Hycleus planitiei Bologna & Amore & Pitzalis 2018, sp. n.
Creators: name: Bologna, Marco A.
name: Amore, Valentina
name: Pitzalis, Monica
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Meloidae
Hycleus
Hycleus planitiei

description: Hycleus planitiei Bologna sp. n. (Fig. 4O)
Types. Holotype male, 2 females paratypes (SMWN) and 1 male paratype (CB) labelled “ Namibia: Hoanid floodplain, Opuwo district, 19°22S 13°01E, 25.II.1996, E. Marais & A.H. Kirk-Spriggs”.
Type locality. This locality (19.37°S 13.02°E in decimal degrees) is located in the Kunene region, in an area characterized by Namib desert biome.
Diagnosis. One Hycleus with Mesoscutatus type mesosternum belonging to the group of H. amoenus (see above) but very similar phenetically to Paractenodia glabra Kaszab, 1969, which is immediately distinct by 7 antennomeres. This new small sized species is characterized by 8 antennomeres, aedeagus with a single distal hook, integuments shiny and dorsally with only scattered punctures, legs totally black, antennomeres IV–VIII greatly widened apically and subtrapezoidal, VIII bean-shaped, narrowed apically and sometimes with tracks of fusion of two antennomeres.
Description. Body very shiny, unicolour black-brown but elytra yellow with the following black pattern (Fig. 4O): one narrow stripe along the suture extended from the apical fascia to scutellum, expanded externally in middle and on fore third; one trasverse fascia just posterior to middle, extended from sutural stripe to external margin, progressively widened; one spot on external part of fore third, rarely extended and fused to suture and anteriorly along humerus to base of elytra wich results narrowly marginated. Body setation black, robust, very scattered dorsally, particularly on head and pronotum, denser and lighter ventrally and on legs. Body maximal length 7.2 mm.
Hed subrectungular, transverse, maximal width at level of eyes; temples subparallel, slightly depressed posteriorly to hind margin of eye, shorter than longitudinal diameter of eye, maximal width subequal to that of pronotum; frons scarcely convex in middle, with one subcircular depression on both sides, close to fore-inner margin of eye; eyes bulging, laterally extended to gena, fore-dorsal margin deeply emaginate. Punctures thin and shallow, scarce and very scattered, intermediate surface almost smooth with very scarce micro-punctures. Clypeus evidently narrower than interocular width, only slightly convex, subrectangular, transverse; punctures as on head; fronto-clypeal suture well distinct, subrectilinear; labrum as long as clypeus and with similar punctures, fore margin sligthly emarginated. Maxillary palpomeres subcylindrical, IV sligthly widened anteriorly, not modified, as galeae and labial palpomeres; mandibles robust, curved only on fore third. Antennae with 8 antennomeres, I–VI shiny, VII–VIII subopaque; I shorter than II–III together, II subglobose, I and III subcylindrical but III sligthly widened at apex; IV–VI subtrapezoidal, particularly in male, almost subserrate and densely microsetate; VII less widened at apex; VIII bean-shaped, and narrowed apically, with tracks of fusion of two antennomeres in one paratype.
Pronotum subpentagonal, sligthly longer than wide, maximal width subequal to that of head on temples, sides slightly oblique from base to middle, then distinctly narrowed anteriad; one lateral oblique depression on both sides of fore third, one middle depression and one at base, and longitudinal furrow visible on the basal half; punctures as on head, but slightly deeper, intermediate surface shagreened. Elytra subparallel, dorsally slightly convex, shiny with scattered middle sized punctures; black pattern as in Fig. 4O. Mesosternum of Mesoscutatus - type. Legs slender, both tibial spurs of all legs slendere and pointed; ventral balde of claws regularly developed; fore tibia and tersomeres with scattered longer setae mixed to denser and shorter setae.
Posterior margin of last ventrite triangularly emarginated in male, rounded in female. Male gonoforceps in lateral view (Fig. 13D) with apical lobes short, while in ventral view (Fig. 13C) slender and progressively narrowed; gonocoxal piece distinctly widened; aedeagus with one single distal hook, short and curved. Female gonostyli slender and elongate.
Remarks. This species differs from other of the group of H. amoenus, except H. politus, because of legs totally black and the integument shiny and scarcely punctuate. In particular, it differs from H. vansoni, H. kochi, H. bushmanicus and H. amoenus because of the elytral pattern, which does not include an inner longitudinal yellowbrown spot. From H. devylderi and H. deserticolus, it differs also because the posterior third of elytra is yellowbrown and not orange. From H. politus it differs because of bigger size, the temples ca as wide as pronotum, the middle antennomeres more widened apically and subtrapezoidal, VIII slender and almost pointed at apex in both sexes, the reduction of blak spots on fore third.
Etymology. The name planitiei (from Latin: plain = planities, planitiei) refers to the habitat where the species lives, which is represented by floodplains gradually sloping from the Damaraland highplain west to the coastal Namib desert.
Distribution. NW Namibia.
Hycleus politus (Kaszab, 1955) comb. n. (Fig. 4P)
Actenodia polita Kaszab, 1955b
Types. Holotype and paratype of this species were examined at NHP.
Distribution. Western Namibia and western South Africa.
Material examined. [Khomas] Windhoek Rural: SE corner of Namib Desert Park, near Knamhoek farm, 23.5333°S 15.9500°E (JP). [Erongo] Walvis Bay Rural: C14, 36 km N Solitaire, 23.5823°S 15.8182°E (CB). [Hardap] Gibeon: C14, 10 km S Waltevrede, 24.2377°S 15.9040°E (CB); Sesriem 137, Maltahohe, 24.4833°S 15.8000°E (SMWN); Gorrasis 99, 25.3184°S 15.9089°E (SMWN). [Karas] Lüderitz: Awasib dunes E., 25.2500°S 15.7167°E (SMWN); 7 km N Grillental, Diamond Area 1, 26.8500°S 15.3667°E (SMWN).
Other records: Namib Sand Sea desert (Seely 2012); Namibia (Pitzalis et al. 2014).
description: Published as part of Bologna, Marco A., Amore, Valentina & Pitzalis, Monica, 2018, Meloidae of Namibia (Coleoptera): taxonomy and faunistics with biogeographic and ecological notes, pp. 1-141 in Zootaxa 4373 (1) on pages 70-72, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4373.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1151722