Bonesioides rubricollis, Freund & Wagner, 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 : 1964-1965

Bonesioides rubricollis sp. nov.

Description

Total length. 5.8–6.1 mm (mean: 6.13 mm).

Head. Labrum, labial and maxillary palpus, frons and vertex reddish brown to brown. Antenna pale brown to reddish brown, extending towards middle of elytra (figure 87). Last three to five antennal articles dark brown to black. Article 2 slightly shorter than article 3 (figure 88), A2/A3: 0.77–0.79 (mean: 0.78); article 4 longer than 2 and 3 combined, A3/A4: 0.53–0.54 (mean: 0.54). Eyes large (figure 87), WE/DE: 0.97–1.0 (mean: 0.99).

Thorax. Pronotum reddish brown. PL: 1.0– 1.1 mm (mean: 1.03 mm), PW: 1.9–2.2 mm (mean: 2.0 mm), PL/PW: 0.50–0.53 (mean 0.52). Elytra dark green metallic, EL: 4.5–4.9 mm (mean: 4.73 mm), EW: 2.8–3.0 mm (mean: 2.87 mm), EW/EL: 0.58–0.62 (mean: 0.61). Mesothorax, metathorax and legs reddish brown, metatibia on average twice as long as metatarsus (figure 87), TA/TI: 0.46–0.52 (mean: 0.50).

Abdomen. Reddish brown.

Male genitalia. Median lobe slender, homogeneously narrowed apically (figure 89). Orifice nearly rectangular, tectum long and slender. Endophallus distally with two small spiculae. Large endophallic brush and slightly protruding apical part of sclerotized ductus ejaculatorius covered by tectum.

Female genitalia. Female unknown.

Distribution. Recorded from Nigeria and Ivory Coast (figure 66).

Diagnosis. Can be easily identified by the reddish brown head, thorax and abdomen, and the dark green metallic elytra, a combination which does not occur in any other Bonesioides species. Most similar is B. purpureipennis , which is much larger, has metallic blue or purple elytra, and a much broader median lobe.

Type material

H : W ‘ Umudike , 10-IV-1960, J. L. Gregory; Nigeria: Pres. C. E. Tottenham., coll. J. L. Gregory, Brit. Mus. 1968-134.’ ( BMNH); Nigeria: 5°41∞N/7°14∞E. P  : Nigeria: 1, near Benin, 6°19∞N/5°41∞E, April 1958, C. E. Tottenham, coll. J. L. Gregory ( BMNH) . Ivory Coast: 4, Bingerville , 5°20∞N/3°53∞E., 2 ex. February 1963, 1 ex. March 1963, 1 ex. March 1964, J. Decelle ( MRAC) .