Restiopria biondii Audisio, Jelinek & Cline 2011, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Audisio, P.
name: Jelínek, J.
name: Cline, A. R.
name: Mancini, E.
name: Trizzino, M.
name: Cerretti, P.
name: Antonini, G.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Nitidulidae
Restiopria
Restiopria biondii

description: Restiopria biondii Audisio, Jelínek & Cline, sp. nov.
(Figs 1–20)
Description. In addition to generic description above:
Small size (length 2.05–2.25 mm; width 1.04–1.10 mm). Body moderately shining, unicolorous yellowish– orange (rarely with head and pronutum reddish, slightly contrasting to brownish elytra); legs yellowish (Fig. 15).
Head with moderately deep punctures nearly as large as eye facets, separated by half to one diameter, surface between partly microreticulated but moderately shining; frons without tentorial impressions. Antennae mediumsized, club small and narrow, 2X longer than wide (Fig. 5), with short pubescence; 3rd antennal segment elongate, as long as but thinner than 2nd.
Pronotum moderately convex, 1.70X as wide as long, moderately rounded at sides, more strongly narrowed anteriorly than posteriorly, broadest in middle or at posterior third (Figs. 1, 15), with posterior angles almost completely rounded; sides narrowly bordered. Posterior margin straight on either side of scutellum; discal punctures as on head or slightly larger and deeper, surface between them partially microreticulate but shining.
Elytra ~1.20–1.25X longer than wide (combined width at humeri), scarcely arcuate at sides, distinctly and arcuately narrowed towards apex, broadest in middle or at basal two fifths, nearly as wide as pronotum (Figs. 1, 15). Punctures and spaces between punctures as on pronotum.
Tegmen (Fig. 12) relatively large, not elongate, with few moderately long setae at apex, and a short, linear median excision; median lobe of aedeagus moderately long (Fig. 13), shortly spatulate distally.
Ovipositor as figured (Fig. 14), yellowish, darker towards apex, relatively large and long, with large and long symmetrical styli; outer subdivision of coxites short and arcuate; 'central point' placed at proximal four ninths, without ventral spicule.
Female. Differs from male by possessing slightly narrower protarsi.
Variation. A couple of paratypes shows elytra brown, darker than head and pronotum.
Type material. Holotype, male, REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, Western Cape, Cape Peninsula, Cape Town, Table Mountain, Tafelberg road, 400 m a.s.l., 21.IX.1994, on unidentified flowering stolones of Restionaceae close to a small waterfall, P. Audisio & M. Biondi leg. (TMSA). Paratypes: 11 females, same data as holotype (CAR, NMP, CAS, SAMC); 1 male, 8 females: REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, Western Cape, 5 Km N of Concordia, E of Knysna, 34.00.58 S, 23.06.25 E, 200 m a.s.l., 12.X.2005, on long and prostrate flowering stolones of unidentified Restionaceae (Fig. 19), in a wet place in subtropical indigenous forest, P. Audisio & M. Biondi leg. (CAR, NMP, CAS, TMSA).
Biological notes. The type specimens of the new species were collected in Spring (late September to early October) by sweeping from inflorescences on long stoloniform stems of two Restionaceae plants belonging to a genus so far not identified with certainty (Fig. 21), but likely related to Antochortus Nees or allied genera. The host plants were localized at low altitudes (200–400 m), in wet places, i.e. along the sides of a small waterfall near Cape Town and around the edges of a small dumping area in a subtropical indigenous forest near Knysna.
Geographic distribution. The species is only known from the two mentioned type localities in Western Cape Province (Fig. 22).
Etymology. This species is named for our friend and colleague, Maurizio Biondi (L’Aquila, Italy), who contributed to the collection of the new species at the type locality near Cape Town in 1994 and later near Knysna in 2005.
description: Published as part of Audisio, P., Jelínek, J., Cline, A. R., Mancini, E., Trizzino, M., Cerretti, P. & Antonini, G., 2011, Description and taxonomic position of a new genus and species of southern African pollen beetle (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Meligethinae), pp. 49-56 in Zootaxa 2927 (1) on pages 52-55, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2927.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/5284528