Dromica heinemanni, Schüle, 2007

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 : 237-241

Dromica heinemanni sp. n.

Figs 6–11 , 17

Dromica albivittis Chaudoir, 1865 sensu Horn 1940: 278 , pl. 10, fig. 1.

Dromica albivittis Chaudoir, 1865 sensu Werner 2000: 100 , figs 65–65.-2.

Pseudodromica ? albivittis ( Chaudoir, 1865) sensu Cassola 2002: 33 (partim).

Diagnosis: D. heinemanni resembles D. albivittis and D. praticola in the elytral maculation and sculpture. It differs in the shape of the aedeagus, which is massive and bulging, with a short, regularly tapering apex in lateral view ( Fig. 11 ). The aedeagus in D. albivittis is more slender, sigmoid, ending in a short, disc-shaped, almost circular apical beak ( Fig. 5 ). In D. praticola , the aedeagus is similarly slender and sigmoid, but ends in a subrectangular apical beak ( Figs 15, 16 ).

Description:

Body length: 12.3–15.5 mm.

Head: Large, dorsally with irregularly U- or X-shaped impression on disc between orbital plates, impression sometimes extended on orbital plates to inner margins of eyes; sometimes slightly bulging 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 above frons, composing oval-concentric ornament near anterior margin of pronotum in the middle of vertex; 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, longitudinally striate-rugose, rugae finer towards base of mandibles; dorsal colour of head, frons, and clypeus glossy black with strong coppery or golden-greenish reflections; genae black with metallic green, violet, and coppery reflections; mandibles black to rufescent-black, except longitudinal, yellowish patch basally on outer edge; ventro-lateral base with some golden greenish or bluish green reflections; apical tooth long, two central teeth small, one basal tooth larger than central teeth; labrum of male transverse, with four setae, two sub-lateral impressions at base, centre longitudinally vaulted; median part of labrum protrusive with three lateral teeth, two additional small teeth on outer edges of labrum ( Fig. 9 ); female labrum proportionally longer, median part more protrusive, median teeth more prominent ( Fig. 10 ); colour in both sexes yellowish, margin and portions around insertions of setae black.

Maxillary and labial palpi testaceous, except terminal palpomeres black with white outer tips; penultimate labial palpomere long, parallel-curved, moderately thickened. Antennae rather short, slightly longer than base of elytra in males; shorter in females; antennal scape and antennomeres 2–4 black with metallic green, golden and coppery reflections, four erect setae on tip of scape, five to nine spiniform setae on ventral margin of third antennomere and one or two 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, base slightly narrower than apex, anterior and posterior sulcus well pronounced, curved to mid-line; anterior and posterior lobe very narrow, two longitudinal, gibbous protuberances on median lobe, more bulging at base; pronotal surface striate-rugose; rugae coarse, transverse to slightly oblique on disc between protuberances and on median portions of basal and apical lobe, finer and irregularly wavy along lateral margins; oblique, coarse and less dense, irregularly wavy, sometimes more or less descending on protuberances of middle lobe; dorsal colour same as head; prosternum and mesosternum black, with slight metallic green and coppery reflections, glabrous; proepisterna black, with a slight metallic lustre, glabrous.

Elytra: Elongate, oval, maximum width near middle; humeri indistinct; apices ending in short but pointed sutural spine in males, rounded or edged in females; discal punctation of elytra fine, dense, more or less merging 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 three to five oblique disconnected costae, basal and apical costae smaller than central ones; between basal costa and elytral suture another short costa parallel to suture; costae sometimes reduced ( Fig. 8 ) or extended ( Fig. 7 ); dorsal colour black with strong coppery and greenish lustre; epipleura black with metallic reflections; metasternum and metepisternum glabrous.

Legs: Femora black, except for rufescent ‘knees’; basal area of tibiae and tarsi rufescent, darkened apically; procoxae and mesocoxae anteriorly with white pubescence; metacoxae distally with four to seven setigerous punctures; one seta near hind outer edge; protrochanters and mesotrochanters pitch-black to black, with subapical seta.

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

Aedeagus ( Fig. 11 ) massive, bulging in centre, ending in short regularly tapering apex in lateral view; sclerites within inner sac.

Holotype: ơ ‘ SOUTH AFRICA MPU [Mpumalanga], Groenvaly, 10km NE Badplaas, 25 ° 52’S: 30 ° 46’E; xi.1995 S.H. Foord \ C12, II/94, Car 10 [handwritten] \ VOUCHER SPECIMEN: University of Pretoria , Dept. Zoology & Entomology, Grassland fragmentat exper., Project leader JWH Ferguson \ NATIONAL COLL., OF INSECTS, Pretoria S.Afr . \ HOLOTYPE, Dromica heinemanni, Schüle det. 2004’ [red card] ( PPRI-NCI) .

Paratypes: SOUTH AFRICA: Limpopo: ‘Mus. Berol.\ Transvaal, Zoutpansberg, Mphome, Magd. Knothe S. [blue label]\ albivittis [handwritten]\ abgebildet [red ink, handwritten]\ Coll. W. Horn, DEI Eberswalde’ (1^DEI); ‘Transvaal, Zoutpansberg, Mphome, Magd. Knothe S. [blue label]]\ Coll. W. Horn, DEI Eberswalde’ (1ơ DEI); ‘Transvaal [handwritten]\ Coll. W. Horn, DEI Eberswalde’ (1ơ DEI); ‘Transvaal, Zoutpansberg, Mphome, Magd. Knothe S. [blue label] \ 67571’ (1ơ ZMB); ‘Transvaal, Zoutpansberg, Mphome, Magd. Knothe S. [blue label]’ (1^ZMB); ‘Woodbush Drive, N.Tvl, XII.1965, E. Schulze, 23.52 ° S: 29.55 ° E \ det.C. v. Nidek 1970, Dromica , albivittis Chd. [handwritten] \ DROMICA , albivittis [handwritten], Det. F. Cassola, 1987’ (1ơ KWC); ‘Woodbush Drive, N. Tvl, XII.1965, E. Schulze, 23.52 ° S: 29.55 ° E \ det.C.v.Nidek 1970, Dromica , albivittis Chd. [handwritten] \ DROMICA , albivittis [handwritten], Det. F. Cassola, 1987’ (3ơ TMSA); ‘E-Y:3565, general collect. 1410 m, leg. TMSA staff’ (1ơ 1^TMSA); ‘Woodbush Drive, N. Tvl, XII.1965, E. Schulze, 23.52 ° S: 29.55 ° E \ DROMICA , albivittis [handwritten], Det. F. Cassola, 1987’ (1ơ 1^FCC); Mpumalanga: ‘Barberton, Transvaal [handwritten] \ DMSA, COL 1589’ (1ơ DMSA); ‘ 18.11.2001 RSA, Mpumalanga Middelburg to Stoffberg 43, 5 km after Middelburg P. Schüle leg.’ (1ơ 1^PSC); ‘ 18.11.2001 RSA, Mpumalanga, Carolina, P. Schüle leg.’ (2ơ 2^PSC); ‘ 17.xi.2000 P. SCHÜLE, RSA MPUMALANGA, 45km after Middelburg, Road to Stoffberg -4-’ (1ơ PSC); ‘ 18.11.2001 RSA, Mpumalanga Middelburg to Stoffberg 43, 5 km after Middelburg P. Schüle leg.’ (1ơ EWC); ‘Woodbush Drive, N. Tvl, XII.1965, E. Schulze, 23.52 ° S: 29.55 ° E \ det.C.v.Nidek 1970, Dromica , albivittis Chd. [handwritten] \ DROMICA , albivittis [handwritten], Det. F. Cassola, 1987’ (1ơ PSC); ‘Piet Retief, 30 km W, E-TRANSVAAL, I.1989, Werner leg., S-AFRICA \ DROMICA , albivittis, Chaudoir, 1865 , Det. F. Cassola, 1989’ (1^KWC); ‘ RSA 24.XII.1998, Barberton, Tvl., B. BAUME leg. \ Dromica , albivittis CHAUDOIR, WERNER det.’99’ (1^KWC); ‘ RSA 24.XII.1998, Barberton, Tvl., M. RINGLER leg. \ Dromica , albivittis CHAUDOIR, WERNER det.’99’ (1ơ KWC); ‘ Dromica , tuberculata, transvaalensis [handwritten] \ DROMICA , albivittis Chd. [handwritten], Det. F. Cassola, 1987’ (1^TMSA); ‘Lydenburg-, distr.1896, (Krantz) \ DROMICA , albivittis [handwritten], Det. F. Cassola, 1987’ (1ơ TMSA); ‘S. Afr.: Mpumalanga, Sjonajona, Badplaas, 25.44 ° S: 30.40 ° E \ 11.11.2002 ’; KwaZulu-Natal: ‘Natal, [handwritten] \ albicinctella, Chaudoir [handwritten] \ MUS. ROY. AFR. CENTR.\ albivittis Chd.

[handwritten], P. Basilewsky det.’ (1ơ MRAC); ‘ Dromica , albivittis Chd., Natal Guenzlies [?], Stevens 1863, If [?], [handwritten] \ Oxford University, Museum of Natural, History (OUMNH), Ex Hope/Westwood, Carabidae Cab. 1 d.3’ (1ơ OUMNH).

Other material examined: SOUTH AFRICA: Limpopo: ‘Barberton, Transv.[handwritten]\ ex coll. Péringuey\ Dromica , albivittis, Chaud. [handwritten]\ Coll. W. Horn, DEI Eberswalde\ Dromica cf. heinemanni Schüle 2004 , Schüle det. 2004’ (1^DEI).

Distribution: South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal).

Habitat: D. heinemanni was observed on an extensive pasture with some open loamy spots at about 1600 m a.s.l., near Carolina, KwaZulu-Natal. It occurs sympatrically with D. furcata Boheman, 1848 .

Remarks: The female specimen of D. heinemanni collected by Martha Knothe, which was deposited in DEI, bears a handwritten label with the word ‘abgebildet’ [German, ‘illustrated’]. H. John used such labels for specimens illustrated in Horn (1940). In the same collection, there is a male specimen—confirmed to be D. heinemanni —with the same kind of locality label. I therefore regard the female from the same locality as being D. heinemanni as well.

Figures

Figs 6–11. D. heinemanni sp. n.: (6) habitus, holotype, male, Mpumalanga, 10 km NE Badplaas; (7) elytron, male, KwaZulu-Natal, Carolina; (8) elytron, male, Limpopo, Woodbush Drive; (9, 10) male and female labra, KwaZulu-Natal, Carolina; (11) aedeagus, holotype. Scale bars = 5 mm in Figs 6–8 and 1 mm in Figs 9–11.

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

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.

Figs 12–16. D. praticola sp. n., paratypes, all from KwaZulu-Natal: (12) habitus, male, Loteni Nat. Res.; (13, 14) labra: (13) male, Loteni Nat. Res., (14) female, Kamberg Nat. Res.; (15, 16) aedeagus, left and right lateral view, Loteni Nat. Res. Scale bars = 5 mm in Fig. 12 and 1 mm in Figs 13–16.