Marolia alicantina, Konvička & Brustel, 2021

Konvička, Ondřej & Brustel, Hervé, 2021, Description of Marolia alicantina sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Melandryidae) from Spain and new distribution records of Marolia species, Zootaxa 4920 (3), pp. 407-416 : 408-411

Marolia alicantina sp. nov.

( Figs. 1, 2, 3 , 8, 10 )

Type locality. Spain, Valencian Community, Alicante province , Alcoi env., Parc Natural Carrascar de la Font Roja, 38°39’43.11”N 0°32’54.22”W, 1179 m a.s.l.

Type material. Holotype: ♁, ( NMPC), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR2W2) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’43.11”N 0°32’54.22”W, 1179 m a.s.l.] 18.II.2016 [h, w]’.

Paratypes (15 ♁♁, 9 ♀♀): 1 ♁, 1 ♀ (♁ CIBIO, ♀ BMNH), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR1W1) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’36.35”N 0°32’23.86”W, 1275 m a.s.l.] 20.I.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♀ ( OKZC), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR1W1) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’36.35”N 0°32’23.86”W, 1275 m a.s.l.] 18.II.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♁ ( MNHT), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR1W1) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’36.35”N 0°32’23.86”W, 1275 m a.s.l.] 27.IV.2015 [h, w]’; 2 ♁♁ ( OKZC), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR1W2) [=abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’36.24”N 0°32’24.85”W, 1273 m a.s.l.] 27.IV.2015 [h] / (P. vitre) [= Piege vitre = window trap] [vertically along the side edge of the label, h, w]’; 1 ♀ ( MNHT), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR1W2) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’36.24”N 0°32’24.85”W, 1273 m a.s.l.] 20.I.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♁ ( OKZC), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / Res. Nat. De la Font Roja [p] / (FR1W3) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’36.15”N 0°32’25.24”W, 1270 m a.s.l.] 18.II.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♁ ( OKZC), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR1W3) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’36.15”N 0°32’25.24”W, 1270 m a.s.l.] 19.IV.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♁ ( CIBIO), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR1W3) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’36.15”N 0°32’25.24”W, 1270 m a.s.l.] 18.V.2016 [h, w]’; 2 ♁♁ ( CIBIO, MNHT), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR2W1) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’43.54”N 0°32’54.63”W, 1176 m a.s.l.] 18.II.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♀ ( CIBIO), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR2W1) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’43.54”N 0°32’54.63”W, 1176 m a.s.l.] 27.IV.2015 [h, w]’; 1 ♁ ( MNHT), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR2W1) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’43.54”N 0°32’54.63”W, 1176 m a.s.l.] 18.V.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♁, 1 ♀ (♁ MNHN, ♀ MNHT), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR2W2) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’43.11”N 0°32’54.22”W, 1179 m a.s.l.] 18.II.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♁ ( OKZC), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR2W2) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’43.11”N 0°32’54.22”W, 1179 m a.s.l.] 18.V.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♀ ( OKZC), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR2W3) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’43.78”N 0°32’53.63”W, 1178 m a.s.l.] 17.XII.2015 [h, w]’; 1 ♁ ( MNHT), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR2W3) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’43.78”N 0°32’53.63”W, 1178 m a.s.l.] 20.I.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♀ ( MNHT), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR2W3) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’43.78”N 0°32’53.63”W, 1178 m a.s.l.] 18.II.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♁ ( OKZC), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / Res. Nat. De la Font Roja [p] / (FR2W3) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’43.78”N 0°32’53.63”W, 1178 m a.s.l.] 19.IV.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♀ ( OKZC), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR3W1) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’51.07”N 0°32’23.88”W, 1092 m a.s.l.] 18.2.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♀ ( MNHN), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR3W2) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’49.77”N 0°32’24.41”W, 1097 m a.s.l.] 20.I.2016 [h, w]’; 1 ♁ ( MNHT), ‘CIBIO Alicante leg / SP. ( ALC) Alcoy / (Chȇnaie) Font Roja [p] / (FR3W3) [= abbreviation of precise locality of window trap] [38°39’50.63”N 0°32’23”W, 1087 m a.s.l.] 19.IV.2016 [h, w]’. All locality labels are framed in black. All specimens were provided with an additional red printed label: ‘ Marolia / alicantina sp. nov. / HOLOTYPE [or PARATYPE respectively] [sex] / Ondřej Konvička & / Hervé Brustel des. 2020’.

Description of holotype. Body length 5.1 mm, width 1.7 mm. Body brown, elongate.

Head broader than long (0.5 × 0.9 mm), dark brown-black, markedly darker than pronotum, around the base of antennae brighter; shiny, coarsely punctuated, with long yellowish setae. Clypeus and labrum brown with long yellowish setae. Mandibles brown-black; maxillary palpi consist of three brown segments with short brown, erect setae. Eyes distinct, exceeding the head margins, with sparse, short and lightly colored setae. There is a small de- pression between the eyes.

Antennae 11-segmented, brown, 2.5 times longer than the pronotum length and with long yellowish setae. Last three antennal segments are slightly lighter than the others. All antennomeres longer than wide. Length ratio of antennomeres I–XI: 0.9: 0.6: 1.0: 1.0: 0.95: 0.9: 0.9: 0.85: 0.8: 0.8: 0.8.

Pronotum is broader (1 mm) than long (1.25 mm) (ratio 0.8: 1.0), brown, shiny, coarsely and densely punctate, with long yellowish protruding setae of similar length as those on elytra. Posterior corners of the pronotum obtuse. Pronotum rounded on the sides, broadest part at 3/5 at its length. Base of the pronotum marginate, bulged at the middle and strongly extending beyond posterior corners of pronotum. The bulged part covers about half of the basis width. Transition between the narrow and bulged part is sudden. There are two marginal circular imprints near the pronotal base (close to the posterior corners).

Elytra oval-shaped, 1.9 times longer (3.2 mm) than broad (1.7 mm) (ratio 1.9: 1.0), shiny, bearing long, dense, erect yellowish setae. The broadest part is at the middle of the elytral length Punctation dense and coarse. Elytra are dark brown with seven light patches. Large irregular patch is at 2/5 of elytral length in the direction from base. Small patch on the humeri, on apex of elytra and four small patches are situated at 3/5 of elytra, where they form irregular and interrupted strip. Elytral apex round. Ventral side brown, ventrites bearing long yellowish setae. Legs brown with erect yellowish setae with the exception of median and hind tibiae that bear shorter, darker setae (dark brown) than rest of legs. Setae on legs shorter than those on elytra. All tibiae possess two brown apical spurs.

Aedeagus elongate, apex pointed, length: 1.25 mm. Median lobe extends to 4/5 of aedeagus in the direction from the apex to the base ( Fig. 8 ). Fifth tergite rounded, obtuse apically; on apical third of the fifth tergite bearing setae.

Variability. Body ♁♁ (n=16) length: 4.5–6.5 mm, width: 1.6–2.2 mm. ♀♀ (n=9): length: 4.9– 6.9 mm, width: 1.8– 2.5 mm.

Body coloration is variable: clypeus and labrum varies from yellow to brown; setae vary from yellow to brownish yellow; the head is brownish-black to black. The color of the pronotum varies from brown to dark brown. The size and shape of light patches on elytra are extremely variable: occasionally the patches are missing and elytra are all seamlessly dark brown. The bulged middle part of the pronotal base is normally straight but in some cases it is slightly curved.

Differential diagnosis. M. alicantina sp. nov. and M. grandis have long, erect setae on the elytra and pronotum while M. leseigneuri , M. purkynei and M. variegata possess recumbent setae. M. alicantina sp. nov. has denser punctation of the pronotum than M. grandis . The base of the pronotum of M. alicantina sp. nov. in the middle part is distinctly bulged and strongly extend beyond the posterior corners, and the transition to the middle bulged part is distinct and sudden, whereas in M. grandis it is nearly straight or only in the middle part slightly extending beyond the posterior corners of the pronotum. If the middle part is slightly bulged, transition to the bulged part is slight. The two species can be separated on the basis of the length of the aedeagal median lobe ( Figs 8, 9 ). Differences between M. alicantina sp. nov. and M. grandis are summarized in Table 1.

Etymology. This species is named after the province Alicante, where it was found.

Bionomy. Unknown. It is plausible that this species possesses biology similar to the other species of the genus.

Collecting circumstances. All specimens were caught by window traps placed on Quercus rotundifolia ( Figs. 14 , 15 ).

Distribution. Spain: Alicante province: Parc Natural Carrascar de la Font Roja (present study).

Figures

FIG 14: Place of finding Marolia alicantina sp. nov. with trunk window trap „PolytrapTM“, Parc Natural del Carrascar de la Font Roja (photo Diana Perez).

FIGS 1–7: 1 – holotype male of Marolia alicantina sp. nov.; 2 – paratype female of Marolia alicantina sp. nov. (length 5.9 mm); 3 – paratype male of Marolia alicantina sp. nov. (length 5.1 mm); 4 – male of Marolia grandis Peyerimhoff, 1917 (length 7 mm); 5 – male of Marolia variegata (Bosc, 1791) (length 5.7 mm); 6 – male of Marolia leseigneuri Nicolas, 1977 (length 5 mm); 7 – male of Marolia purkynei Mařan, 1933 (length 6 mm); 1–7 – habitus in dorsal view. (Fig. 1 photo Aleš Sedláček; Figs. 2–7 photo Pierre Zagatti).

FIGS 8–13: 8, 10 – Marolia alicantina sp. nov.; 9, 11 – Marolia grandis Peyerimhoff, 1917; 12 – Marolia variegata (Bosc, 1791); 13 – Marolia leseigneuri Nicolas, 1977; 8, 9 – aedeagus, dorsal view; 10, 11 – pronotum; 12, 13 – antenna, original by Allemand & Thilliez (1991). (Figs. 8–11 photo Aleš Sedláček). Scale bar: 0.5 mm.

FIGS15: Biotop of Marolia alicantina sp. nov., Parc Natural del Carrascar de la Font Roja (photo Diana Perez).