Jacobyana bezdeki, Biondi, Maurizio & D'Alessandro, Paola, 2011

Biondi, Maurizio & D'Alessandro, Paola, 2011, Jacobyana Maulik, an Oriental flea beetle genus new for the Afrotropical Region with description of three new species from Central and Southern Africa (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Alticinae), ZooKeys 86, pp. 47-59 : 49-51

Jacobyana bezdeki sp. n.

Type series.

Holotype ♂: MALAWI: Dedza env. [~ 14°23'S, 34°19'E], 06-13.i.2002, J. Bezděk leg. (BAQ).

Diagnosis.

Jacobyana bezdeki sp. n. is different from Jacobyana centrafricana sp.n. and Jacobyana sudafricana sp.n. in having dorsal integuments reddish-brown (integuments are entirely or almost entirely black in Jacobyana sudafricana sp. n. and black with reddish elytral apex in Jacobyana centrafricana sp.n.). Other distinctive characters are: head with frons and vertex distinctly raised (Figs 3, 9, 15); punctation medially absent in distal part of first abdominal sternite and in last abdominal sternite (Figs 5, 11, 18); median lobe of the aedeagus in ventral view laterally sub-parallel and apically widely rounded (Figs 6, 13, 20).

Description.

Holotype

♂. Dorsal integument (Fig. 2) reddish-brown with evident metallic reflection; head, pronotum and elytral punctation darkened. Body elliptical (LB = 2.64 mm), weakly elongate, strongly convex. Maximum pronotal width at base (WP = 1.38 mm); maximum elytral width at basal third (WE = 1.80 mm).

Frons and vertex

(Fig. 3) distinctly raised, with clearly wrinkled and punctulate surface and distinct setiferous punctures; frontal tubercles indistinguishable; interantennal space distinctly smaller than length of first antennomere, medially with two jointed setiferous pores clearly impressed on sub-smooth and punctulate surface; frontal carina not raised; clypeus triangular with large setiferous punctures; labrum sub-rectangular, reddish; palpus yellowish; eye sub-elliptical, normally sized; antenna much shorter than body length (LAN = 0.94 mm; LAN/LB = 0.36), with antennomeres 1-6 entirely pale, antennomere 7 partially darkened, antennomeres 8-11 clearly darkened; antennomeres 1-2 and 7-11 clearly enlarged; length of each antennomere proportional to numerical sequence 22:13:18:9:9:8:12:11:12:12:23 (right antenna).

Pronotum

(Fig. 4) sub-trapezoidal, strongly transverse (LP = 0.66 mm; WP/LP =2.08), laterally clearly and evenly rounded, basally as wide as elytra; basal margin distinctly sinuous, not bordered; lateral margin distinctly bordered, with anterior setiferous pore rearward little before middle of pronotal side; punctures densely and uniformly distributed on very finely and sparsely punctulate surface; punctures small but clearly impressed. Scutellum very small, sub-triangular, with sub-smooth surface.

Elytra

moderately elongate (LE = 2.23 mm; LE/LP = 3.36), covering entire pygidium, laterally clearly arcuate, apically jointly rounded; punctures small but clearly impressed, arranged in 9 regular rows (+ 1 short scutellar row); surface sub-smooth with dense punctulation; interstriae flat; humeral callus very weakly prominent; macropterous metathoracic wings.

Legs

with partially darkened femur and reddish tibia and tarsi; hind tibia straight without dentate external margin; apical spur of hind tibiae short, reddish. First anterior and middle tarsomeres slightly dilated with adhesive setae on ventral side (Fig. 12).

Ventral parts

(Fig. 5) dark-brown, with dense and rather uniformly distributed setiferous punctures, but medially sparser or absent on prosternum, metasternum, distal part of first abdominal sternite and last abdominal sternite; last abdominal sternite without special preapical impressions.

Median lobe of aedeagus

(Fig. 6) short and robust (LAED = 0.91 mm; LE/LAED = 2.44), in ventral view laterally sub-parallel, apically widely rounded; ventral sulcus very wide, clearly impressed, with partially wrinkled surface and two paired short longitudinal carinae and numerous small protruding structures; dorsal sulcus poorly-developed; dorsal ligula well-developed, apically acute; median lobe in lateral view clearly arcuate at basal third and slightly sinuous in apical part; surface of median lobe with pores, especially on ventral side of apical part.

Etymology.

This species is named after its collector J. Bezděk (Czech Republic), valued specialist of Chrysomelidae .

Distribution.

Malawi (Fig. 1). Eastern Afrotropical chorotype (EAF) ( Biondi and D’Alessandro 2006).

Ecological notes.

Host plant is unknown.