Derelomus schoedli Rheinheimer, 2005

Fig. 9

Derelomus schoedli Rheinheimer, 2005: 384 .

Derelomus schoedli – Haran et al. 2022a: phylogenetic relationship, erroneously identified as D. signatus .

Diagnosis

Derelomus schoedli can be distinguished by the combination of appendiculate claws, the lateral carina on the pronotum covered with whitish scales, the antennal club darker than the funicle (on fully sclerotized specimens), the elytral pattern absent or reduced to a dark dot on the 4 th elytral interstriae and the penis body in the male forming a long spatula strongly curved upward and bisinuate. It is very close to D. pericarti (see Diagnosis section under that species). Females of this species cannot be distinguished from those of D. caldaria sp. nov. GenBank accession numbers for the corresponding DNA barcodes: OK188815 –16.

Material examined

Holotype

SAUDI ARABIA • ♂; “Saudi Arab. 1976; Wittmer, Büttiker” “ 8-20 km O Abha-; Taif [approx. 21°21′14″ N 40°13′48″ E] 2100m 20.4.” “ Derelomus; schoedli; Rheinheimer; Holotype”; NMB.

Paratypes

SAUDI ARABIA • 6 ♀♀; 8–20 km W of Taif; 21°21′14″ N, 40°13′48″ E; 20 Apr. 1976; Wittmer and Büttiker coll.; NMB • 2 ♀♀; Abha, Wadi Johan; 18°13′05″ N, 42°30′22″ E; 19 Apr. 1976; Wittmer and Büttiker coll.; NMB • 3 ♀♀; Abha, Wadi Johan; 18°13′05″ N, 42°30′22″ E; 15 Apr. 1976; Wittmer and Büttiker coll.; NMB • 6 ♀♀; village Qaraah, Khamis; 18°17′54″ N, 42°43′00″ E; 16 Apr. 1976; Wittmer and Büttiker coll.; NMB • 4 ♀♀; “ Wadi ad Dilla ” [locality?]; 17 Oct. 1979; W. Büttiker coll.; NMB • 4 ♀♀; Asir, Bani Rizam; 18°19′00″ N, 42°27′00″ E; 12 Apr. 1980; W. Büttiker coll.; NMB • 3 ♀♀; Tanomah; 18°55′55″ N, 42°10′23″ E; 11 Apr. 1980; W. Büttiker coll.; NMB • 2 ♀♀; Wadi Aziza; 18°12′58″ N, 42°27′00″ E; 19 Sep. 1983; W. Büttiker coll.; NMB • 1 ♀; Wadi Marba, Khamis Mushait; 17 Apr. 1976; Wittmer and Büttiker coll.; NMB • 1 ♀; BAC Camp, Khamis Mushait; 18 Apr. 1976; Wittmer and Büttiker coll.; NMB. See full list of paratypes in Rheinheimer (2005).

Other material

ETHIOPIA • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Hawzen; 13°58′42″ N, 39°25′52″ E; 9 Dec. 2013; P. Weill coll.; beating Vachellia sp.; JHAR01036; PW .

Redescription (♂)

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 2.0 mm.

COLOR. Body integument uniformly pale brown, antennal club black, elytra with curved line of dark spots beyond middle of length on interstriae 2, 4, 6, 8; vestiture of dorsum made of white setiform scales on head and pronotum and minute white setae on elytra, forming one or two rows on each interstria.

HEAD. Rostrum as long as pronotum in lateral view, moderately downcurved in basal ⅓, almost straight in apical ⅔; in dorsal view about 4× as long as wide, integument densely punctate, lacking carinae along median line, covered with short suberect whitish setae oriented toward forehead; antennae inserted near apical ¼ of length; head capsule coarsely punctate in dorsal view, forehead with minute setiform scales oriented backward, more condensed near eyes; eyes moderately convex, slightly exceeding lateral curve of head capsule in dorsal view; antennal funicle with first segment 1.5 × as long as wide, equal in length to segments 2–4 together, 2 isodiametric, 3–7 transverse.

PRONOTUM. Slightly wider than long (W: L ratio: 1.15), widest near middle of length, 0.65× as wide there as elytra at humeral angles, lateral carina smooth and regular; sides subparallel in basal 3/5, converging in apical 2/5; integument with large circular punctures, arranged in irregular manner, space between punctures dull, narrower or wider than diameter of punctures; scale cover made of white setae longer than diameter of punctures, more condensed along lateral carinae.

METATHORAX. Metanepisterna with scarce, non-overlapping scales.

ELYTRA. Elongate (W:L ratio: 0.65); sides slightly convex, widest near middle of length; humeri raised; apex jointly rounded; striae with punctures as wide as interstriae or slightly narrower; interstriae slightly convex; scutellar shield rounded, bearing minute setiform scales.

ABDOMEN. Underside covered with subcontiguous recumbent whitish setae. Stridulatory plate with lines of 5–6 granules, as long as median line; central sclerotized area narrow and rounded at apex.

LEGS. Profemora thickened near middle of length; protibiae with external margin straight, internal slightly bisinuate; claws appendiculate.

TERMINALIA. Body of penis very elongate (W: L ratio: 0.17), about 5× as long as apodemes; sides almost straight, converging slightly from base to apex, apex forming elongate spatula approximately 4× as long as wide; in lateral view curvature stronger in basal ½ of length; width narrowing regularly from apical ¼ of length to apex; apex bisinuate (Fig. 9D).

Sexual dimorphism

Females can be distinguished from males by the rostrum which is slightly longer in lateral view (Fig. 9C).

Life history

The verified Ethiopian series were collected on an unidentified species of Vachellia ( Fabaceae).

Distribution

Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia.

Remarks

Only two males are available in this species, from Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia. They show slight differences in rostrum shape and size (slightly longer and more downcurved in the Ethiopian specimen) and the examination of longer series will probably increase our knowledge on the variability of morphological features reported here in the redescription. The rest of known specimens are females (Rheinheimer 2005). Female specimens cannot at this stage be distinguished from those of D. caldarai sp. nov. based on morphological features. The list of material corresponds to that reported in Rheinheimer (2005) and females from a series in which a male was available for verification (Ethiopia). Other material from Botswana, Kenya, Rwanda, Republic of South Africa and Zambia (housed at CMNC, DEI, MNHN, NHMUK, RMCA, TMSA and USNM) was provisionally labelled as Derelomus “ schoedli / caldarai ”, see below.

BOTSWANA • 1 ♀; Serowe Farmer’s Brigade; Sep. 1995; P. Forchhammer leg.; mercury vapour light trap; DEI.

KENYA • 1 ♀; 90 km from Nairobi (no precise locality); 23 Mar. 1990; D. Hongo coll.; adults collected on Vachellia seyal; NHMUK • 2 ♀♀; 90 km from Nairobi (no precise locality); 22 Mar. 1990; D. Hongo coll.; adults collected on Vachellia hockii; NHMUK • 1 ♀; Taveta; 3°23′46″ S, 37°40′30″ E; 750 m; Mar. 1912; Alluaud and Jeannel coll.; MNHN.

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA – Eastern Cape Province • 1 ♀; Uitenhage [now Kariega]; 33°45′49″ S, 25°26′20″ E; Oct. 1898; RW. Onfil [?] coll.; on Mimosa; NHMUK. – KwaZulu-Natal Province • 2 ♀♀; Frere; 28°53′46″ S, 29°46′37″ E; May 1892; GAK. Marshall coll.; in rose; NHMUK. – Mpumalanga Province • 3 ♀♀; 16 km N, of Barberton; 25°42′00″ S, 30°57′00″ E; 10 Feb. 1987; Endrödy-Younga coll.; bush passed flowering; E-Y: 2440; TMSA. – North West Province • 1 ♀; Libertas [Mahikeng]; 25°50′46″ S, 25°38′24″ E; 10–11 Oct. 1979; Colin R. Owen coll.; USNM.

RWANDA • 1 ♀; Bugarama; 2°42′00″ S, 29°00′36″ E; 25 Jan. 1926; Dr H. Schouteden coll.; RMCA.

YEMEN • 14 ♀♀; Jabal Jiḩāf; 13°45′04.0″ N, 44°40′53.0″ E; 4 Oct. 1937; H. Scott and E. B. Britton coll.; NHMUK • 1 ♀; Jabal Jiḩāf; 13°45′04.0″ N, 44°40′53.0″ E; 18–19 Sep. 1937; H. Scott and E.B. Britton coll.; NHMUK • 1 ♀; Jabal Jiḩāf; 13°45′04.0″ N, 44°40′53.0″ E; 1 Oct. 1937; H. Scott and E.B. Britton coll.; NHMUK • 1 ♀; Jabal Jiḩāf; 13°45′04.0″ N, 44°40′53.0″ E; 7 Oct. 1937; H. Scott and E.B. Britton coll.; NHMUK • 1 ♀; Sanaa; 15°19′30.8″ N, 44°12′42.6″ E; 17–18 Sep. 1937; Dr Carl Rathjens coll.; from lucerne field; NHMUK.

ZAMBIA • 1 ♀; Lukulu, Barotse Floodplain; 14°12′39″ S, 23°19′09″ E; 9 Nov. 2013; R. Smith, H. Takano and D. Oram coll.; light trap; NHMUK • 4 ♀♀; Kabwe, Kasanka NP; 12°32′29″ S, 30°12′40″ E; 30 Nov. 2012; Smith R & Takano H coll.; Light trap, Edward’s funnel; NHMUK • 1 ♀; 9 km E of Mulalika; 15°41′10″ S, 28°43′52″ E; 24 Nov. 2010; J. Génier coll.; light trap, Southern Miombo woodland; CMNC .