Meirella suturella (Fairmaire)

Pierotti, Helio, Bellò, Cesare & Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A., 2010, 2376, Zootaxa 2376, pp. 1-96 : 30-31

Meirella suturella (Fairmaire)

( Figs. 4a, 8c, 29a–c)

Meira suturella Fairmaire, 1859: 59 ; Seidlitz, 1866: 291; Solari, 1955: 61.

Peritelus (Meira) suturellus (Fairmaire) : Lona, 1937: 268; Hoffmann, 1950: 181; Roudier, 1957: 24.

Meirella suturella (Fairmaire) : Pierotti & Bellò, 1997: 159; Pierotti & Bellò, 1998: 99; Alonso-Zarazaga, 2002: 24.

Diagnosis. Species of very small size (2.1–3.3 mm), easily distinguished from M. florentina , with which it is often confused in collections and literature, by the characters in the key.

Redescription. Body outline rather elongate. Dorsal vestiture composed of ochreous imbricate scales, without metallic shimmer, and of setae not or scarcely broadened before apex, not very long, reclinate on frons, appressed on pronotum, reclinate or rarely appressed, aligned and sparse on elytral interstriae. Rostrum transverse, epistomal keel absent, pterygia not prominent, metarostrum with faint median keel. Prorostrum wide, median fovea present. Frontal sulcus evident. Frons very wide. Eyes normal, almost rounded, hardly prominent beyond genae, ommatidia convex. Antennae with scape robust and funicle narrow ( Fig. 4a), desmomere 1 longer than 2+3, 2 evidently longer than 3, 3–7 moniliform, at least the first three with elongate setae; club short, first segment widely cup-shaped. Pronotum transverse, weakly rounded at sides, hardly impressed at base, humeral calli more (male) or less (female) obsolete, convex on dorsum, striae with dense punctures, interstriae weakly convex. Tibiae short and robust, protibiae straight on outer margin, widely rounded before apex. Aedeagus ( Fig. 29b) in dorsal view narrowly lanceolate in pre-apical region, apex pointed ( Fig. 29a); endophallic structures as in Fig. 8c. Hemisternites as in Fig. 29c.

Distribution. North-western Mediterranean: north-western Italy (Liguria) and southern France (from Alpes-Maritimes to Pyrénées-Orientales) (type locality: Hyères, Var, France). Spanish literature records: Castellón: Vinaroz ( Hoffmann, 1950; Roudier, 1957); Gerona: San Daniel, río Añar ( Roudier, 1957).

Material examined. Espagne ( HOF). The validity of the above records is subject to confirmation by more recent captures and reliable identifications. It is possible that they belong to the following species, given that all supposed Spanish specimens examined by us do not bear exact geographical indications. In fact the material from San Daniel, río Añar (= Oñar) is referred here to M. florentina .

Biology. The species is usually found under Pistacia lentiscus L. ( Anacardiaceae ) and Quercus spp. (Fagaceae) but we have also found it under Erica arborea L. ( Ericaceae ). It has also been recorded under Kochia hirsuta Nolte (Chenopodiaceae) , Lotus corniculatus L. ( Fabaceae ) ( Hoffmann, 1950), Pinus halepensis Miller (Pinaceae) and Cistus spp. (Cistaceae) , all data emanating from French specimens examined by us.

Notes. We could not locate the type material in Fairmaire’s collection ( NHM, Paris) .