Dromica albivittis Chaudoir, 1865

Schüle, Peter, 2007, Revision of the genus Dromica. Part IV. Species closely related to Dromica albivittis (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), African Invertebrates 48 (2), pp. 233-244 : 235-237

Dromica albivittis Chaudoir, 1865

Figs 3–5 , 17

Dromica albivittis: Chaudoir 1865: 48 ; Fleutiaux 1892: 35; Horn 1910: 160; 1926: 85; Wiesner 1992: 61. Non Dromica albivittis Chaudoir, 1865 sensu Horn 1940 : pl. 10, fig. 1, which is D. heinemanni sp. n.

Non Dromica albivittis Chaudoir, 1865 sensu Werner 2000: 100 , figs 65–65.-2, which is D. heinemanni sp. n. Non Pseudodromica ? albivittis ( Chaudoir, 1865) sensu Cassola 2002: 33 (partim), which is partially

D. heinemanni sp. n.

Diagnosis: D. albivittis resembles D. praticola and D. heinemanni in elytral maculation and sculpture, while differing in the shape of its aedeagus, which is slender, sigmoid (lateral aspect), and ends in a short, disc-shaped, almost circular apical beak ( Fig. 5 ).

Description:

Body length: 13.5 mm.

Head: Large with discal U-shaped impression between the orbital plates; slight longitudinal impression on each orbital plate, above frons with slight transversal impression; oval bulge in the middle of vertex near posterior margin of pronotum; surface of head striate-rugose, rugae coarse, parallel and curved on orbital plates and centre of vertex, diagonal on posterior portions, transverse and finer behind eyes, composing ovalconcentric ornament near anterior margin of pronotum in the middle of vertex, transverse above frons; frons laterally with fine longitudinal rugae, smooth in centre and above antennal insertions; two supra-orbital setae near both eyes; frons with one seta on each side near antennal base; genae glabrous, finely and longitudinally striate-rugose; dorsal colour of head, frons, and clypeus glossy black with strong coppery, golden, and green reflections; genae black with metallic green and coppery lustre, violet along margin of eye; mandibles slender, black, except for longitudinal, yellowish patch basally on outer edge; ventro-lateral base with some metallic greenish reflections; apical tooth long, two inner teeth small, one basal tooth slightly larger than central teeth; labrum of males transverse, four setae, two sub-lateral impressions basally, centre longitudinally vaulted; median part of labrum protruding with two small lateral teeth, together with another two small teeth on outer edges of labrum; colour yellowish, outer margin and around insertions of setae black ( Fig. 4 ).

Maxillary and labial palpi testaceous, except terminal palpomeres black, with metallic reflections; penultimate labial palpomere long, parallel-curved, moderately thickened. Antennae rather short, slightly longer than the base of elytra; scape and antennomeres 2–4 black, with strong metallic green, golden and coppery reflections, four erect setae near tip of scape, nine spiniform setae on ventral margin of third antennomere and two or three spiniform setae on ventral margin of antennomere 4; antennomeres 5–11 dark brown, finely and evenly pubescent, antennomeres 5–8 slightly thickened, from antennomere 9 narrowing towards tip.

Thorax: Pronotum wider than long, subrectangular, basally slightly narrower than apically, anterior and posterior sulcus pronounced, curved to mid-line; anterior and posterior lobes very narrow, two longitudinal, gibbous protuberances on median lobe, more bulging basally; pronotal surface striate-rugose; rugae coarse, transverse on disc between protuberances, finer and irregularly wavy along lateral margins; oblique, coarse and less dense on protuberances of middle lobe; dorsal colour same as head; prosternum and mesosternum black, with slight metallic greenish and coppery lustre, glabrous; proepisterna black, with slight metallic lustre, glabrous.

Elytra: Elongate, oval, maximum width near middle; humeri indistinct; apices of males ending in short but pointed sutural spine; discal punctation of elytra fine, dense, more or less merging together transversely, slightly smaller towards apex; maculation composed of whitish, slightly elevated supra-marginal band, reaching from base to apex; punctation of lateral area between band and elytral margin less dense, interstices more glossy; elytral disc with row of four, slightly oblique disconnected costae, costae progressively smaller towards apex; basal costa slightly S-shaped reaching basal third; between basal costa and elytral suture another short costa parallel to suture; dorsal colour black with strong coppery and greenish lustre; epipleura black; metasternum and metepisternum glabrous.

Legs: Femora black, except ‘knees’ rufescent; tibiae and tarsi rufescent, slightly darkened apically; procoxae and mesocoxae anteriorly with white pubescence; left metacoxa distally with seven setigerous punctures (right metacoxa incomplete); one seta near hind outer edge, doubled at one side; protrochanters and mesotrochanters rufescent, with subapical seta.

Abdomen: Abdominal sterna glabrous except one sensorial seta near hind margins on each side; colour black.

Aedeagus slender, sigmoid, ending in long, dorsal discoid expanded apical beak; sclerites within inner sac ( Fig. 5 ).

Holotype: ơ SOUTH AFRICA: KwaZulu-Natal: ‘ Natal, [red, oval label, handwritten] \ MUSEUM PARIS, Natal [handwritten], COLL. CHAUDOIR 1874 [blue label with black rim] \ 143, 74 [round label, handwritten] \ albivittis, Chaud, Zoulous., Natal. Grut [handwritten] \ TYPE [red card] \ HOLOTYPE, Dromica albivittis, Chaudoir 1865 , Schüle det. 2002’ [red card] ( MNHN) .

Distribution: South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Durban [= Port Natal]).

Figures

Figs 3–5. D. albivittis, holotype, male, KwaZulu-Natal, Durban: (3) habitus, (4) labrum, (5) aedeagus. Scale bars = 5 mm in Fig. 3 and 1 mm in Figs 4, 5.

Fig. 17. Distribution of D. albivittis, D. heinemanni and D. praticola.