Iselma kamanjabi, Pitzalis & Bologna, 2008

Pitzalis, Monica & Bologna, Marco A., 2008, Taxonomy and faunistics of the southern African genus Iselma, with the description of nine new species (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Eleticinae), Zootaxa 1876 (1), pp. 35-59 : 43-44

Iselma kamanjabi sp. n.

Diagnosis. A small sized Iselma , belonging to the group of I. hobohmi , but distinct from all other close species ( I. penrithae , I. hobohmi and I. deserticola ) because of the head subquadrate ( Fig. 1d ) vs. elongate and slender ( I. hobohmi : Fig. 1c ), the pronotum as long as wide (vs. very elongate and slender), the body setation shorter, the head and pronotum punctures wider. Tarsi are orange, as in I. deserticola , not black as in the other two species; the abdomen is black as in all other species, except in I. deserticola (orange).

Description. Body black without metallic reflection, but the apex of tibiae and tarsi orange, elytra brown, partially black (see below). Setae uniformly distributed, light yellow, dark on head and pronotum except on the clypeus and labrum. Body length (apex of mandibles-apex of elytra): 8.0 mm; pronotum length: 1.5 mm; elytral width (greatest at posterior third): 3.0 mm.

Head subquadrate ( Fig. 1d ), slightly longer than wide at eye level (excluding the mandibles); the maximum width on tempora, which are widened posteriorly to the eye; setae short, robust and recumbent; punctures wide, deep and quite approached, intermediate surface shiny in the middle, and shagreened on the remaining parts; frontal suture subarcuate; base of clypeus smooth, labrum smooth; antennal ridge acute. Mandibles evidently shorter than head capsule, greatly arcuate almost from the base, particularly at apex; maxillary and labial palpomeres not elongate, last segment about twice as long as penultimate. Antennae extending almost to the base of pronotum, antennomeres short: I cylindrical, twice as long as II; II short, subglobose; III sub-cylindrical, evidently longer than I, slightly wider at apex; IV–IX (X lacks) subequal in length, slightly shorter and similar in shape to III, decreasing in width from VI to IX; XI almost as long as VIII and IX together, suboval.

Pronotum short ( Fig. 1d ), suboval, widened from the base to middle, then evidently converging to apex; punctures and setae as on head. Mesonotum short, sub-rounded at apex. Elytra without tracks of venation, convex, slightly arcuate at middle in lateral view, evidently wider than pronotum at base; the black colouration extended along the marginal suture from the posterior third, progressively and obliquely enlarged, being the apex completely black; setation short, quite dense, recumbent. Legs finely punctate; fore tibiae apically expanded externally; fore tarsomere I about twice as long as II, II–IV similar in shape and length, V longer than I; external spur of fore tibiae robust, both hind tibial spurs robust, short, about as long as half of tarsomere I.

Type material. Holotype female ( HNHM), with the following labels: “SW Africa, Kamajab”; “ Iselma sp. det. Kaszab ”; “ Iselma sp. Dr. Z. Kaszab det., 1983” (all labels white, handwritten and partially printed). We added the label : “ Holotypus female Iselma kamanjabi ” sp. n. M.Pitzalis & M. Bologna des. 2008” .

Type locality. Namibia, Kamanjab .

Etymology. The name of this species refers to its type locality, Kamanjab, a town in NW Namibia.

Affinities. Iselma kamanjabi sp. n. belongs to the group of I. hobohmi ( Pitzalis, 2007; Pitzalis and Bologna, unpublished.), which includes also I. deserticola , I. hobohm i and I. penrithae . This group was defined by Bologna et al. (2001). The group is endemic to central and northern Namibia, well isolated biogeographically from the remaining South African species. Among the species of this group I. kamanjabi is distinct particularly for its head and pronotum shape, and setation pattern.

Figures

FIGURE 1. (a) Iselma brunneipes head and pronotum; (b) I. mimica sp. n. head and pronotum; (c) I. hobohmi head and pronotum; (d) I. kamanjabi sp. n. head and pronotum; (e) I. fontisamarae sp. n. head; (f) I. audisioi sp. n. antenna.