Meira tarraconensis, Pierotti & Bellò & Alonso-Zarazaga, 2010

Pierotti, Helio, Bellò, Cesare & Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A., 2010, 2376, Zootaxa 2376, pp. 1-96 : 15

Meira tarraconensis sp. n.

( Figs. 5b, 14a–b, 49d, 69)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:319A3CF3-24C5-4A10-AA2E-672AF8747CE4

Diagnosis. Species of very small size (2.6–3.2 mm), distinguished by appressed elytral setae even on elytral declivity.

Description. Dorsal vestiture composed of ochreous scales, on elytra strongly imbricate, with metallic shimmer, setae on elytral interstriae not very dense, aligned, elongate but moderately robust on dorsum, weakly widened apicad even in apical elytral region, appressed on declivity. Rostrum transverse, epistomal keel present, pterygia very prominent; prorostrum gibbose; frontal sulcus evident. Frons wide, with median fovea. Eyes normal, rounded, very prominent beyond genae, with glabrous periocular sulcus. Antennae with scape extremely robust even in its basal third; funicle short and very robust, desmomeres 3–7 strongly transverse; club robust but clearly elongate, first segment widely cup-like. Pronotum as wide at base as at apex, not or scarcely transverse, sides sinuate, disc with irregular, deep punctures completely covered by scales. Elytra subovoid, rather elongate, rounded at sides, weakly depressed at base, convex on dorsum, humeral calli more or less obsolete, striae with close punctures, interstriae very weakly convex, very finely punctate; ventrites only slightly narrowed caudad ( Fig. 5b). Tibiae short and robust, protibiae with outer margin widely curved inwards before apex. Aedeagus in lateral view weakly arcuate, in dorsal view with apex outline almondshaped, pointed ( Fig. 14a). Hemisternites as in Fig. 14b; spermatheca as in Fig. 49d.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latin adjective referring to the region of occurrence.

Distribution. Iberian endemite: south-eastern Catalonia ( Fig. 69).

Material examined. Holotype male: Catalonia, Mola de Colldejou, 9. V.65, M. González leg. ( GON); paratypes: do., 9. V.65, M. González leg. (2 GON); do., IV.62, Altimira leg. (1 GON); do., 16.IV.65, Altimira leg. (1 GON); do., 3.6.1998, leg. Pierotti (1 PIE); Catalonia, Tarragona, Els Motllats (Monreal), III.62, F. Español leg. (1 GON); Catalonia, Tarragona , Pla des Motllats , 6.65, M. González leg. (3 GON); E-Tarragona, 1434 m. Sierra de Caro , 4.7.1997, R. Borovec leg. (3 BEL, 2 PIE); Tarragona, S.ra de Caro m.1420, 4.6.98, leg. Pierotti (1 PIE); do., 1.7.99, leg. Pierotti (2 PIE); do., 29.10.2000, leg. Bellò (13 BEL), leg. Pierotti (9 PIE); Tarragona, Pla des Motllats , 28.10.2000, leg. Bellò (32 BEL, 2 OSE, 25 PIE, 1 VEC, 1 MPA); Mola Colldejou, 31.3.57, F. Español leg. (1 MBA); Rojals, Tarragona, 3.3.53, F. Español leg. (1 MBA); Pla Motllats, Monreal, 26.3.62, F. Español leg. (1 MBA); Colldejou (Tarragona), III.59, Altamira leg. (1 MBA); do., IV.63, Altamira leg. (1 MBA); alrededores de Beceite, IX.64, Altimira leg. (1 MBA).

Biology. Found amongst rootlets of Thymus sp.

Genus Gymnomorphus Seidlitz

Peritelus (Gymnomorphus) : Seidlitz, 1866: 271; Stierlin, 1883: 585; Lona, 1937: 254.

Gymnomorphus: Reitter, 1913: 12 ; Solari, 1955: 37; Pierotti & Bellò, 1998: 87; Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal, 1999: 171. Type species: Peritelus nigrans Fairmaire, 1862 , by monotypy.

For description see Pierotti & Bellò (1998). A genus with a trans-Pyrenean distribution and an eastern Iberian extension ( Fig. 62). Includes only two species, which are very similar except for their vestiture and which may only represent steps of a cline extending from Carcassonne in Aude (where G. nigrans has sparse, transparent scales) to Sierra de Caro in province of Tarragona (where G. mononychus has dense, even slightly imbricate scales, golden or silvery with strong metallic shimmer).