Iselma lorenzettii, Pitzalis & Bologna, 2008

Pitzalis, Monica & Bologna, Marco A., 2008, Taxonomy and faunistics of the southern African genus Iselma, with the description of nine new species (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Eleticinae), Zootaxa 1876 (1), pp. 35-59 : 45-47

Iselma lorenzettii sp. n.

Diagnosis. A middle-large sized Iselma , completely black without metallic reflection. Head and pronotum elongate, the latter with subparallel sides convergent anteriorly; last maxillary palpomere parallel on sides and securiform at apex; head, pronotum and elytra with isolated longer black setae mixed with dense, short and light, recumbent setae; elytra convex, without humeral depression; legs with regular black setae; male last visible abdominal hemisternite internally only slightly curved; dorsal appendix of male gonostyli longer than the half of the gonostylus and with a short tuft of setae at apex. Extremely similar to I. cedarbergensis , but differing by male genitalia features; the female is almost morphologically indistinguishable.

Description. Body uniformly black. Head and pronotum setation with isolated, longer, black setae mixed with dense, short, light and recumbent setae; elytra and ventral setation similar to that on head and pronotum but the light setae are denser and the black one are longer on sides and on apex of elytra. Body length (apex of mandibles to apex of elytra): 7.5–13.0 mm; pronotum length: 1.3–2.8 mm; elytral width (greatest at posterior third): 2.1–3.2 mm.

Head slender and elongate, evidently longer than wide at eye level (excluding the mandibles); mandibles and head capsule are subequal in length; head narrower at tempora than at eyes, sides parallel behind eyes; front quite flat, frontal suture almost subarcuate; punctures very dense, approached and quite deep, except along the median longitudinal narrow area, intermediate surface shiny; labrum longer than clypeus. Antennae slender, antennomeres III–VII quite widened at apex in male, subcylindrical in female, VIII–XI progressively subcylindrical in both sexes, XI 1.5 as long as X; antennomere I–II with normal elongate setae, III–XI with dense microsetae.

Pronotum with sides subparallel from base to middle, progressively convergent anteriorly; maximal width in the middle, slightly wider than head at eye level; punctures as on head. Mesonotum slightly elongate, parallel on sides and subrounded at apex. Elytra elongate, convex, without tracks of venation and without humeral depression, about twice as wide as pronotum at base; punctures dense and less deep than in pronotum and head. Legs slender, finely punctate; fore and middle tibial spurs slender; both hind spurs massive, slender and spoonlike, the inner and external subequal, both shorter than half tarsomere I.

Last visible male abdominal sternite ( Fig. 3b ) almost straight on both external and internal margins, the portion not depressed wide and the depressed part evidently sloping. Dorsal margin of male gonostylus subrectilinear in lateral view in the basal third and ventrally progressively narrowed; male gonostyli depressed on sides from base to the apical third, with microsetae apically, the dorsal appendix longer than half of the gonostylus with a short tuft of setae at apex ( Fig. 2j ).

Type material. Holotype male ( CB), 7 males and 20 females Paratypes ( CB, 1 male and 1 female SAMC) “ Sudafrica, W. C., N7 29 km N Clanwilliam 31.97857°S 18.74409°E 88 m a.s.l., 9.IX.2004 Bologna, Lorenzetti, Pitzalis” ; 1 female Paratype ( CB) “ Sudafrica, W. Cape, N7 10.2 km N Klawer 31.85130°S 18.60993°E 130 m a.s.l., 21-IX-2005 M. Bologna & M. Pitzalis ”. We added the labels “ Holotypus / Paratypus (male and female) Iselma lorenzettii sp. n. M. Pitzalis & M. Bologna des. 2008” .

Additional material. ( South Africa, Western Cape) 1 ex. ”C.P. Wiedouw 309 Vanrhynsdorp 31°44’S 18°47’E ”, “ 20–23 Sept. 1982, S. Louw, NMBH 8948” ( CB); 1 ex. ” SW Cape Prov Clanwilliam 29 km N 31.47 S - 18.43 E, 29.8.1989; E-Y: 2675 ground & vegetation, Endrödy & Klimaszew” ( CB) .

The following specimens are preserved in ethanol 95% or acetone ( CB). ( South Africa, Western Cape) 2 exx. “N7 29 km N Clanwilliam 31.97857°S 18.74409°E 88 m a.s.l., 9.IX.2004 Bologna, Lorenzetti , Pitzalis ”; 1 ex. “N7 10.2 km N Klawer 31.85130°S 18.60993°E 130 m a.s.l., 21-IX-2005 M. Bologna & M. Pitzalis ” .

Type locality. South Africa, Western Cape, 29 km N of Clanwilliam 31.97857° S 18.74409° E, 88 m a.s.l..

Etymology. This species is named after our friend ornithologist Emanuela Lorenzetti (Rome), who actively collaborated during one field expedition in South Africa and collected the first specimen.

Affinities. Affinities are discussed in the corresponding paragraph of I. cedarbergensis .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Male genitalia of some species of Iselma: (a) I. audisioi sp. n.; (b) I. elephantula sp. n.; (c) I. hessei; (d) I. mimica sp. n.; (e) I. planidorsis; (f) I. boschimana; (g) I. pallidipennis; (h) I. hobohmi; (i) I. cedarbergensis sp. n.; (j) I. lorenzettii sp. n.; (k) I. lanuginosa; (l) I. stellaris sp. n.; (m) I. metallescens; (n) I. violaceipennis.

FIGURE 3. Sternites of some species of Iselma: (a) I. simillima; (b) I. lorenzettii sp. n.; (c) I. lanuginosa; (d) I. stellaris sp. n..