Cerocoma (Metacerocoma) martae, Turco & Bologna, 2011

Turco, Federica & Bologna, Marco A., 2011, Systematic revision of the genus Cerocoma Geoffroy, 1762 (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Cerocomini) 2853, Zootaxa 2853 (1), pp. 1-71 : 49-51

Cerocoma (Metacerocoma) martae sp. n.

Figs 2B , 3B , 4B , 6B

Type locality. “ Turquie, Denizli, Pamukkale”. Pamukkale (= the cotton castle, in Turkish) is the late Ellenistic- Roman town of Hierapolis, an amazing archaeological Turkish site, with calcareous springs depositing brightly white concretions. The habitat around the ruins is characterised by cultivations and Mediterranean pastures.

Type specimens. Holotype ♂ ( CB) and 15 paratypes, 5 ♂♂ (1 CB, 4 FSAG) and 10 ♀♀ (1 CB, 9 FSAG), with the following labels : Holotypus ♂ (and respectively Paratypus ♂ or ♀) / Cerocoma (Metac.) martae n. sp. / F. Turco & M. Bologna des. 2009 (red, printed and handwritten) // Turquie, Denizli, Pamukkale, 15.7.67 (white, printed) .

1 paratype ♂ ( FSAG): Paratypus ♂ Cerocoma (Metac.) martae n. sp. F. Turco & M. Bologna des. 2009 (red, printed and handwritten) // Turquie, Denizli, Pamukkale, 17.7.65 (white, printed).

1 paratype ♂ ( FSAG): Paratypus ♂ Cerocoma (Metac.) martae n. sp. F. Turco & M. Bologna des. 2009 (red, printed and handwritten) // Turquie, Söke, Menderes, 12.7.65 (white, printed).

1 paratype ♂ ( FSAG): Paratypus ♂ Cerocoma (Metac.) martae n. sp. F. Turco & M. Bologna des. 2009 (red, printed and handwritten) // Turquie, Söke, Lac Bafa, 12.7.65 (white, printed).

Some paratypes have antennae and legs slightly damaged.

Other material examined. One male specimen from Macedonia: Jaratock / Est de Monastir / III. IV.1918 // S.- Lt Dyot / Armee d’Orient // Museum Paris // Cerocoma (Metac) / schreberi F. / M. Bologna det. 1986 ( MNHN, Demaison coll.) .

Diagnosis. A Cerocoma belonging to the subgenus Metacerocoma as defined in the present paper, according to the shape and colour of male antennae, head capsule, fore legs (tibiae and tarsomeres), and last visible abdominal sternite, closely related to C. schreberi . It differs from this species by the shape of last male protarsomere which is parallel, without angulated expansion on the internal side; a similar character is found only in C. festiva , which is immediately distinct by its blue integument and the shape of male antennomeres and protibiae, and the colour of setae on the external side of meso- and metatibiae, black in C. festiva and yellow in C. martae . C. martae is easily recognisable from the remaining two species of Metacerocoma ( C. ephesica and C. prevezaensis ) by the absence of elongate laminar expansions on the last visible sternite of male, as well as by the shape of male antennae and protibiae ( Figs 2B , 4B ).

Description. Body metallic green, paler on elytra; male with antennae, maxillary and labial palpi, labrum, clypeus, legs (except coxa, trochanters and basal external portion of metafemora) orange, and female with antennae, mouthparts (except orange galeae), tibiae and tarsomeres black; abdomen orange, in male last urite and almost the whole penultimate sternite metallic, in female last two urites metallic, third last orange on sides and on its basal portion, the remaining metallic. Body setation pale yellow, also on legs, quite long and dense, erect, not lanuginose. Body average length: 13 mm.

Head transverse, with a narrow depressed area over the eyes on the external part of frontal calli, frons more or less convex in female, flat in male; eyes distinctly bulged in male, less in female; frontal calli very large (as in C. schreberi , see Fig. 5A ), surface micropunctate, with a tuft of white robust setae on the antero-lateral margin on the external side, external portion depressed, shagreened; templa very short, extremely converging in male, sub-parallel in female. Male antennae extremely modified as in Fig. 2B , with yellowish setation; antennomere I bearing a short and pointed protrusion on the external side and a narrow and very high dordal keel, apically fringed; III–VIII more or less transverse and variously modified; IV with a narrow, long and curved expansion on dorsal side; V with a long and narrow expansion on dorsal side; VI with a short expansion, wide, foliaceous and depressed, and with very long setae underneath; VIII pointed on one side; IX swollen and transverse. Female antennae not distinctly modified, antennal club longer than the preceding four antennomeres combined, last antennomere narrow at base, ovate. Male maxillary palpi as in Fig. 3B , palpomere III very enlarged, IV subtriangular, widened from base to apex; female palpomeres slender.

Pronotum elongate, sides parallel in the posterior portion (2/3 of the whole length), then obliquely converging in front, with two deep and wide oblique dimples on the anterior third and a fine longitudinal middle line; in female wider, sides slightly more rounded anteriorly, with two small slight depressions sub-oblique on the anterior third. Male protibiae strongly modified as in Fig. 4B , with the apical portion of dorsal keel very curved and directed outwards; in female the apical external angle sub-digitiform; protibial spurs pointed in both sexes. Male protarsomeres short, about as long as protibiae, with the first two tarsomeres together longer than the remaining three, protarsomere I slightly depressed and subtriangular, II longer than I and sub-trapezoidal, III depressed, almost twice as long as II and wider, externally enlarged, IV 0.5 as long as III, only slightly expanded externally, V almost as long as III–IV together, sides parallel without angulated expansion on the inner side. Meso- and metatibiae and tarsomeres not modified in both sexes; metatibial spurs different in shape: external one sub-spatuliform but not widened, obtuse at apex, internal one narrow, slender and pointed. Elytral surface sub-rugose.

Male last abdominal sternite without laminar expansion, posterior margin V-emarginate. Gonostyli, in lateral view, distinctly curved, with apical lobes dorsally directed; apical lobes, in dorsal view, narrow and parallel. Apex of aedeagus rounded; aedeagal hooks subequal in size (the subapical slightly larger). Sclerotised hooks of endophallus small and distant from each other, equal in size, both pointing backwards ( Fig. 6B ).

Etymology. This species is named after Marta Bologna, daughter of one of the authors, for her invaluable help and her lovely enthusiasm during field-work in Turkey in summer 2005, and for the relevant participation to some field expeditions in southern Africa and in the Mediterranean area, aimed to collect blister beetles.

Taxonomic remarks. This species is very similar and closely related to C. schreberi (see below), with which most probably in the past it has been confused. Muche (1964) in a short note cited one male specimen from eastern Bulgaria as an unnamed aberration of C. schreberi . According to the figured last protarsomere, this specimen probably belongs to C. martae .

Males of the two species, both lacking abdominal laminar expansions, are easily recognisable by the following characters:

C. martae : furrows on pronotum extended to the anterior half of pronotum itself; protarsomere V with parallel sides; protibiae less high; sides of the penultimate abdominal segment half orange and half metallic dark green (also in female);

C. schreberi : furrows on pronotum shorter, extended to the anterior third of pronotum itself; protarsomere V subtriangular, with an angulated laminar extension on internal side; protibiae higher; sides of the penultimate abdominal segment almost completely orange.

Distribution. E Bulgaria, S Macedonia, W Turkey.

Cerocoma (Metacerocoma) prevezaensis Dvo ř ák, 1993

Figs 2D , 3D , 4D , 6D

Cerocoma (Metacerocoma) prevezaensis Dvořák, 1993: 4 ; Bologna, 1994: 29.

Type locality. “Graecia occ., Preveza env., Ag. Thomas” ( Dvořák 1993).

Type specimens. 8 paratypes have been examined:

Two paratypes, 1 ♂ and 1 ♀: Gr. Occ., Preveza / St. Thomas / 10– 21.6.1991 / Old. Kapler lgt. (white, printed) // PARATYPUS (red, printed) // Cerocoma sp.n. / prevezaensis / det. M. Dvořák, 91 (white, printed) ( HNHM). Left protibia and protarsomeres are missing in the male, and female’s left meso- and metatarsomeres are slightly damaged .

1 paratype ♂: Gr. occ., Preveza / Agios Thomas / 10– 17.6.1991 / Mir. Dvořák lgt. (white, printed) // PARATY- PUS (red, printed) // Cerocoma sp.n. / prevezaensis / det. M. Dvořák, 91 (white, printed) ( CNM). Last two right protarsomeres are missing.

1 paratype ♀: same labels as previous specimen, except for “ 11.6.1992 ” on the first label ( CNM). Right metatarsomeres are missing .

1 paratype ♂: Gr. occ., Preveza / Agios Thomas / 10– 21.6.1991 / Old. Kapler lgt. (white, printed) // PARATY- PUS (red, printed) // Cerocoma sp.n. / prevezaensis / det. M. Dvořák, 91 (white, printed) ( CNM). Last three left protarsomeres are missing.

1 paratype ♀: same labels as previous specimen ( CNM). Right hind leg is missing (coxa still present) .

1 paratype ♂: Gr. occ., Preveza / Agios Thomas / 11.6.1992 / Mir. Dvořák lgt. (white, printed) // PARATYPUS (red, printed) // Cerocoma / prevezaensis sp. / n. / det. M. Dvořák 92 (white, printed) ( CK).

1 paratype ♀: Gr. Occ., Preveza / Agios Thomas / 11.6.1992 / Mir. Dvořák lgt. (white, printed) // PARATYPUS (red, printed) // Cerocoma sp.n. / prevezaensis / det. M. Dvořák, 92 (white, printed) ( CK).

Description. Male. Body metallic green with a short yellowish pubescence, denser on pronotum; abdomen orange with last two segments dark green metallic; legs dark, except for protibiae and protarsomeres yelloworange; antennae, galeae and maxillary palpi yellow-orange as clypeus and labrum; other mouthparts dark to black.

Head sub-squared with protruding eyes. Maxillary palpi modified with palpomeres II–III wide, flattened and slightly curved; IV stout (about 2x as long as wide), weakly flattened and sinuate on both sides ( Fig. 3D ). Antennae strongly modified with antennomere I bearing a very short and pointed protrusion on the external side and dorsal keel narrow and very high, apically fringed; II–VIII variously expanded and shaped; IV with a narrow, long and curved expansion on dorsal side; V with a long and narrow expansion on dorsal side; IX very swollen and transverse ( Fig. 2D ).

Pronotum elongate with a short and shallow medial line. Protibiae modified with a very high and flattened dorsal keel, apically curved ( Fig. 4D ). Protarsomeres dorso-ventrally flattened; I–IV widened on the external side; V angularly widened on the internal side.

Last abdominal sternite bearing two laminar expansions about as long as the half of last abdominal segment. Gonostyli, in lateral view, distinctly curved, with apical lobes dorsally directed; apical lobes, in dorsal view, narrow and slightly converging. Apex of aedeagus rounded; aedeagal hooks subequal in size, the subapical one slightly larger. Sclerotised hooks of endophallus small and distant from each other, equal in size, the apical pointing outwards and the subapical backwards ( Fig. 6D ).

Female. Not distinctly modified. Refer to key for diagnostic characters.

Distribution. W Albania, W and S Greece.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Male right antenna, lateral view: A, C. schreberi; B, C. martae; C, C. ephesica; D, C. prevezaensis; E, C. festiva; F, C. graeca; G, C. malatyensis; H, C. albopilosa; I, C. longiseta; J, C. barthelemyi; K, C. vahli; L, C. scovitzi; M, C. latreillei; N, C. adamovichiana; O, C. confusa; P, C. azurea; Q, C. turcica; R, C. muehlfeldi; S, C. schaefferi; T, C. prochaskana; U, C. dahli; V,C. bernhaueri; W, C. simplicicornis; X, C. gloriosa; Y, C. rapillyi; Z, C. marginiventris; AA, C. macedonica; AB, C. kunzei; AC, C. bodemeyeri. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 3. Male right maxillary palp, dorsal view: for lettering refer to caption to Fig. 1. Scale bars = 1 mm (1: C–E, G–J, L– R, Y, AA–AC; 2: B, F, K, S–T, X, Z; 3: A, U–W).

FIGURE 4. Male right protibia, lateral view: for lettering refer to caption to Fig. 1. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 5. Male head, dorsal view: A, C. schreberi; B, C. scovitzi; C, C. vahli; D, C. adamovichiana; E, C. kunzei; F, C. schaefferi. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 6. Male external genitalia (from left to right: tegmen, dorsal and lateral views; aedeagus, lateral view): for lettering refer to caption to Fig. 1. Scale bars = 1 mm (1: A–E, H, L–M, R; 2: F–G, I–K, N–P, S–T, X–Y, AA–AC; 3: Q, U–W, Z).