Jacobyana sudafricana, 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 : 54-55

Jacobyana sudafricana sp. n.

Type series.

Holotype ♂: REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA: Eastern Cape Province, Port St. Johns, Silaka Nature Reserve, 31°39.45'S, 29°30.14'E, 10.xi.2006, G. Osella leg. (BAQ). Paratypes: same locality, date and collector as the holotype, 2 ♀♀ (BAQ; SANC); ditto, E. Colonnelli leg., 2 ♀♀ (BAQ; TMSA); South Africa, Pondoland, Port St. Johns [31°38'S, 29°32'E], 29.i-5.ii.1924, R.E. Turner leg., 2 ♀♀ (BMNH).

Diagnosis.

Jacobyana sudafricana sp. n. is the smallest speciesof the genus (LB ♂ = 2.25 mm); it is also distinctly smaller than Jacobyana bezdeki sp. n. (LB = 2.64 mm) and Jacobyana centrafricana sp.n. (LB = 2.66 mm). The following characters separate Jacobyana sudafricana from the rest African species: pronotal surface laterally slightly depressed (Figs 4, 10, 16); elytra laterally more rounded (Figs 2, 8, 14); punctation of the ventral part medially absent on the last four abdominal sternites (Figs 5, 11, 18); median lobe of aedeagus in ventral view laterally sub-parallel with widely sub-truncate apex (Figs 6, 13, 20).

Description.

Holotype

♂. Dorsal integument (Fig. 14) entirely black with evident metallic reflection; tip of elytral apex reddish. Body roundish (LB = 2.25 mm), strongly convex. Maximum pronotal width at base (WP = 1.28 mm); maximum elytral width at basal fourth (WE = 1.71 mm).

Frons and vertex

(Fig. 15) with clearly shagreened and finely punctulate surface, with distinct setiferous punctures; frontal tubercles subtriangular, brownish, scarcely delimited, with shagreened surface; frontal grooves distally deep, particularly along ocular margin; interantennal space distinctly narrower than length of first antennomere, medially with two setiferous pores not well delimited; frontal carina not raised; clypeus triangular with large setiferous punctures; labrum sub-rectangular, distally brownish; palpus yellowish; eye sub-elliptical, normally sized; antenna much shorter than body length (LAN = 1.00 mm; LAN/LB = 0.44), entirely pale but with antennomeres 5-11 very slightly obfuscate; antennomeres 1-2 and 7-11 clearly enlarged; length of each antennomere proportional to numerical sequence 18:14:22:11:10:8:12:14:16:16:22 (right antenna).

Pronotum

(Fig. 16) sub-trapezoidal, strongly transverse (LP = 0.55 mm; WP/LP = 2.32), laterally clearly rounded, basally as wide as elytra; pronotal surface laterally weakly depressed; basal margin not bordered, sinuous; lateral margin distinctly bordered, with anterior setiferous pore rearward at middle of pronotal side; punctures small but distinctly impressed, few densely but uniformly distributed on very finely and sparsely punctulate surface. Scutellum small, sub-triangular, apically with very small median tooth; surface smooth, anteriorly finely rugose.

Elytra

moderately elongate (LE = 1.90 mm; LE/LP = 3.37), covering entire pygidium, laterally strongly arcuate, apically jointly rounded; punctures small and moderately impressed (Fig. 17), arranged in 9 regular rows (+ 1 short scutellar row); surface very finely and sparsely punctulate; interstriae flat; humeral callus very weakly prominent; macropterous metathoracic wings.

Leg

entirely reddish-brown with partially blackened femur; hind tibia very slightly curved with no dentate external margin; apical spur of hind tibia short, reddish. First anterior and middle tarsomeres very weakly dilated, with adhesive setae on ventral side (Fig. 12).

Ventral surface

(Fig. 18) blackish, with dense and rather uniformly distributed setiferous punctures, medially sparser or absent on prosternum, metasternum and last four visible abdominal sternites; last abdominal sternite without special preapical impressions.

Median lobe of aedeagus

(Fig. 20) short and robust (LAED = 0.75 mm; LE/LAED = 2.45), in ventral view laterally sub-parallel in basal 2/3 and slightly convergent in apical third; apex widely sub-truncate; ventral sulcus very wide, clearly impressed, with evident longitudinal median carina distally clearly expanded, with numerous small protruding structures; dorsal sulcus obliterate; dorsal ligula well-developed, apically sub-triangular; median lobe in lateral view very strongly curved at basal third and clearly bent in ventral direction at apex; surface of median lobe with pores, especially on ventral side of apical part.

Variation.

♂ (n = 1): LE = 1.90 mm; WE = 1.71 mm; LP = 0.54 mm; WP = 1.28 mm; LAN = 1.00 mm; LAED = 0.75 mm; LB = 2.25 mm; LE/LP = 3.45; WE/WP = 1.34; WP/LP = 2.32; LE/LAED = 2.53; LAN/LB = 0.44. ♀ (n = 6; mean and standard deviation): LE = 2.25 ± 0.10 mm; WE = 2.01 ± 0.08 mm; LP = 0.65 ± 0.02 mm; WP = 1.46 ± 0.06 mm; LAN = 1.10 ± 0.03 mm; LSP = 0.45 ± 0.02 mm; LB = 2.61 ± 0.10 mm; LE/LP = 3.46 ± 0.08; WE/WP = 1.38 ± 0.02; WP/LP = 2.25 ± 0.08; LE/LSP = 4.96 ± 0.27; LAN/LB = 0.42 ± 0.01.

Paratypes (all females) very similar in shape, sculpture and color to the holotype, but distinctly bigger. Tip of elytral apex variable in color from entirely black to partially reddish. Spermatheca (Fig. 21A) with sub-reniform and elongate basal part, clearly more developed than apical part; apical part with distinct collum and apex; appendix evident; ductus elongate, sub-apically inserted, with several coils in proximal part. Vaginal palpi and tignum as in Fig. 21B, 21C.

Etymology.

This species name refers to the geographic region where it lives and means "from Southern Africa".

Distribution.

Republic of South Africa (Eastern Cape Province) (Fig. 1). Southern-Eastern African chorotype (SEA) ( Biondi and D’Alessandro 2006).

Ecological notes.

Host plant is unknown. Biome: Forest ( Rutherford and Westfall 1994). Veld type: Coastal Forest and Thornveld ( Acocks 1988).