Neobarombiella salisburiensis ( Jacoby, 1899 ) Bolz & Wagner, 2012

Bolz, Helmut & Wagner, Thomas, 2012, 3463, Zootaxa 3463, pp. 1-112 : 38-40

Neobarombiella salisburiensis ( Jacoby, 1899) comb. n.

( Figs 54–57)

Candezea salisburiensis Jacoby, 1899: 378 .

Total length. 3.00– 5.45 mm (mean: 4.28 mm) (n=12).

Head. Head, labial and maxillary palpi yellowish-brown or reddish-brown. Antennomeres short and broad, four basal antennomeres yellow, following antennomeres brown ( Fig. 54); length of second to third antennomere 0.72–0.83 (mean: 0.77), and length of third to fourth antennomere 0.75–0.85 (mean: 0.80; Fig. 56). Eyes small and widely separated ( Fig. 54), width of eye to interocular distance 0.47–0.56 (mean: 0.51).

Thorax. Pronotum yellowish- or reddish-brown; indistinctly punctuated; trapezoidal, pronotal width 1.18–1.86 mm (mean: 1.55 mm), pronotal length 0.62–1.04 mm (mean: 0.84 mm), and pronotal length to width 0.52–0.57 (mean: 0.54). Elytron metallic greenish or bluey-black with reddish-brown apex; coarsely punctuated; elytral length 2.25–4.15 mm (mean: 3.26 mm), elytral width 1.60–2.70 mm (mean: 2.17 mm), and maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.63–0.71 (mean: 0.68; Fig. 54). Meso- and metathorax dark brown; legs brownish-yellow, metatibia twice as long as basi-metatarsus, and length of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.42–0.49 (mean: 0.45).

Abdomen. Entirely yellowish-brown or dark brown.

Male genitalia. Median lobe short, slender, and parallel-sided, broad and bucket-like apically, with small angled, slightly slerotised projections besides apical incision ( Fig. 55); apex strongly sclerotized in lateral view; endophallic brush not protruding, basal orifice rectangular in ventral view.

Diagnosis. Neobarombiella salisburiensis can be best identified by its characteristic metallic greenish or blueish colouring and coarse elytral punctuation. Although N. nigrita and N. punctatolineata are similar to N. salisburiensis in appearance, they have no metallic colouring. Short, broad elytron are also characteristic of N. nigrita , width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.72–0.82 (mean: 0.77) ( N. salisburiensis 0.63–0.71 (mean: 0.68); Figs 24, 54), whereas N. punctatolineata has elytral punctuation arranged in short striae and it has a short second antennomere, length of second to third antennomere 0.56–0.71 (mean: 0.62) (length of second to third antennomere in N. salisburiensis 0.72–0.83 (mean: 0.77); Figs 50, 56). Neobarombiella nigrocaerulea is similar to N. salisburiensis in appearance, having a yellow to yellowish-red pronotum and dark metallic elytra, but different in that its elytron only have microsculpture. Its second antennomere is only half to two-thirds as long as the third antennomere, length of second to third antennomere 0.50–0.65 (mean: 0.57) (length of second to third antennomere in N. salisburiensis 0.72–0.83 (mean: 0.77); Figs 35, 56). Two other species, namely N. mendica and N. apicalis , also resemble N. salisburiensis , in having reddish or yellowish-brown pronotal colouring, but only N. mendica occurs sympatrically with N. salisburiensis . Neobarombiella apicalis is known from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the vicinity of the Albertine Rift ( Figs 57, 68, 109); the elytron of N. mendica are a glossy black, and those of N. apicalis dark metallic green or bluey, but both have a red or brownish-red apical tip; the third antennomere in N. mendica is only half as long as the fourth, length of third to fourth antennomere 0.44–0.57 (mean: 0.50) ( N. salisburiensis 0.75–0.85 (mean: 0.80); Figs 56, 67); the pronotum in N. mendica is on average shorter and broader, pronotal length to width 0.45–0.54 (mean: 0.50) (0.52–0.57 (mean: 0.54) in N. salisburiensis ) ( Figs 54, 65).

Distribution: Recorded from Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe in southern Africa, and from southern Tanzania ( Fig. 57).

Type material examined. Lectotype, female: “Salisbury, Dec. 97 / Candezea , salisburiensis, Jac. / Jacoby Coll., 1909-28a. / Type / AfriGa, specimen ID: 1121, specimen data, documented, 15.II.2005 ” ( BMNH; Fig. 58). Twelve specimens collected by Marshall from the type locality are available, and a lectotype is here designated. Type locality: Zimbabwe, Salisbury , 17°50'S / 31°03'E .— Paralectotypes: 11 specimens with the same label data as the lectotype are paralectotypes ( BMNH) .

Other material examined. Namibia. 1 ex., Ongongo Falls , 19°08'S / 13°49'E, F. Koch, II.1995 ( MNHU) .— South Africa. 4 ex., Charters Creek Game Reserve , 28°12'S / 32°25'E, C. Chaboo & E. Grobbelaar ,

I.2006 ( SANC) ; 1 ex., Zululand , Empangeni Univ., 28°45'S / 31°54'E, P. E. Reavell , II.1975 ( TMSA) ; 1 ex., Harrismith , 28°17'S / 29°08'E, H. K. Munro, XII .1950 ( SANC); 1 ex., Natal , Malvern, 29°53'S / 30°55'E, G. A. K. Marshall, 1908 ( BMNH) ; 1 ex., KwaZulu-Natal , St. Lucia Park, 28°12'S / 32°25'E, F. Koch , II.1995 ( MNHU) .— Tanzania. 3 ex., Usangu Dist. , 9°17'S / 33°27'E, S. A. Neave , XI.– XII.1910 ( BMNH); 2 ex., Ulleheland , Kidugala, 5°39'S / 32°45'E ( BMNH) .— Zimbabwe. 8 ex., Salisbury , 17°50'S / 31°03'E, 1897–1898 ( BMNH) ; 6 ex., Salisbury, G. A. K. Marshall, 1908 ( BMNH) .