Ophthalmoglipa aurocaudata Fairmaire 1897
Creators: name: Ruzzier, Enrico
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Mordellidae
Ophthalmoglipa
Ophthalmoglipa aurocaudata

description: Ophthalmoglipa aurocaudata (Fairmaire, 1897)
(Fig. 1A,B; 2A)
Mordella aurocaudata Fairmaire, 1897
Glipa aurocaudata (Fairmaire, 1997) Ermisch 1950: 4
Ophthalmoglipa aurocaudata (Fairmaire, 1897) Franciscolo 1952: 3 partim
Description. Length: 13 mm.
Head. Ground colour of integument black, entirely covered by fine, thick bright yellow-golden setae with exception of single brown, pubescent, circular spot close to occipital margin. Eyes quite large, glabrous and finely facetted, reaching occiput. Maxillary palpi orange with last segment clearly in shape of isosceles triangle. Antennae moderately long, weakly serrate. First four antennomeres orange; segments 5–11 darkened, with last antennal segment ellipsoidal, 1.5x length of 10th segment.
Pronotum. Ground colour of integument black, entirely covered by golden pubescence similar to that of head, except for longitudinal black band extending along median line from occipital margin to posterior lobe of pronotum (Fig. 1A).
Elytra. Elytra long and slender, length 2.41x width. Ground colour of integument black. Elytral suture and lanceolate band developing from the humeral callus for 2/5 of elytral length covered by bright golden setae similar to those of pronotum. Median elytral band consisting of double, large and irregular circular ring of white setae, band ∞-shaped, surrounding a patch of black setae. Preapical elytral band very wide (width 0.8x length), formed from dense bright orange pubescence. Apical elytral band consisting of silvery-black pubescence (fig. 1A).
Body. Ground colour of integument black, covered by sparse silvery-white-yellow pubescence. Anterior and posterior legs black, mesofemora pale orange-brown. All legs covered by same type pubescence as body. Pygidium long and pointed, only apically keeled; length 3.7x basal width and 2.8x length of hypopygidium.
Genitalia. Parameres asymmetrical (Fig. 2 A). Left paramere U-shaped, with parallel branches. Major branch length 1.6x length of minor. Major branch apex rounded, expanded and flattened. Minor branch straight, subcylindrical. Right paramere straight, I-shaped. Minor branch situated at inner margin of paramere, at 2/3 of total paramere length.
Type material. One, male lectotype (here designated): Togoland / L. Conrad/ 1892–1893 // Mordella aurocaudata (hand written) (Fig. 2 A) (MNHN). Three paralectotypes (here designated), sex undetermined: Gabon (hand written) (MNHN). I was unable to locate any specimens from Guinea (Fairmaire 1897) as cited in the original description.
Additional Material. 19 specimens: Togo, Plateau region/ Kloto, Foret Clasée de/ Missahoe. 02.ii–17.iii. 2012 / A. Mansah leg. (ERPC). 3 specimens: Togo, Plateau region/ Kloto, Foret de Missahoe/ 7–25. iV. 2012 / A. Mansah leg. (ERPC). 6 specimens: Gabon, Ogooué Ivindo/P.N. Ivindo-Station de/ Reserche d’Ipassa// 0 °30’43” N 12°48’12” E / 03–14. Xii. 2014 / C. Massarone leg. (ERPC). 4 specimens: NE Gabon, Makoku, Parc Nat./ Ivindo, Ipassa, XII. 2013 / 400m S. Biondi leg. (ERPC). 2 specimens: Cantral African Rep./ Sangha-Mbaere prov./ 35 Km NE Nola (GPS)/ 12–13. 12. 2008, 600 m. / A. Kudrna Jr. Leg. (ERPC). 1 specimen: Cantral African Rep./ Lobaye prov./ 15Km S Mbaiki/ 25–27. 12. 2008, 450 m. / A. Kudrna Jr leg. (ERPC). 1 specimen: Cantral African Rep./ Lobaye prov. near Grima/ 50 Km NE Bambio 450 m. / 13–14. 0 6. 2009. Ngoto forest/ A. Kudrna Jr. leg. (ERPC). 1 specimen: Entebbe/ Uganda / 10–20.iii. 14 / C.C. Gowdey/ 1914-337 (BMNH). 1 specimen: Entebbe/ Uganda / 20– 25 April, 1914/ C.C. Gowdey//1914-428 (BMNH). 6 specimens: Kivuvu/ Uganda / Aug. 19, 1913 / C.C. Gowdey// 1913-565 (BMNH). 8 specimens: Mabira Forest/ Uganda / Sep. 27, 1913 / C.C. Gowdey// 1913-565 (BMNH). 1 specimen: Uganda Prot./Mabira Forest/ Chagwe./ 3,500–3,800 ft.// July16–25, 1911 /S.A. Neave //1912-193 (BMNH). 1 specimen: Uganda Prot./ Daro or Durro Forest./Toro. 4,000–4,500 ft./ 25–29 Oct. 1911./ S.A.Neave// 1912-193 (BMNH). 3 specimens: Uganda Prot./ Budongo Forest./Unyoro 3,400 ft./ 11–15. Dec., 1911/ S.A. Neave/ / 1912-193 (BMNH). 2 specimens: Cameroun, Kumba/ lake Borombimbo/ 4 gradi 40' N 9 gradi 25' E/ 1500 ft. 1. I. 2978 / M.J. Roberts (BMNH). 1 specimens: Uganda Prot./ Mabira Forest/ Unyoro. 3,400 ft./ 11–15 Dec., 1911/ S.A. Neave.// 1912-193 (BMNH). 1 specimen: Uganda / Namanue/ 11.10. 1934 / J. Ford// N 363 Brit. Mus. 1935-459 (BMNH). 1 specimen: Gold Coast / Tafo/ 1948/ H.E. Box// Pres by/Imp. Inst. Ent./Brit. Mus./ 1946-324 (BMNH). 1 specimen: Gold Coast / Bunso/ 2. iv. 1943 / H.E. Box// Pres by/ Imp. Inst. Ent./ Brit. Mus./ 1946-324 (BMNH). 1 specimen: Uganda Prot./Mabira Forest/ Chagwe./ 3,500–3,800 ft. // July16–25, 1911 /S.A. Neave// 1912-193 (BMNH). 1 specimen: Belgian Congo / Beni/ Ituri Forest./ ix. 1946./ T.H.E. Jackson./B.M. 1946-354 (BMNH). 1 specimen: Belgian Congo / Beni/ Ituri Forest./ ix. 1946.// T.H.E. Jackson./B.M. 1946-354 (BMNH). 1 specimen: Belgian Congo / Beni/ Ituri Forest./August. 1946.// T.H.E. Jackson./B.M. 1946-354 (BMNH). 1 specimen: Nigeria:/ N.W.State./ 11mls N.W. Mokwa,/ Zugurma. R. Eku/ 11–19. vii. 1970 / P.H. Ward./ B.M. 1970-604 (det. M.L. Cox, 1981) (BMNH).
Variability. The species is generally constant throughout its distributional range with only slight differences in the chromatic pattern, particularly in the extent of the medial elytral band. Some sympatric specimens have been observed with the head and pronotum completely covered with a golden pubescence or with a general reduction of lateral black spots. Genitalia examination revealed no substantial differences between the forms. This hyperchromatism seems to appear sporadically within a population as has already been observed in other genera of Mordellidae (Leblanc 2007).
description: Published as part of Ruzzier, Enrico, 2015, Taxonomic considerations on the genus Ophthalmoglipa Franciscolo, 1952 (Coleoptera: Mordellidae) with description of two new species, pp. 364-370 in Zootaxa 4059 (2) on pages 365-366, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4059.2.7, http://zenodo.org/record/239434