Bonesioides caerulea (Jacoby, 1903), 2003

Freund, W. & Wagner, TH., 2003, Revision of Bonesioides Laboissière, 1925 (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae; Galerucinae) from continental Africa, Journal of Natural History 37 (16), pp. 1915-1976 : 1932-1936

Bonesioides caerulea (Jacoby, 1903) ; comb. nov.

Barombia caerulea Jacoby, 1903: 325 .

Barombiella caerulea (Jacoby, 1903) ; in Wilcox, 1973: 601.

Redescription

Total length. 6.8–7.9 mm (mean: 7.29 mm).

Head. Labrum, labial and maxillary palpus dark brown to black, frons and vertex dark blue metallic. Antenna short, extending towards end of mesosternum (figure 26), antennal articles dark brown to black, articles 2 and 3 rarely paler. Antennal article 3 40–50% longer than antennal article 2 (figure 27), A2/A3: 0.47–0.75 (mean: 0.63), antennal article 4 50–60% longer than article 3, about the same length as antennal articles 2 and 3 combined, A3/A4: 0.57–0.83 (mean: 0.67). Eyes small, frons broad (figure 26), WE/DE: 0.47–0.60 (mean: 0.55).

Thorax. Pronotum and elytra dark metallic blue. PL: 1.2–1.3 mm (mean: 1.25 mm), PW: 2.1–2.4 mm (mean: 2.20 mm), PL/PW: 0.53–0.60 (mean: 0.57). EL: 5.4–6.3 mm (mean: 5.79 mm), EW: 3.3–4.0 mm (mean: 3.59 mm), EW/EL: 0.58–0.64 (mean: 0.62). Mesothorax, metathorax and legs dark brown to black, metatibia more than twice as long as metatarsus (figure 26), TA/TI: 0.39–0.45 (mean: 0.42).

Abdomen. Dark brown to black.

Male genitalia. Median lobe broad, slightly narrowed from orifice towards end of tectum, strongly narrowed from apical third towards apex (figure 29). Orifice very broad at base, nearly circular, tectum broad and long. Endophallus with broad base and two long, left-curved spiculae; spiculae with broad base. Endophallic brush and protruding apical part of sclerotized ductus ejaculatorius partly covered by tectum.

Female genitalia. Spermatheca large, nodulus expanded, middle part short and nearly straight, cornu expanded in middle (figure 28).

Distribution. Recorded from Cameroon, Congo, Uganda and the Central African Republic (figure 11).

Diagnosis. Bonesioides caerulea is most similar to B. coerulea and B. godzilla sp. nov. (figures 7, 26, 58), but smaller than those with a total length from 6.8 to 7.9 mm, while length in B. coerulea range between 8.0 and 9.3 mm, in B. godzilla sp. nov. between 8.9 and 9.5 mm. The elytra of B. godzilla sp. nov. are nearly parallelsided from humeri towards the apex (figure 58), but expanded apically in B. caerulea (figure 26). The median lobe of B. caerulea (figure 29) is most similar to B. coerulea (figure 10), but the latter has a much slenderer orifice, and a nearly rectangular base. The endophallus and endophallic base are broader and the spiculae are larger in B. caerulea . Furthermore, the spiculae are left-curved in B. caerulea , while B. coerulea has each one left-and right-curved spiculum.

Type material

H  : W ‘ Barombia caerulea Jac. / Kamerun, Barombi, Conradt / Jacoby coll. 1909-28a’ ( BMNH) ; Cameroon: 4°40∞N/9°25∞E; examined.

Other material examined

Cameroon: 2 ex., same data label as holotype ( BMNH) ; 2 ex., coll. Kraatz ( DEI) . Central African Republic: 1 ex., Bambesa , 3°28∞N/25°43∞E, October 1933, J. V. Leroy ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Bambesa , February 1937, J. Vrydagh ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Bambesa , August 1938, P. Henrard ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Ile Ikaturaka , 3°39∞N/18°39∞E, a la lumiere, August 1947, Dr M. Poll ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Kisangani , 0°33∞N/25°14∞E, October 1970, J. Taverniers ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Lukolela , 1°3∞S/17°12∞E, June 1925, S. A. R. Prince Leopold ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Mambasa , 1°21∞N/29°3∞E, November 1970, J. Taverniers ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Mongbwalu , 1°57∞N/30°2∞E, July 1939, Mme Lepersonne ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Ngowa , 5°42∞S/16°35∞E, October 1937, R. P. J. Mertens ( IRSNB) ; 1 ex., P. N. G., Pidigala , 4°35∞N/29°23∞E, April 1952, H. de Saeger ( IRSNB) ; 1 ex., Region de Sassa , 1895–1896, Colmant ( MRAC) ; 1 ex., Stanleyville , 0°33∞N/25°14∞E, May 1926, J. Ghesquiere ( IRSNB) ; 1 ex., Yangambi , 0°47∞N/24°28∞E, 1953, C. Donis ( MRAC) . Uganda: 1 ex., Bwamba Forest , 0°43∞N/30°4∞E, 750–900 m, November 1911, S. A. Neave ( BMNH) ; 1 ex., Entebbe , 0°5∞N/32°29∞E, February 1914, C. C. Gowdey ( BMNH) ; 2 ex., Unyoro , 1°45∞N/31°25∞E, 1100 m, December 1911, S. A. Neave ( BMNH) .