Baezia vulcania Alonso-Zarazaga and García, 2002

García, Rafael, López, Heriberto & Oromí, Pedro, 2007, Additional data to the genus Baezia with description of a new species from a cave on El Hierro, Canary Islands (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Molytinae), Zootaxa 1631, pp. 47-55 : 52-53

Baezia vulcania Alonso-Zarazaga and García, 2002

Studied material. La Palma. Cueva de los Palmeros (Fuencaliente, 650 m a.s.l., 28RBS204567): 3Ψ (paratypes), 15-XII-1991, R. García leg.; 1Ψ (paratype), 4-III-1992, R. García leg.; 3ɗ and 2Ψ (paratypes), 27-XI-1993, R. García leg.; 3ɗ and 1Ψ (paratypes), 20-II-1996, R. García leg.; 1Ψ (paratype), 6-IX-1992, R. García leg.; 1ɗ (holotype), 27-XI-1993, R. García leg.; 2 exx., 7-V-2002, R. García leg.; 2 exx., 14-XI-2005, P. Oromí leg. Cueva del Ratón (Fuencaliente, 200 m a.s.l., 28RBS212517): 3 exx. (paratypes), 16-XII-2000, P. Oromí leg.; 3 exx. (paratypes), 16-XII-2000, R. García leg.; 1 ex., 14-III-2002, R. García leg. Cueva de los Callejones (Mazo, 200 m a.s.l., 28RBS298671): 1 ex., 19-I-2003, R. García leg. Cueva del Canaliso A (Los Llanos de Aridane, 450 m a.s.l., 28RBS178634): 1 ex., 16-II-2003, R. García leg. Cueva del Diablo (Breña Alta, 1400 m a.s.l., 28RBS236691): 8Ψ, 4ɗ and 4 indet., 4-X-2005, S. de la Cruz and P. Oromí leg.; 5Ψ and 1ɗ, 12-X-2005, S. de la Cruz and H. López leg.

Biology and ecology. The individuals of the typical series of Baezia vulcania were obtained using cheesebaited pitfall traps or from dead roots gathered in Cueva del Ratón and Cueva de los Palmeros. These caves are located at the southern tip of La Palma in moderate dry areas with shrub vegetation. The recent lavas prevail on the surface of Cueva del Ratón and the climate is particularly dry, but the abundance of cinder has allowed the presence of a sparse shrub vegetation mainly composed of Euphorbia balsamifera and Schyzogyne sericea, but with hardly any herbaceous plants. Like in the south of El Hierro the accumulation of cinders on the recent lavas keeps the moisture in the underground, as a result lava tubes are more humid than expected in such a dry place, and moderately big shrubs can grow with their roots reaching the deep rock through the cinder layer. Cueva de los Palmeros is at a higher altitude (650 m a.s.l.) in older lavas moderately covered with soil, and the vegetation is denser and more varied. In recent expeditions, Baezia vulcania has been obtained using the same collecting method in three new caves of the southern half of the island: Cueva de los Callejones, Cueva del Canaliso A and Cueva del Diablo. The two first are at low altitude (200 and 450 m a.s.l. respectively), the climate and vegetation on the surface of Cueva del Canaliso A is similar to that of Cueva del Ratón, while in Cueva de los Callejones is similar to that of Cueva de los Palmeros. On the other hand, Cueva del Diablo is located at 1400 m a.s.l. in older lavas well covered with soil, in a very different habitat facing eastwards with a moderately humid climate influenced by trade winds, and with mixed forest of planted Monterrey pine ( Pinus radiata D. Don ) and remains of laurel forest ( Dumpiérrez et al. 2000; Oromí et al. 2001). The plant species are totally different to that of the other caves above mentioned. It is worth pointing out that subtle morphological but marked ecological differences have been found between the specimens from Cueva del Diablo and those from the caves at the south and east of the island. In general, the specimens of Cueva del Diablo have a pronotum more subquadrate, with a more marked apical constriction and with more abundant clavate setae all over the body.

A better study, maybe even using molecular markers, should be useful to confirm if they are the same or two different species.