Bonesioides kamerunensis, 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 : 1955-1957

Bonesioides kamerunensis sp. nov.

Description

Total length. 4.8–5.8 mm (mean: 5.4 mm).

Head. Labrum, labial and maxillary palpus black, rarely with brown apex. Frons and vertex dull metallic blue. Antenna black, extending towards middle of elytra (figure 67). Antennal article 3 twice as long as article 2 (figure 68), A2/A3: 0.46–0.54 (mean: 0.51); antennal article 4 about 20% longer than article 3, A3/A4: 0.77–0.87 (mean: 0.81). Eyes small (figure 67), WE/DE: 0.54–0.65 (mean: 0.58).

Thorax. Pronotum and elytra dull metallic blue. PL: 0.7–0.9 mm (mean: 0.80 mm), PW: 1.5–1.7 mm (mean: 1.63 mm), PL/PW: 0.47–0.52 (mean: 0.49). EL: 3.7–4.6 mm (mean: 4.25 mm), EW: 2.2–2.8 mm (mean: 2.52 mm), EW/EL: 0.56–0.61 (mean: 0.59). Mesothorax and metathorax dull metallic blue, legs black with dark brown coxa. Metatibia about twice as long as metatarsus (figure 67), TA/TI: 0.50–0.54 (mean: 0.52).

Abdomen. Dull metallic blue.

Male genitalia. Median lobe slender, homogeneously narrowed apically (figure 70). Orifice nearly rectangular, tectum slender and short. Endophallus with slender base and two long spiculae. Apical part of spiculae is more sclerotized than distal part. Endophallic brush small, protruding apical part of sclerotized ductus ejaculatorius long and not covered by tectum.

Female genitalia. Spermatheca with insignificantly expanded nodulus, middle part nearly straight, cornu short and slightly curved (figure 69).

Distribution. Recorded only from Cameroon (figure 43).

Diagnosis. The only similar species, which occurs syntopically with Bonesioides kamerunensis sp. nov., is B. laevicollis . Both species can be distinguished by the brighter coloration of pronotum and elytra in B. kamerunensis sp. nov., which has also much stronger microsculptured elytra. The eyes in B. laevicollis are much larger than in B. kamerunensis sp. nov. (figures 39, 67; mean WE/DE in B. laevicollis 0.72, in B. kamerunensis sp. nov. 0.58). Furthermore, B. kamerunensis sp. nov. has longer antennal articles than B. laevicollis (figures 40, 68), where the second and third antennal article are nearly of same length, and article 4 is longer than articles 2 and 3 combined (mean A2/A 3 in B. kamerunensis sp. nov. 0.51, B. laevicollis 0.83; mean A3/A 4 in B. kamerunensis sp. nov. 0.81, B. laevicollis 0.50).

Type material

H : W ‘ Holotypus Bonesioides kamerunensis / Kamerun , Soppo, February 1912, v. Rothkirch S. G. ’ ( MNHU); Cameroon: 4°9∞N/9°17∞E. P  : Cameroon: 8 ex., same data label as holotype ( MNHU); 2 ex., Mt Cameroon , Jonga , 4°12∞N/9°11∞E, 5000 ft, among scrub, February 1932, M. Steele ( BMNH); 2 ex., Kamerunberg , Musake, 4°10∞N/9°10∞E, 1400–1700 m, v. Rothkirch S. G. ( MNHU); 1 ex., Neu-Kamerun, Tessmann ( MNHU) .