Macrosiagon trinotata Pic, 1950

Batelka, Jan, 2011, Contribution to the synonymies, distributions, and bionomics of the Old World species of Macrosiagon (Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (2), pp. 587-626 : 614-616

Macrosiagon trinotata Pic, 1950

( Figs. 41–43 )

Macrosiagon trinotatum Pic, 1950c: 360 . Type locality: [ Democratic Republic of the Congo], Coquilhatville.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: 1 ♀ ( Fig. 41 ) ( MRAC), ‘MUSÉE DU CONGO [p] / Coquilhatville / 1929 [hw] / Ex coll. [p] J. Müller [hw] // sp. pres / Rieli Pic [Pic’s hw] // Macrosiagon / trinotatum n.sp. [Pic’s hw] // Coquilhatville / Congo 1929 [hw] // R. DET. [p] / Z. [hw] / 5626 [p] // HOLOTYPUS [p] / trinotatum / Pic [hw, orange label]’.

Additional material examined. KENYA: 1 J ( BMNH), ‘ Brit.E.Africa. / Mumias / 4,200 ft. / June 15, 1911. / S.A. Neave [p] // 1912-193 [p] ’; 1 ♀ ( Fig. 42 ) ( JBCP), ‘ Kenya ( Tsavo ) / 19-21. xi. 1996, Taita / Hills, Wundanyi / M. Snížek leg. [p] ’. REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: 1J ( Fig. 43 ) ( BMNH), ‘ P. B. Spei / Transwaal [p] // Fry Coll. / 1905.100 [p] // 70511 [hw] ’; 1 ♀ ( JBCP), ‘ Bell – Marley, / Durban / Natal [p] ’; 1 J ( BMNH), ‘PT Natal [hw, blue rounded label] ’. ZAMBIA: 1 ♀ ( NMPC), ‘ Zambia NW / Solwezi env. / 1.-3.XII. 2002 / J. Halada leg. [p] ’.

Diagnosis. Habitus typical for Macrosiagon , head with elevated and round vertex, moderately acuminate apically, pronotal disc with transversal linear impression in the posterior half (absent in the holotype and the female from Zambia), medial lobe of pronotal disc with distinct elevation before the apex, posterior edge of metepimeron simple, inner margin of elytra only moderately divergent at apex, elytra strongly acuminate, each elytron with one shallow longitudinal depression, tibial spur formula 1–2–2, MT 2 similar to other metatarsomeres, neither shortened nor flattened dorsally. Body length (from head to elytral apices) 6–7 mm.

Redescription. Head compressed antero-posteriorly. Vertex upraised, convex, glabrous and shining with scattered shallow punctures, spaces between punctures bigger than punctures in diameter. Clypeus densely punctured, spaces between punctures smaller than punctures in diameter, frontoclypeal margin slightly convex. Antennae 11-segmented, antennomere I long, slender and subcylindrical, antennomere II lenticular. Antennomeres III–X in males cylindrical, with two long rami, antennomere XI simple, in length similar to the previous rami, compressed longitudinally. Antennomeres III–X in females cylindrical, each with distinct projection, acute apically, antennomere XI suboval, compressed longitudinally.

Thorax shining, pronotal disc densely and deeply punctured, punctures with short golden setae. Meso- and metathorax glabrous, densely punctured, posterior margin of metepimeron straight. Hind wings dark violet.

Abdomen wedge-shaped with five visible ventrites (= sternites III-VII), sternites IV-VII telescopically fit under sternite III, making sternite III appear to be the longest.

Legs long and slender, roughly punctate, densely setose. Claws long, slender, compressed longitudinally, bifid apically.

Variation. Black species, excepting of yellowish-brown posterior edge of metepimeron and metacoxa, hind femur and tibia (excepting of their apices), all visible abdominal sternites, antennomeres I and II, and one humeral spot on each elytron (male, P.B. Spei; female, Durban; male, Natal); or as the previous South African specimens but elytra are completely black (male, Mumias ), or as South African specimens but the hind tibia is completely black, metepimeron is yellowish-brown except of black strip along the suture with metanepisternum, and elytra are black with medial longitudinal yellowish-brown strip (female, Zambia; female, Tsavo) or identical with preceding two specimens but metepimeron as in South African specimens (holotype) .

The holotype is more robust than the remaining available specimens, and bears shorter elytra and more convex pronotal disc (possible allometry). No other parts of the metathoracic legs but the right femur and tibia are preserved, and MTs cannot be examined. Because the species is described after a rather atypical and damaged single specimen, I decided to provide its redescription and notes on its colour variability (see above).

Remarks. Macrosiagon trinotata is similar to M. lyauteyi and M. marcelli by the shape of the body and elytra, and by having the transversal linear impression in the posterior half of the pronotal disc in some specimens. It differs from these species by the shape of the vertex and by the darker elytra. In coloration (particularly of the South African specimens), it resembles M. humeralis , which differs from M. trinotata as follows: on average being a bigger species (about 10 mm long), with the vertex with a deep, longitudinal impression anteriorly, the punctuation of the head and pronotum are rough, spaces between punctures are smaller than punctures in diameter, the pronotal disc without a transversal linear impression, and the hind legs and antennomeres I and II always being completely black.

Distribution. Known so far only from the type locality of Coquilhatville (now Mbandaka), which is situated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is recorded here from Kenya, Republic of South Africa and Zambia for the first time.

Figures

Figs 34–43. 34–36 – Macrosiagon inferna (Schaufuss, 1872) (34–35 – holotype and labels of Emenadia inferna Schaufuss, 1872; 36 – Macrosiagon longipes Pic, 1929, syntype). 37–38 – Macrosiagon lyauteyi Alluaud, 1902, female from Ihosy. 39–40 – Macrosiagon marcelli Alluaud, 1902 (39 – female from Zimbabwe; 40 – female from Zambia, Serenje, head frontally).41–43 – Macrosiagon trinotata Pic, 1950 (41 – holotype; 42 – female from Kenya, Tsavo, head frontally; 43 – male from Republic of South Africa, Transwaal).