Nitidula maculosa Fairmaire, 1866

Lasoń, Andrzej, Hájek, Jiří & Jelínek, Josef, 2021, The Nitidula carnaria complex, with description of a new species from Central Asia, and a key to world species of the genus (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 61 (2), pp. 503-516 : 507

Nitidula maculosa Fairmaire, 1866

( Figs 2 , 5, 8, 11 )

Nitidula maculosa Fairmaire, 1866 in Fൺංඋආൺංඋൾ & Cඈඊඎൾඋൾඅ (1866): 19 ( Algeria).

Nitidula mollicella Reitter, 1873: 44 (northern Africa).

Material studied. ALGERIA: 4 spec., Sahara, Bou Saada, 15.x.1980, A. Olexa leg. ( NMPC); 2 spec., Hammam Rhira, ex coll.J. Hlisnikowski ( NMPC). ISRAEL: 1 J 1 ♀, Palestine, Jerusalem, 1931, F. S. Bodenheimer leg. ( PACR), 1 spec., Palestina, Jerusalem, 24.x.1942, Houška leg. ( NMPC). LIBYA: 1 J, Apollonia, ix.1941 ( PACR).

Diagnosis. Body length: 2.3–4.1 mm. Body subparallel-sided. Antennae almost as long as width of head across eyes, antennomeres IV and V longer than wide. Anterior margin of pronotum subtruncate. Apical margin of prosternal process truncate. Pale pigmentation extended over most of elytra, black pigmentation limited to common arcuate spot behind scutellum, common spot at apex of elytra and one elongate spot behind midlength of each lateral margin ( Fig. 2 ). Male genitalia: Median lobe of aedeagus ca. 1.8 × longer than wide, widest at apical fourth, there lateral margins abruptly (angulately) curved towards apex ( Fig. 5 ). Tegmen similar to that of N. carnaria , but more strongly narrowed apically ( Fig. 8 ). Tergite VIII flatly rounded apically ( Fig. 11 ).

Distribution. Northern Africa ( Algeria, Libya, Egypt) and the Middle East ( Iraq, Israel, Jordan).

Figures

Figs 1–3. Habitus of Nitidula carnaria species complex. 1 – Nitidula carnaria (Schaller, 1783) (Czech Republic, body length: 3.3 mm); 2 – N. maculosa Fairmaire, 1866 (Algeria; 2.8 mm); 3 – N. obenbergeri sp. nov. (paratype; China: Qinghai; 3.8 mm).

Figs 4–12. Male genitalia of Nitidula species. 4, 7, 10 – Nitidula carnaria (Schaller, 1783) (Czech Republic); 5, 8, 11 – N. maculosa Fairmaire, 1866 (Algeria); 6, 9, 12 – N. obenbergeri sp. nov. (holotype; China: Qinghai). 4–6 – median lobe of aedeagus; 7–9 – tegmen; 10–12 – tergite VIII. Scale bar = 0.25 mm.