Iselma mimica, 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 : 47-48

Iselma mimica sp. n.

Diagnosis. A large sized Iselma , with elytra lake red, very similar to I. brunneipes , but differing by the following characters: head total length less than twice the maximum width on tempora, less parallel, particularly in male; pronotum wider, with the fore half shorter than the basal one; claws curved from the base to the end; male gonostyli with apical setae longer and distributed on both lateral and ventral sides. Head and pronotum of both species are reported in Fig. 1a and Fig. 1b , respectively.

Description. Body black, but elytra entirely lake red. Body setation black without any reflection on elytra, uniformly distributed, shorter on elytra. Body length (apex of mandibles-apex of elytra): 18–21 mm; pronotum length: 2.9–3.1 mm; elytral width (greatest at posterior third): 5.5–6.5 mm.

Head slender and elongate ( Fig. 1b ), evidently longer than wide at eye level (excluding the mandibles), particularly in female; mandibles slightly shorter than head capsule; head slightly narrower at tempora than at eye level, but in male less slender, sides parallel behind eyes, vaguely squared in male; front flat, frontal suture subarcuate; punctures dense and quite deep, intermediate surface shiny; labrum slightly longer than clypeus. Maxillary and labial palpomeres slender, last maxillary palpomere about 1.5 as long as penultimate. Antennae slender, extending almost to the middle of elytra in both sexes, quite serrate in male, particularly VI–IX; male antennomere I cylindrical, 1.5 as long as II, evidently shorter than III, about 0.5 as long as III; II very short, subglobose; III markedly longer than the following antennomeres, particularly than IV; IV–X subequal in length, III–V subcylindrical particularly in female, VI–IX widened at apex in male, X–XI subcylindrical, XI 1.5 as long as X, XI tapered at apex; antennomere I–II with normal elongate setae, III–XI with dense microsetae.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1b ), with sides subparallel or slightly divergent from base to middle, convergent anteriorly, its fore half shorter than the basal one, slightly depressed longitudinally and basally on sides; punctures as on head; maximal width at middle about 1.5 of head at eye level. Mesonotum elongate, parallel on sides and subrounded at apex. Elytra elongate, convex, without tracks of venation, slightly depressed on humeri, about 1.5 as wide as pronotum at base; punctures dense and distinct. Legs slender, finely punctate; fore tarsi elongate, with ticker and denser setae in male, last tarsomere longer than III and IV together, pro- and mesotibial spurs slender; both hind spurs slender and spoon-like, inner slightly longer than external, both shorter than half tarsomere I.

Last visible male abdominal sternite evidently curved on both external and internal margin, the depressed portion wide and extended from the base to the apex. Male gonostyli in lateral view ( Fig. 2d ) with the ventral margin narrowed and curved in the apical third, widely depressed, with elongate apical setae on both lateral and ventral sides; dorsally without basal appendix and tuft of setae.

Type material. 1 Holotype male ( CB) , 3 males and 1 female Paratypes ( CB) “ South Africa, N. Cape, N7 11 km N of Garies, jct Kys 30,42384°S 17,93637°E 627 m a.s.l., 8.IX.2004, Bologna, Lorenzetti, Pitzalis” ; 1 male and 2 females Paratypes ( CB) “ South Africa, Northern Cape, 10 km NNW Garies (N7) 600 m a.s.l., 12.IX.1994, xeric maquis, M.A. Bologna leg.”. We added the labels “ Holotypus / Paratypus (male and female) Iselma mimica sp. n. M. Pitzalis & M. Bologna des. 2008” .

One male Paratype has the antennae teratological (antennomere VIII basally fused with VII and with an external expansion); four paratypes of both sexes have antennae or tarsi partially damaged.

Additional material. 1 male ( HNHM) “ Cape b. sp.” .

Type locality. South Africa, N. Cape, N7 11 km N of Garies, jct Kys 30,42384°S 17,93637°E 627 m a.s.l.

Etymology. The name of this species refers to its extreme similarity with I. brunneipes , with which it has been confused (Bologna et al., 2001).

Affinities. According to morphological evidences ( Pitzalis, 2007; Pitzalis and Bologna, unpublished), this species belongs to the group of I. brunneipes , subgroup of I. brunneipes , which includes also I. flavipennis and I. endroedyyoungai . Phenetically it is very similar to I. brunneipes but differs in the features indicated in the “Diagnosis” paragraph.

Remarks. Cited erroneously as I. brunneipes by Bologna et al. (2001).

Figures

FIGURE 1. (a) Iselma brunneipes head and pronotum; (b) I. mimica sp. n. head and pronotum; (c) I. hobohmi head and pronotum; (d) I. kamanjabi sp. n. head and pronotum; (e) I. fontisamarae sp. n. head; (f) I. audisioi sp. n. antenna.

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.