Blepharidina kenyana Iannella & Biondi 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Iannella, Paola D'Alessandro Mattia
name: Biondi, Maurizio
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Chrysomelidae
Blepharidina
Blepharidina kenyana

description: Blepharidina kenyana sp. nov.
(Figs 10, 29, 46, 68)
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 0FFDCE28-0A4E-4014-BC78-8187DF2AA5EB
Type material. Holotype ♂: “Kenya, Eastern, Mwingi, Nguni env. (1°31'S 37°57'E), 28.xi.1999, M. Snízěk leg.” (BAQ). Paratypes. Same data as the holotype, 1 ♂ (MNHN); KENYA: Eastern, Mwingi env. (0°56'S 38°03'E), 4.xii.1997, M. Snízěk leg., 1 ♂ (BMNH); Sagala Hills (3°28'S 38°35'E), xii.1993, Werner leg., 1 ♂ (BAQ); Kenya, Eastern, E 729, Sosoma, 202 km E of Thika (0°53'S 38°40'E), 20.xi.2007, M. Snízěk leg. (BAQ).
Diagnosis. Blepharidina kenyana sp. nov. is similar to B. regalini sp. nov. in size, habitus, and color pattern (Figs 10, 18). However, the new species can be easily distinguished by the: aedeagus, clearly different in size, lateral view, and shape of the dorsal ligula (Figs 46, 54); more slender antennomeres and more distinctly carinate elytral interstriae (Figs 29, 33).
Description of the holotype (♂). Body elliptical-elongate, rather convex (Fig. 10); LB = 6.50 mm; maximum pronotal width (WP = 2.44 mm) in basal third; maximum elytral width (WE = 3.22 mm) in middle. Head brown, darker medially; antennae yellowish; pronotum yellowish, with brown patches; elytra yellowish, with brown striae and some small irregular brown patches on interstriae; legs brown, with slightly paler tibiae and pale tarsi. Head moderately pubescent, roughly punctate; frontal grooves weakly impressed; frontal tubercles poorly delimited, flat; interantennal space little wider than length of first antennomere; interocular space about as wide as transverse ocular width; antennae slightly longer than half body length (LAN = 3.84 mm; LAN/LB = 0.59); LA: 100:39:67:78:100:89:89:87:81:78:92. Pronotum subrectangular, distinctly transverse (LP = 1.38 mm; WP/LP = 1.77), with weakly sinuate lateral margin; anterior margin slightly thicker than basal margin, and moderately sinuate laterally; anterior angles slightly prominent laterally (Fig. 29); pronotal surface with lines and groups of differently sized punctures; pronotal base with two lateral, moderately impressed, longitudinal striae. Scutellum brown, subrounded, moderately elongate. Elytra moderately elongate (LE = 4.69 mm; WE/LE = 0.69; LE/LP = 3.41), subparallel laterally, jointly rounded and entirely covering pygidium posteriorly; punctation distinctly impressed, arranged in 9 (+ 1 scutellar) regular rows; interstriae slightly carinate. First pro- and mesotarsomeres clearly dilated; tarsal claws bifid. Ventral parts brown; last abdominal ventrite without distinctive preapical impressions. Aedeagus (LAED = 3.16 mm; LE/LAED = 1.49) (Fig. 46) in ventral view moderately slender, distinctly narrowed in apical third, obtusely subtriangular apically, with a small median tooth; ventral sulcus wide, open towards basal part; in lateral view, aedeagus straight, tapered towards subapical part; apical part slightly sinuate; dorsal ligula short, connected to approximately apical fourth of median lobe.
Variation. Paratypes (males) very similar in shape, sculpture, color and morphometry to the holotype; size moderately variable (see Appendix 2).
Etymology. The female specific epithet is after Kenya, where the species was collected in several localities.
Distribution. Kenya (Fig. 68). Possibly Northern-Eastern Afrotropical (NEA) chorotype.
Ecological notes. Not available. The collection sites fall within the area of Eastern African Xeric Scrub vegetation (belonging to the Warm Desert & Semi-Desert Scrub & Grassland formation), and Eastern & Southern African Dry Savanna & Woodland (belonging to the Tropical Lowland Grassland, Savanna & Shrubland formation).
description: Published as part of Iannella, Paola D'Alessandro Mattia & Biondi, Maurizio, 2019, Revision of the Afrotropical flea beetle subgenus Blepharidina s. str. Bechyné (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) in Zootaxa 4545 (1), DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4545.1.2, http://zenodo.org/record/2618635