Macrosiagon ukereweana Schilder, 1923

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 : 616

Macrosiagon ukereweana Schilder, 1923

( Figs. 44–46 )

Macrosiagon ukereweana Schilder, 1923: 333 . Type locality: [ Tanzania], Gebiet des Ukerewe-Sees [environs of Ukerewe Lake], Neuwied; [ Tanzania], Munsa [sic!]; [ Tanzania], Ngoroine, Mukenge.

Type material examined. SYNTYPES: 1 ♀ ( Figs 44–46 ) ( ZMHB), ‘S.Victoria-Njansa /? Muansa [sic!] / Stuhlmann S. [p, blue label] // COTYPUS [p, orange label] // ukerewe - / ana m. [hw] / Schilder det. [p] // SYNTYPUS / Macrosiagon ukerewana [sic!] / Schilder, 1923, / labelled by ZMHB 2008 [p, red label]’; 1 ♀ ( ZMHB), ‘COTYPUS [p, orange label] // D. O.Afr. / Neuwied Ukerewe / A. Conrads S. G. [p, blue label] // 2/496 / u r. V. // ukerewe - / ana m. [hw] / Schilder det. [p] // SYNTYPUS / Macrosiagon ukerewana [sic!] / Schilder, 1923, / labelled by ZMHB 2008 [p, red label]’; 1 ♀ ( MNHN – coll. Pic, box no. 6), ‘COTYPUS [p, orange label] // O. Victoria-Njansa / Ngoraine u. Mukenge / Anf. II. 94 / O. Neumann S. [p, blue label] // ukerewe - / ana m. [hw] / Schilder det. [p] // type [Pic’s hw] // type [p, red label] / Macrosiagon / ukereweana / Schilder [hw] // en échange [hw]’. The fourth syntype is deposited in Deutsches Entomologisches Institut (Münchenberg, Germany) ; it has been examined by myself several years ago, however it is not corroborated here.

Additional material examined. ANGOLA: 1 ♀ ( NHMB), ‘Vila de Ponte / Angola 1935 / Coll. Monard // Macrosiagon / nov. spec? [hw]’. BOTSWANA: 1 ♀ ( JBCP), ‘Botswana bor./ Maun / Island Safari Lodge / 15.1.- 29.1.1997 / Ltg. [sic!] M. Snizek [p]’. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO [label data communicated by Marc de Meyer]: 1 ex. ( MRAC), ‘MUSÉE DU CONGO / Nyangwe [env. Kasongo] / III.-IV.1918 / R. Mayné [p]’; 6 ex. ( MRAC), ‘MUSÉE DU CONGO / Lulua: Kapanga [p] / 18-XI-1932 [p/hw] / G.F. Overlaet [p]’; 1 ex. ( MRAC), ‘COLL MUS. CONGO / Luluabourg [p] / 15.-IV-1939 [p/hw] / J.J. Deheyn [p]’; 1 ex. ( MRAC), ‘COLL MUS. CONGO / Lusambo et env / 1950 / P. HOSTIE [p]’. MALAWI: 1 ♀ ( BMNH), ‘Nyasaland / Mlanje / Jan. 26. 1913 / S.A. Neave / 1913-140 [p]’ [+ another 24 specimens with the same labels but different dates: January, February, March, April, May, June, December 1912 –1914]. MOZAMBIQUE: 1 ♀ ( BMNH), ‘Port. E. Africa. / Valley of Kola R. / nr. E. Mt. Chiperone / 1.500-2000 ft. // 7 Apl. 1913 / S.A. Neave / 1913-140 [p]’; 1 J ( BMNH), ‘Port. E. Africa. / Ruo Valley / 2,000 ft. 9.4.13 / S.A. Neave / 1913-140 [p]’; 1 ex. ( BMNH), ‘Port. E. Africa. / Kola Valley E. of / Mt. Chiperone // 1.700 ft. 21.11.13 / S.A. Neave / 1914-156 [p]’. REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: 1 ♀ ( BMNH), ‘Tugela R. / Natal / G.A.K. Marshall. // Brit. Mus. / 1922-431 [p]’; 1 J ( JHCP), ‘RSA / near Thabazimbi, N.P. / 10.11.2000 / Werner leg. [p]’. TANZANIA: 1 ♀ ( JBCP), ‘Tanzania 9/ 13.XII.1997 / near Songes, Rvuma Pr. / Werner & Lizler leg. [p]’; 1 ♀ ( ZMHB), ‘D. O. Afrika / Victoria-Nyansa / Insel Ukerewe / Conrads S. G. [p, blue label]’; 2 ♀♀ ( BMNH), ‘Taken with ex. of / Agathisanthemum sp. [family Rubiaceae : Spermacoceae ] [hw] // Tanzania / nr. road 36 miles N. / of Churya / 20.3.1965 / Mrs. M. Richards, 19778 [hw] // Brit. Mus. / 1966 – 156 [p]’. UGANDA: 2 ♀♀ ( BMNH), ‘Uganda Prot. / Valley of Kafu R. / Unyoro. 3,400 ft. / 23-28 Dec.1911 / S.A. Neave. // 1912 – 193 [p]’. ZIMBABWE: 1 J ( BMNH), ‘Salisbury [= Harare] / Mashonaland / G.A.K. Marshall [p] / [reverse side:] 23.iv.1894 [hw] // Brit. Mus. /1922-431 [p]’; 1 J 1 ♀ ( JBCP), ‘C. Zimbabwe / 70 km N of Chivhu / Featherstone env. 22.xi. 1998 / M. Snížek leg. [p]’.

Remarks. I regard Macrosiagon ukereweana as the putative sister species of M. octomaculata ( Gerstaecker, 1855) , which is widespread in the New World. Both species are of the same habitus and coloration and differ only by the elevated process at the apex of the pronotal disc, which is present in M. octomaculata (15 specimens from Argentina, French Guyana and Paraguay in JBCP were examined), but absent in M. ukereweana .

Biology. Plant association of the specimens mentioned in the Additional material are discussed in Discussion: Visited plants.

Distribution. This Afrotropical species was described from Tanzania and is known up to now only from the type series. It is recorded here from Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Republic of South Africa, Uganda and Zimbabwe for the first time.

Figures

Figs 44–47. 44–46 – Macrosiagon ukereweana Schilder, 1923; syntype from Muansa (44 – habitus dorsally; 45 – habitus laterally; 46 – metatarsomeres dorsally). 47 – Mentha longifolia, Namibia, Naukluft Park (photo W. Schawaller 2010).