex posteriorly; male impressions on metaventrite scarcely developed; first two visible abdominal ventrites simple in both sexes, without tufts of setae; caudal marginal lines of metacoxal cavities simple, subparallel and contiguous to posterior margin of metacoxal cavities, shallow arched impression of outer ‘axillary’ line faint; ‘axillary’ space on first abdominal ventrite well developed, ‘axillary’ angle broadly widely obtuse; small, short, and shallowly impressed arched impressions on basal portion of last visible abdominal ventrite (Fig. 30k), moderately far from lateral margins of ventrite, and frequently partially covered by distal portion of penultimate visible abdominal ventrite; apex of last abdominal ventrite frequently emarginate in males, without shining tubercles or arcuate ridges in both sexes.

Appendages: male 1 st antennomere 0.8–0.9× as long as width of protibiae excluding distal teeth; 3 rd antennomere moderately long in both sexes, 2.3–2.6× as long as wide, ~1.0× as long as but distinctly thinner than 2 nd antennomere; 4 th and 5 th antennomeres subequal in both sexes, short, nearly as long as wide; antennal club compact, middle-sized, simple, comprising last 3 antennomeres in both sexes (8 th antennomere scarcely widened, 0.4–0.5× as wide as 9 th antennomere) (Figs. 30p, q), more narrow than width of protibiae, sexual dimorphism absent; labial palpi short in both sexes (Fig. 30c), terminal segment ~1.3–1.5× as long as wide; maxillary palpi long and thin in both sexes, terminal segment 2.5–2.8× as long as wide; mandible small-sized, apex moderately acuminate, no sexual dimorphism; tarsal claws simple, not toothed at base (Fig. 30f); tarsi relatively short, 0.6–0.8× as long as corresponding tibiae (Fig. 30n), pretarsus comparatively large; protibiae with a series of small and relatively blunt teeth on distal portion of lateral margin (Fig. 30n); lateral margin of meso- and metatibiae bearing a single and usually even row of short and thin pegs (Figs. 30h), without U-shaped sinuosity at distal third; meso- and metatibiae short and wide, flat (Fig. 30h), subtrapezoidal and axe-shaped; sexual dimorphism scarcely expressed in metatibial shape; tarsal plates of prolegs faintly wider in males; posterior margin of metafemora simple in both sexes, without tubercles or projections.

Male genitalia: processes along inner side of parameres absent (Figs. 30r–u; Figs. 59–61, 67–69, 75– 76 in KIREJTSHUK 1980b), usually with wide V-shaped incision on distal margin, without deep median longitudinal desclerotization from proximal portion of tegmen extending to medial distal V-shaped excision; median lobe of aedeagus variably shaped, without lateral emargination, narrow and obtuse, distally acuminate or spatulate, without minute excisions or emarginations; main sclerites of internal sac (flagellum) large, arcuate, usually hook-shaped in lateral view (Figs. 30v-z), well-sclerotized, nearly as long as median lobe of aedeagus.

Female genitalia (ovipositor): relatively large; styli long, cylindrical, usually darkly pigmented, inserted at apex of contiguous or markedly divergent gonostyloids (Figs. 30m, x; Figs. 70, 77 in KIREJTSHUK 1980b); each gonostyloid sclerotized and usually darkly pigmented, with a simple, never indentate outer portion of basicoxites, and a single, narrow, pigmented and sclerotized arcuate area along outer subdistal portion of gonostyloids. ‘Central point’ of ovipositor typically more proximad than middle, without proximad directed spicule.

Etymology. The generic name is derived from Greek ‘μικρός ’ (= small), which is indicative of the usually small body size characterizing all inclusive species, and from Pria , to emphasize superficial morphological similarities with this meligethine genus. Gender feminine.

Biology of Micropria is mostly unknown. A few adult specimens of Micropria diluticolor (Kirejtshuk, 1980) have been collected in Zaire on fruits of Treculia africana var. engleriana (De Wild. & Th. Dur.) Engl. (Moraceae) ( KIREJTSHUK 1980b), but a frugivorous larval life style is unlikely (postulated by KIREJTSHUK 1983). However, some species of Micropria may be associated with inflorescences of Moraceae . A few specimens of Micropria sp. were recently collected in Rwanda by insecticidal canopy fogging of Carapa grandiflora Sprague ( Meliaceae ; a large tree of montane rain forests), in conjunction with several specimens of Lucanopria wagneri gen. nov. and sp. nov. (T. Wagner, pers. comm. 2009; see below).

Phylogenetic position. Available morphological data provide evidence of a possible relationship of Micropria with the clade [‘ Anthystrix complex of genera’ + Chromogethes ] ( AUDISIO et al. 2008), or with the clade [ Meligethinus + ( Meligethes + Brassicogethes )]. Discovery of larval host-plants and availability of molecular data will help better secure a phylogenetic position for Micropria .

The type species of the genus, M. kraatzi Grouvelle, 1899 from East Africa, is unknown to the authors. As observed by KIREJTSHUK (1980b) and according to the original description, this species exhibits a few morphological characters that are somewhat atypical with other species of the genus.

Taxonomy and geographic distribution. Micropria includes six described Afrotropical species ( KIREJTSHUK 1980b). These species were formerly attributed to two recognized speciesgroups, i.e. the ‘ perparva ’, and ‘ oviformis ’ species-groups. Meligethes carbunculus Easton, 1960 , described from Tanzania, and reported from Sierra Leone (the latter record unfortunately is based solely on female specimens), may likely be transferred to Micropria at a later time ( AUDISIO 1994, and unpublished data), but is not included within Micropria here.

GROUVELLE (1909) introduced the new name Metapria as replacement name for Micropria Grouvelle, 1899 , due to the quasi-homonymy with Micropia Gray, 1868 ( Mammalia, Cetacea ). An analogous situation occurs with the name Microprius Fairmaire, 1869 ( Coleoptera , Zopheridae ). However, according to the ICZN (1999: Article 56.2), this was an unjustified replacement name, and was recently correctly applied by KIREJTSHUK (2008).

Micropria collarti (Kirejtshuk, 1980) Zaire

Micropria densepunctata (Kirejtshuk, 1980) Zaire

Micropria diluticolor (Kirejtshuk, 1980) Zaire

Micropria kraatzi Grouvelle, 1899 E Africa

Micropria oviformis (Kirejtshuk, 1980) Zaire

Micropria perparva (Grouvelle, 1909) Tanzania, Zaire