Allecula suberina Novák, 2012

Novák, Vladimír, Jansson, Nicklas, Chiari, Stefano, Zauli, Agnese, Audisio, Paolo & Carpaneto, Giuseppe M., 2012, A new species of Allecula (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Alleculinae) from cork oak stands of Italy, Zootaxa 3483, pp. 29-38 : 33-36

Allecula suberina Novák , sp. nov.

( Figs 4–5 )

Type locality. Italy, Pomezia (province of Rome), 30 km south of Rome, in association with old trees of Quercus suber .

Types. Holotype (3): first label [printed black]: ITALY, Lazio (Rome), Pomezia / 33T 292672 4614488, 72m a.s.l. / 22.VII–10.VIII.2009 / G. Carpaneto, S. Chiari, A. Zauli; second label [printed black]: Old cork oak / ( Quercus suber ) / Window trap No. 11, ( MZAC).

Paratypes labeled: (1 Ƥ): same data as holotype but 33T 292788 4614521, 74m a.s.l., Pitfall trap No.16, ( VNPC); (2 3): same data as holotype, but 33T 292604 4614458, 68m a.s.l., Window trap No. 6, ( NJLS, VNPC); (1 3): same data as holotype, but 33T 292604 4614458, 68m a.s.l., 10.VI–1.VII. 2009, Window trap No. 6, ( VNPC); (1 Ƥ): same data as holotype, but 33T 292788 4614521, 74m a.s.l., 1.VII–22.VII.2009, Window trap No. 16, ( NJLS); (1 Ƥ): same data as holotype, but 33T 292604 4614458, 68m a.s.l., 22.VII–12.VIII.2010, Window trap No. 6, ( MZAC); (1 Ƥ): ITALY, Lazio (LT), Bosco Polverino / 33T 348761 4588673, 39m a.s.l. / 2.VII–23.VII.2009 / G. Carpaneto, S. Chiari, A. Zauli / Old cork oak / ( Quercus suber ) / Pitfall trap No. 4, ( NJLS); (1 3 1 Ƥ): same data as the latter, but 33T 348618 4588614, 49m a.s.l., 21.VII–11.VIII.2010, Window trap No. 5, ( MZAC); (1 Ƥ): same data as the latter, but 23.VII–13.VIII.2009, ( NJLS); (1 Ƥ): same data as the latte r but 33T 348830 4588741, 28m a.s.l., 11.VI –2.VII.2009, Window trap No. 3, ( VNPC); (1 Ƥ): same data as the latter but 33T 348896 4588787, 28m a.s.l., 2.VII–23.VII.2009, Window trap No. 3, ( MZAC).

The types are provided with a printed red label: Allecula suberina sp. nov. HOLOTYPUS [resp. PARATYPUS] V. Novák det. 2011.

Other material examined: remains of three specimens found in Bosco-Polverino during the sampling period.

Description of holotype. Habitus as in Fig. 4 , body elongate, from yellow ochre to brown, slightly shiny, with dense pale brown pilosity, BL 7.64 mm. Widest near middle of elytra length; BL/EW 3.00.

Head ( Fig. 5 a). Dark brown, with dense pale brown pilosity, microgranulation and dense punctuation. Punctures medium-sized, interspaces between punctures narrow. Space between antennae with large, transverse, near sides oblique impression. HW 1.34 mm; HW/PW 0.72. HL (visible part) 0.96 mm. Eyes dark, large, transverse, deeply excised, space between eyes distinctly broader than length of antennomere 3; OI equal to 33.33.

Antennae ( Fig. 5 b). Antennomeres unicoloured dark brown with microgranulation, short, pale brown pilosity and punctuation. AL 6.07 mm, AL/BL 0.80. Antennomere 2 shortest, antennomere 3 twice longer than antennomere 2. Antennomere 4 longer than each of antennomeres 5–10. RLA (1–11): 0.86: 0.43: 1.00: 1.75: 1.60: 1.74: 1.74: 1.71: 1.65: 1.62: 1.77. RL/WA (1–11): 1.94: 1.18: 2.03: 2.60: 2.41: 2.63: 2.85: 2.93: 2.89: 2.98: 3.40.

Maxillary palpus. Brown with pale brown pilosity and microgranulation. Palpomeres 2–3 narrowest at base, broadest at apex, penultimate palpomere shortest. Ultimate palpomeres broadly triangular, slightly shiny. RLP (2–4): 1.67: 1.00: 2.17. RL/WP (2–4): 1.92: 1.04: 0.66.

Pronotum ( Fig. 5 a). Brown, transverse, with dense long pale brown pilosity, microgranulation and punctuation, punctures medium-sized. PL 1.12 mm; PW 1.85 mm. PI equal to 60.54. Marginal lines complete, only in the middle of anterior margin indistinct. Base bisinuate, in ante-scutellar area straight. Posterior angles rounded, slightly obtuse, anterior angles rounded, indistinct. Sides near posterior angles finely excised.

Ventral side of body. Dark blackish-brown, with pale brown pilosity. Punctuation of prothorax indistinct. Abdomen dark blackish-brown with dense, pale brown pilosity and dense punctuation, punctures small, last abdominal sternite pale brown.

Elytron. Long, unicoloured ochre yellow, with short, pale brown pilosity, microgranulation and punctuation, shiny. EL 5.56 mm. Broadest near elytral two thirds from base, EW 2.55 mm. EL/EW 2.18. Elytral striae with distinct rows of medium-sized punctures, interspaces between punctures in rows very narrow, less than diameter of punctures. Punctures on elytral intervals approximately as large as punctures in elytral striae.

Scutellum. Ochre yellow, pentagonal with sides narrowly darker, shiny, with microgranulation and pale brown setae.

Elytral epipleura. Well-developed, ochre yellow as elytron itself with row of large punctures and pale brown setae, shiny, broadest near base, regularly narrowed to metasternum, then parallel.

Legs. Dark brown, with short pale brown pilosity. Tibiae and tarsi narrow, tibiae dilated anteriorly. Penultimate tarsomere of each tarsus slightly broadened and lobed. RLT: protarsus: 1.00: 0.51: 0.49: 0.59: 0.91; mesotarsus: 1.00: 0.29: 0.31: 0.39: 0.68; metatarsus: 1.00: 0.33: 0.23: 0.44.

Both anterior tarsal claws with 6 visible teeth.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 5 c). Relatively short, pale brown, slightly shiny. Basal half of basal piece rounded laterally, then almost straight, dorsally regularly narrowing. Apical piece short, narrowly triangular dorsally and laterally. Ratio between length of apical piece and length of basal piece 1: 2.74.

Female. Space between eyes broad, distinctly broader than diameter of eye and broader than in male. Antennae distinctly shorter than in male, reaching only 0.49 of body length. Antennomere 4 only approximately 1.3 times longer than antennomere 3. Both anterior tarsal claws with 3 or 4 visible teeth. RLA (1–11): 0.78: 0.37: 1.00: 1.30: 1.44: 1.52: 1.41: 1.41: 1.30: 1.24: 1.44. RLA/W (1–11): 1.80: 0.85: 2.19: 2.31: 2.75: 2.92: 2.41: 2.24: 2.22: 2.38: 3.57. RLT: protarsus: 1.00: 0.55: 0.45: 0.60: 1.16; mesotarsus: 1.00: 0.45: 0.40: 0.34: 0.59; metatarsus: 1.00: 0.41: 0.32: 0.52. BL 8.54 mm; HL 1.08 mm; HW 1.41 mm; OI 43.12; PL 1.23 mm; PW 2.14 mm; PI 57.29; EL 6.23 mm; EW 2.92 mm; HW/PW 0.66; BL/EW 2.93; EL/EW 2.13; AL 4.19 mm; AL/BL 0.49.

Variation. Measurements: mean (minimum–maximum). Males (n=5): BL 7.44 mm (6.98–7.79 mm); HL 0.87 mm (0.73–1.00 mm); HW 1.28 mm (1.21–1.34 mm); OI 32.67 (31.40–33.43), PL 1.17 mm (1.12–1.28 mm); PW 1.77 mm (1.66–1.85 mm); PI 66.14 (60.54–70.49); EL 5.40 mm (5.01–5.76 mm); EW 2.49 mm (2.13–2.81 mm). Females (n=8): BL 8.56 mm (7.75–9.40 mm); HL 1.00 mm (0.90–1.18 mm); HW 1.39 mm (1.31–1.46 mm); OI 40.61 (36.48–43.35), PL 1.28 mm (1.09–1.46 mm); PW 2.12 mm (1.92–2.25 mm); PI 60.15 (52.62–65.63); EL 6.27 mm (5.69–6.76 mm); EW 3.09 mm (2.79–3.36 mm).

Differential diagnosis. Allecula suberina Novák sp. nov. is clearly different from the similar species A. divisa , A. estriata and A. oronthea , mainly by antennomere 3 being distinctly shorter than antennomere 4 (in the latter three species antennomere 3 is approximately as long as antennomere 4). Allecula suberina clearly differs from the similar species A. morio mainly by the ochre yellow elytra and a broader pronotum ( A. morio has a dark brown body and a narrower pronotum). Allecula suberina is clearly different from the similar species A. janssoni , A. rhenana and A. turcica mainly by antennomeres 4–11 being only 1.6–1.8 times longer than antennomere 3 ( A. janssoni , A. rhenana and A. turcica have antennomeres 4–11 more than twice as long as antennomere 3).

Distribution. Only known from two localities, both situated in the subcoastal region of central Italy, in the Latium region (provinces of Latina and Rome).

Etymology. The name of the new species is derived from the Latin term suber ‚ meaning cork, because all specimens were collected in association with old cork oaks ( Quercus suber ).

Ecological remarks. The new species is probably associated with hollow trees, as are other species of the same genus. All 13 adult specimens were found in traps positioned within or adjacent to cork oak tree cavities. Eleven specimens were collected by window traps, showing that these beetles are active fliers; only two females were found in pitfall traps. Most of specimens (61.5%) were collected from 22 July to 10 August; three specimens (23.1%) were collected in the first three weeks of July; only two specimens (15.4%) were found from 10 June to 2 July. Therefore, we can deduce that the majority of specimens were active in July.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Habitus of holotype (male, BL 7.64 mm) for the new species Allecula suberina Novák.

FIGURE 5. Allecula suberina Novák sp. nov.: a) head and pronotum of holotype (HL 0.96 mm, PL 1.12 mm); b) antenna of holotype (AL 6.07 mm); c) aedeagus of holotype (dorsal and lateral views, AED 1.13 mm).