Cylindera (Ifasina) agualusai Serrano & Capela

Serrano, Artur R. M., Capela, Rúben A. & Oesterle, Andreas, 2015, Three new species of tiger beetles and new data on Cicindelina species from Angola (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae), Zootaxa 4032 (2), pp. 151-178 : 171-175

Cylindera (Ifasina) agualusai Serrano & Capela sp. n.

( Figs 10 , 11 , 12 )

Type series. Holotype, ♂; Angola ( BIÉ), Cachingues‒Chipica (coord.: 13º 10´15.14´´ S, 16º 45´33.52´´ E, 1668 m alt., 281), 1.XI.2014, DO, A. Serrano & R. Capela leg., ASC: 2921AF. Allotype 1♀, paratypes 7♂, 3♀, same locality and date as holotype, DO, A. Serrano & R. Capela leg., ASC: 2926AF, 2922AF, 2923AF, 2924AF, 2925AF, 2927AF. Further paratypes: Angola ( HUÍLA), 20 km S Caluquembe (coord.: 13º 57´S, 14º 36´E, 1606 m alt., 298), 6‒7. XI.2011, 3 ♂, 20 km NE Cacula (coord.: 14º 21´48´´ S, 14º 14´43´´ E, 1567 m alt., 317), 29.XI.2012, 1♀, 3,5 km SW Negola (coord.: 14º 08´53´´ S, 14º 28´16´´ E, 1613 m alt., 317), 8.XII.2012, 3♀, 11‒12. XI.2013, 1 ♂, 15 km NE Cacula (coord.: 14º 23´S, 14º 13´E, 1570 m alt., 317), 10.XI.2013, 1♂, DO, P. Schüle leg., PSC; Angola (HUAMBO), 75 km N Caconda (coord.: 13º 26´S, 15º 21´E, 1587 m alt., 279), 8.XI.2011, 1♂, DO, P. Schüle leg., PSC; Angola ( BIÉ), Calucinga (coord.: 11º13´S, 16º 09´E, 1766 m alt., 189), 17.XI.2013, 1♀, N Quarenta (coord.: unknown), 17.XI.2013, 1♀, DO, P. Schüle leg., PSC; Angola ( HUÍLA), 15 km W Kuvango (coord.: unknown, 1600 m alt., 321), 14.XI.2013, 1♂, 15.XI.2013, 1♀, DO, A. Oesterle leg., Angola (CUANDO CUBANGO), Kuvango ‒ Menongue (coord.: unknown), 15.XI.2013, 1♂, DO, A. Oesterle leg., AOC, Angola ( HUÍLA), 79 km SSE Ganda (coord.: unknown, 1600 m alt., 279), 22.XI.2013, 1♀, DO, A. Oesterle leg., AOC, Angola ( HUÍLA), 17 km S Caluquembe (coord.: unknown, 1150 m alt., 297), 24.XI.2013, 1♀, DO, A. Oesterle leg., AOC; Angola ( BIÉ), 34 km ESE Cachingues (coord.: unknown, 1650 m alt., 281), 17.XI.2013, 1♂, 18.XI.2013, 1♀, DO, A. Oesterle leg., AOC; Angola (HUAMBO), 5 km E Nova Monção (coord.: unknown, 1650 m alt., 279), 23.XI.2013, 1♀, DO, A. Oesterle leg., AOC; Angola ( BIÉ), Catota (coord.: 14º 0´37.17´´ S, 17º 24´0.33´´ E, 1532 m alt., 323), 2.XI.2014, 1♂, DO, A. Serrano & R. Capela leg., ASC: 2934AF. Holotype, allotype (1♀) and eleven paratypes (8 ♂, 3 ♀) deposited in ASC at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, twelve paratypes (6 ♂, 6 ♀) at PSC and eight paratypes (3♂, 5 ♀) at AOC.

Derivatio nominis. This species in a modest homage is dedicated to José Eduardo Agualusa, an Angolan journalist and writer born in Huambo, and a growing name in world Portuguese-speaking literature. He was awarded by the Portuguese Grand Prize for Literature (1997) and was the first African writer to win the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize in 2007. He spends nowadays most of his working time in Portugal, Angola and Brazil.

Diagnosis. A small and slender Ifasina with head and pronotum finely sculptured, dull bronze with metallic coppery reflections. Head striation fine, parallel near the eyes, waved on frons and vertex. Lateral parts of clypeus above antennal base with some thin setae. Genae finely hairy in the lower region, pronotum with a few lateral white decumbent hairs. Pronotal sculpture fine, similarly as in C. (Ifasina) lutaria (Guérin-Méneville, 1849) . Elytral markings faint, resembling the pattern of C. (Ifasina) lutaria also. Aedeagus as in figure 12a.

Description. Length of Holotype: 7.8 mm. Length of paratypes: 7.3–8.8 mm (males), 7.6–9.7 mm (females).

Head ( Fig. 11 ) 1.5 times wider than long [length: 1.28–1.60 mm (males) and 1.31–1.92 mm (females), width: 1.89–2.26 mm (males) and 1.98–2.40 mm (females)] with cupreous bronze reflections, some greenish or violetpurpurish reflections near the antennal base and lateral parts of clypeus; genae with decumbent white setae on the lower region, clypeus with thin setae, one [61% (males), 67% (females)] in the middle and some others in the lateral parts above antennal base [100% (males and females)]; two juxtaorbital sensorial setae near both eyes. Striation parallel near the eyes, irregularly waved on frons and behind, longitudinally waved on vertex, finely and longitudinally striated on genae. Labrum 2.2 times wider than long ( Figs 11 a‒11b) [length: 0.45–0.53 mm (males) and 0.45–0.59 mm (females), width: 0.99–1.17 mm (males) and 1.02–1.29 mm (females)], testaceous, lateral and anterior edges slightly darker, similar in male and female, with one well developed central tooth, eventually one strongly roundish tooth in each side of apex, sometimes almost absent, six to eleven setae near forward edge [mean: 6 (males), 8 (females)]. Mandibles testaceous, darkened on apical and inner teeth. Labial and maxillary palpi testaceous, last palpomere metallic green. Antennae with scape and antennomeres 2–4 metallic coperish, apex of 1–4 tinged with metallic greenish reflections, glabrous, with a few white spiniform setae; antennomeres 5–11 brownish-black, finely and regularly pubescent.

Pronotum ( Fig. 10 ) slightly wider than long (males: 1.02 times, females: 1.07 times) [length: 1.36–1.71 mm (males) and 1.41–1.76 mm (females), width: 1.41–1.73 (males) and 1.50–1.98 mm (females)], dark with metallic cupreous reflections, slightly green reflections at sides, quadrangular [males ( Fig. 10 a) and some females] or slightly trapezoidal (some females, Fig. 10 b), glabrous in the middle, only a few thin decumbent hairs near lateral margins; pronotal sculpture finely waved, similar to that of C. lutaria .

Proepisterna and metepisterna copperish, pilose; prosternum, mesosternum and metasternum glabrous and bluish in the middle; Mesepisterna copperish finely rugose in male, smooth in female, the later with a distinct posteriad coupling sulci funnel-shaped.

Elytra ( Fig. 10 ) 1.8 times longer than wide [length: 4.62–5.58 mm (males) and 4.75–6.20 mm (females), width: 2.59–3.07 (males) and 2.72–3.65 mm (females)] dark cupreous, with many medium, irregularly spaced, metallic blue-green punctures, more large in lateral and last apical third, having a streaked and patterned appearance like that of variegated marble. Elytral markings faint, similar to C. lutaria : a humeral thin lunule, sometimes almost invisible in dorsal view, a discal anterior dot, a transversal middle band slightly directed obliquely forward away from the suture and never reaching the lateral margin, a roundish discal dot below, nearer to the suture, a subapical roundish spot not connected with a short and thin lunule near the apical margin which does not reach the suture. Apical margin finely serrulated, sutural spine distinct in both sexes. Epipleura testaceous.

Abdominal segments blue-green with bluish reflections, covered with sparse erect hairs in the middle, more heavily pubescent in outer third; last segment more or less rufescent in the middle. Legs metallic, green on femora and tibia, violaceous on knees, bluish on tarsi; trochanters brown-testaceous.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 12 a). Relatively long (length: 3.10–3.55 mm) straight, tapered, with a short blunt apex slightly bent upward (lateral view) and largely triangular (ventral view); inner sac typical of genus Cylindera .

TABLE 2. Comparison of some structural measurements (mean and minimum and maximum values) between Cylindera agualusai sp. n. and Cylindera lutaria (Guérin-Méneville) (males and females) (TL—total length, HL—head length, HW—head width, LbrL—labral length, LbrW—labral width, 3rd Ant L—3rd antennomer length, 4th Ant L—4th antennomer length, PrL—pronotum length, PrW—pronotum width, IPr—Pronotal index=PrL/PrW, ElL—elytral length, ElW—elytral width) and presence (+, %) or absence (-, %) of clypeal setae (LatClyp setae—lateral clypeal setae, M Clyp seta—median clypeal seta). (* No overlapping values).

Remarks. At a first sight the new species seems to conform well to C. lutaria . However, with a more careful analysis we can easily separate both. Cylindera agualusai sp. n. clearly differs from C. lutaria , its closest species, by the slight bigger body length, the shape of pronotum (quadrate or slightly trapezoid in the females of the new species vs. rectangular in C. lutaria ), the presence of some thin setae in the lateral parts of clypeus above the antennal base, one seta inserted in the middle of this structure in the majority of the specimens analized (absent in C. lutaria ) and the shape of the median lobe of aedeagus (cf. Figs 12 a and 12b, Table 2). Some differences can be better appreciated in the dimensions of pronotum and also of the labrum (see Table 2). For instance the labral length and width and the pronotum width are rather different and do not overlap. The pronotal index (pronotum length/pronotum width) does not overlap, too. On the other hand, the lateral labral teeth are fairly more protruding in C. agualusai sp. n. than in C. lutaria . The shape of the apex of the median lobe of the aedeagus (lateral and ventral views) definitively allows segregating both species. While in C. agualusai sp. n. the apex is slightly bent upward in C. lutaria is slightly bent downward (lateral view). The difference is still more evident looking the apex in ventral view. The shape of apex in the former species is largely triangular while in the later is quite narrower. As a final remark concerning C. agualusai sp. n. and C.lutaria affinities, based on previous records (e.g. Werner 2000b), the new species seem to be a sister species with vicariant (allopatric) distribution.

The sculpture of head and pronotum, as well as the characters of the labrum, pronotum, elytral drawing and aedeagus conformation clearly separates C. agualusai sp. n. from the other West-African species such as C. octoguttata , C. genofiae Rivalier, 1973 , C. decellei Basilewsky, 1968 and C. gulbenkiana Serrano, 2007 or even South-eastern African Ifasina such as C. marshallisculpta (W. Horn, 1914) , C. ocellifera (W. Horn, 1905) , C. centropunctata (Dejean, 1831) , C. rectangularis (Klug, 1832) , C. disjuncta (Dejean, 1825) and C. dregei (Mannerheim, 1837) . Cylindera proserpina (W. Horn, 1904) and C. lizleri Werner, 1994 are rather different occurring faraway in Ethiopia.

Ecological notes. A species known until now only from Angola. The adults were found either in countryside roads of whitish and moist sandy soil or on the edges of small, temporary puddles also (see comments on C. lutaria in Serrano & Capela 2013). The adults when disturbed fly rapidly 2-3 m along the road, rarely into the neighbouring savannah or open forest. Further adults of one ground beetle species ( Graphipterus alternatus Burgeon, 1928 ) are syntopic in Cachingues‒Chipica with this new species within the litter on the ground and other adults of tiger beetles occur close along the countryside road (see ecological remarks in P. angusticollis concerning Cachingues-Chipica and Catota localities). These ecological remarks seem more or less similar to the ones given for C. lutaria . By our own observations in Guinea-Bissau ( Serrano, 2007) adults are active on the muddy edges of puddles originated by the rain-fall in the field roads or field patches near the forests, but there sometimes together with C. octoguttata and M. melancholica .

Figures

FIGURE 10. Facies of Cylindera agualusai sp. n.: a) male holotype, b) female allotype.

FIGURE 11. Cylindera agualusai sp. n., head, mandibles and labrum (dorsal view): a) male, b) female.

FIGURE 12. Aedeagus (lateral view) and median lobe apex (ventral view): a) Cylindera agualusai n. sp., paratype, Cachingues ‒ Chipica, Angola; b) Cylindera lutaria (Guérin-Méneville), Canchungo ‒ Calequisse, Guinea-Bissau.