Pseudomeira gougeletii (Seidlitz)

Pierotti, Helio, Bellò, Cesare & Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A., 2010, 2376, Zootaxa 2376, pp. 1-96 : 22-23

Pseudomeira gougeletii (Seidlitz)

( Figs. 19a–b, 50c, 71)

Peritelus (Peritelus) gougeletii Seidlitz, 1866: 291 , 331, 334; Stierlin, 1883: 591, 597; Lona, 1937: 257.

Peritelus gougeleti Seidlitz : Iglesias Iglesias, 1922: 6.

Pseudomeira gougeleti (Seidlitz) : Pierotti & Bellò, 1994: 290; Pierotti & Bellò, 1998: 105; Gurrea Sanz & Sanz Benito, 2000: 258.

Pseudomeira gougeletii (Seidlitz) : Alonso-Zarazaga, 2002: 24.

Myllocerus hispanus Chevrolat, 1866: 105 ; Seidlitz, 1868a: 433 (synonymy).

Diagnosis. Species of medium size (4.8–5.4 mm), distinguished by elongate body outline, by turquoise, emerald or golden scales, and by reclinate setae.

Redescription (holotype). Body outline elongate. Dorsal vestiture composed of turquoise scales with evident metallic shimmer, not very imbricate on elytral dorsum, and of setae evidently widened towards apex, appressed on dorsum, reclinate on declivity. Rostrum subquadrate, sides subparallel; epistome widely notched, pterygia not prominent; metarostrum with a weak median keel, hardly longitudinally grooved, slightly elevated at base. Frons narrow, a little wider than metarostrum, with a median longitudinal fovea. Eyes moderately large, almost rounded, rather flattened. Antennae with scape hardly incrassate from base to apex, funicle not very robust, elongate; club elongate, first segment a little cup-shaped. Pronotum distinctly transverse, hardly wider at base than at apex, sides sinuate, disc with double, not very deep punctures. Elytra subovoid-elongate, rounded at sides, not or hardly impressed at base, convex on dorsum, humeral calli obsolete, elytral striae evident in spite of vestiture, interstriae flat. Tibiae not too robust, protibiae rounded on outer margin before apex, metatibiae with a series of denticles on inner margin. Aedeagus in lateral view clearly and uniformly curved, in dorsal view widely cordiform at apex ( Fig. 19a); endophallic structures as in Fig. 19b. Spermatheca as in Fig. 50c.

Variability. Body outline sometimes more robust and less elongate, mainly in females. Dorsal vestiture often composed of emerald, golden or bronze scales, with metallic shimmer softer on dorsum, sometimes not or hardly imbricate. Pterygia sometimes weakly prominent; longitudinal impression of prorostrum more or less prolonged to frons; first desmomeres sometimes covered with wider pale setae. Females with rostrum rather transverse, sides convergent from base to hind margin of pterygia, and elytra decidedly more ovoid, less elongate, with widely rounded humeral calli.

Distribution. Iberian endemite: southern Spain (Andalusia) (type locality: Jaén, Andalusia). Spanish literature records: Jaén: Jaén (type loc.), Peal de Becerro ( Pierotti & Bellò, 1994); Córdoba ( Chevrolat, 1866; Gurrea Sanz & Sanz Benito, 2000); alrededores de Málaga ( Seidlitz, 1866).

Material examined ( Fig. 71). Holotype male, labelled: 1) Jaen; 2) gougeletii n. sp.; 3) type, Pter. (sic!) Gougeletii Seidl. ; 4) Zool. Staatsslg. München; 5) Pseudomeira gougeleti (Seidl.) Dett. Pierotti e Bellò ; 6) holotypus ( SEI). Other specimens: Andalusia ( DOD, HOF, MGE, PIE, SOL). Jaén: Jaén ( MMA, holotype in SEI); do., 3. V.10 ( HOF); do., 27. VI.11 ( HOF); Peal de Becerro, 17. V.92, leg. Bellò (BEL); do., leg. Pierotti ( PIE). Córdoba: Córdoba ( MMA). Málaga: Málaga ( HOF).

Biology. Found in a meadow, on different low plants by a river ( Seidlitz, 1866); collected by us on a roadside under Malva silvestris L. ( Malvaceae ) ( Pierotti & Bellò, 1994).

Notes. See under Pseudomeira alonsoi .