Neobarombiella variopennis ( Jacoby, 1897 ) Bolz & Wagner, 2012

Bolz, Helmut & Wagner, Thomas, 2012, 3463, Zootaxa 3463, pp. 1-112 : 31-33

Neobarombiella variopennis ( Jacoby, 1897) comb. n.

( Figs 43–47)

Candezea variopennis Jacoby, 1897: 574 .

Total length. 3.45–5.00 mm (mean: 4.24 mm) (n=12).

Head. Frons brownish-yellow, dark brown in about 20% of the specimens examined, vertex, labrum, labial and maxillary palpi brownish-yellow. Head entirely dark brown in 5% of specimens examined, as in type. Basal three to four antennomeres yellow, rest yellowish-brown or brown ( Fig. 43), length of second to third antennomere 0.69–0.81 (mean: 0.75), and length of third to fourth antennomere 0.50–0.57 (mean: 0.53; Fig. 45). Eyes small ( Fig. 43), width of eye to interocular distance 0.40–0.46 (mean: 0.43).

Thorax. Pronotum yellow or brownish-yellow; slender and less trapezoidal; lacking distinct punctuation; pronotal width 1.32–1.86 mm (mean: 1.54 mm), pronotal length 0.70–0.92 mm (mean: 0.79 mm), and pronotal length to width 0.49–0.53 (mean: 0.51). Elytron yellow or brownish-yellow, rarely black as in lectotype, each with one brown spot between humerus and suture (lacking in 10% of specimens studied); another pair of spots in middle of each elytron, sometimes merged (as in lectotype); the elytral apex brown in 87% of material studied, or rarely yellow; and about 90% of specimens studied have a brown spot or longitudinal line posteriad of humerus. Scutellum brown, elytral length 2.65–3.85 mm (mean: 3.14 mm), elytral width 1.70–2.80 mm (mean: 2.18 mm), and maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.67–0.73 (mean: 0.70; Fig. 43). Meso- and metathorax dark brown; legs yellow, or dark brown in 50% of specimens studied, colouring of the first pair of legs in lectotype yellow with other two pairs dark brown; metatibia about twice as long as basi-metatarsus, length of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.45–0.48 (mean: 0.46).

Abdomen. Entirely dark brown.

Male genitalia. Median lobe slender, slightly dorso-ventrally compressed; parallel-sided, narrowing towards the apex in ventral view ( Fig. 44), apex deeply incised, with elongate, slightly raised sclerotized ridges visible in lateral and in ventral view; endophallic brush lacking sclerotized spiculae, completely covered by tectum and median lobe; and basal orifice rectangular

Diagnosis. Neobarombiella variopennis can best be characterized by its short, broad antennomeres, colour pattern and its distribution range. Similar species with brown or yellowish coloured elytron are N. suturalis , N. frontalis sp. n., N. naumanni sp. n. and N. spielbergi sp. n. None of these four species have brown spots on the elytra and are distributed in the Guineo-Congolian forest region, in the case of N. spielbergi slightly beyond this, but not in southern Africa ( Figs 46, 109). Furthermore N. frontalis sp. n. and N. suturalis have black or brown sutural and outer elytral margins, and in the case of N. frontalis sp. n. a black rectangular spot at the vertex, neither of which are found in N. variopennis ( Figs 43, 88, 153). Neobarombiella senegalensis has a wide variety of elytral colouring, and black or dark brown spots are rather common ( Fig. 92); it also has rather short, broad basal antennomeres ( Fig. 94); mainly found in the Guineo-Congolian forest region and tropical Africa it rarely occurs in Southern Africa ( Fig. 95); its conical median lobe is broad and short with a pair of sclerotized appendages at the endophallic brush, both of which are missing in the rather slender, parallel-sided median lobe of N. variopennis ( Figs 44, 93). The only other similar species known to occur in north-eastern South Africa is N. flavilabris , but it has more elongate, slender basal antennomeres; its pronotum is on average slightly shorter and broader, pronotal length to width 0.43–0.49 (mean: 0.46) (0.49–0.53 (mean: 0.51) in N. variopennis ); the third antennomere is longer, length of third to fourth antennomere 0.62–0.73 (mean: 0.68) (0.50–0.57 (mean: 0.53) in N. variopennis ) ( Figs 7, 9, 43, 45).

Distribution. Restricted to South Africa ( Fig. 46).

Type material examined. Lectotype, female: “Estcourt, Natal, 10.96 / Candezea , variopennis, Jac. / Jacoby Coll., 1909–28a. / AfriGa, specimen ID:, 1251, specimen data, documented, 15.II.2005 ” ( BMNH; Fig. 47). Jacoby mentioned several specimens with a wide variation in colour that he described under this name. There are two syntypes and a lectotype is here designated. Type locality: South Africa, Estcourt, 29°00'S / 29°53'E . – Paralectotype: the remaining syntype with the same label data as the lectotype ( BMNH) . Other material examined. South Africa. 1 ex., Limpopo Farm, Varkfontein , 23°58'S / 28°24'E, XI.2002, R . Müller ( TMSA) ; 1 ex., Transvaal, Groenfontein , 24°34'S / 27°45'E, XI.1980, C. Kok ( SANC) ; 1 ex., Kozi Bay , 26°59'S / 32°50'E, X.1977, P. E. Reavell ( SANC) ; 30 ex., O. T . K. Reserve, Loskopdam , 25°27'S / 29°24'E, XII .1985, C. Moolman ( SANC) ; 2 ex.,

O. T. K. Reserve, Loskopdam, 25°27'S / 29°24'E , XII.1985, V. M. Swain ( SANC); 1 ex., Malvern , 29°53'S / 30°55'E, X.1897, G. A. K. Marshall ( BMNH); 1 ex., Malvern, 29°53'S / 30°55'E , XII.1947 ( SANC); 2 ex., Mapumulo , 29°09'S / 31°04'E, XI.1980 , R. Oberprieler ( SANC) .