Dodomeira alta Bello
Creators: name: Baviera, Cosimo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Dodomeira
Dodomeira alta

description: Dodomeira alta Bellò & Baviera sp. n.
(Figures 2, 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e, 2f, 40b, 61, 100)
Type locality. Sicily, Messina, Peloritani, Basicò (Fig. 143).
Diagnosis. A medium-size species (3.50–4.00 mm) belonging to the adrianae group with sub-parallel elytra (length/width ratio: 1.63–1.65) and body shape sub-cylindrical. Within the species group, it is recognisable by elytral declivity with recumbent setae (15°–30°) and sub square pronotum (length: 0.85–0.95 mm, width: 0.85– 0.95 mm, ratio 1.00). Elytra slightly convex dorsally (length: 2.20–2.50 mm, width: 1.35–1.55 mm and ratio 1.63– 1.65), clothed by imbricate scales and short silvery-golden setae clavate or spatulate.
Type series. Holotype female with the following labels: [transparent label] genitalia in DHMF // [white, printed] ♀ // [white, printed] “I, Sicilia, ME [Messina], Peloritani, Basicò 588m, vaglio Olea, 25.XI. [20] ‘09” // [white, printed] “ N 38°03.267’ E 015°03.406’, legg. Bellò & Chemello” // [white, printed] “ MEBA 1.5” // [green, printed] “Collezione Cesare Bellò” // [red, printed] “ Dodomeira alta sp. n., Holotype, det. Bellò 2016 ” (CBE).
Paratypes. 1 female: “I, Sicilia, ME [Messina], Montalbano Elicona, 600m, 29.X. [20]’06, leg. Bellò // vagliando lettiera di Olea e.” (CBE); 1 female: “Sic. [ilia], ME [Messina], Peloritani, Basicò 520 m, vaglio olivo, 19.III. [20] ’08 // legg. Bellò & Chemello, Baviera & Rando” (CBE); 1 female: “I, Sic. [ilia], ME [Messina], Basicò 565 m, vaglio Olea, 6.IV.2011 // N 38°03.276’ E 015°03.393’, legg. Bellò & Chemello” (CBE); 5 females: “I, Sicilia, Messina, Peloritani, Basicò 555 m, vaglio Olea, 30 XI 2015, Cosimo Baviera & Cesare Bellò legg.” (CBE, CBA).
Holotype. Female. Total length: 3.90 mm. Body shape slender and subcylindrical. Dorsal vestiture with imbricate brownish-silvery-golden scales with metallic sheen. Short, recumbent, spatulate or clavate setae on pronotum as on elytra (angle with elytral surface 15°–30°).
Rostrum covered by brownish-silvery scales, transverse (length/width ratio 0.65), sub-parallel to the sides. Pterygia inconspicuous. Epistome absent. Mesorostrum slightly concave, anteriorly with about ten, thin, curved, semi-erect setae. Vertex convex (vertex width / mesorostrum width: ratio 1.90) with clavate and semi-erect setae. Interocular space with visible fovea. Lateral and spherical eyes protruding from outline of head.
Antenna robust and quite short with long, raised, silvery, widened setae. Antenna with ratio 0.80 (scape length: 0.80 mm, funicle length: 1.00 mm). Scape clubbed, more robust than funicle, curved at the middle. Funicle segments including club, relative lengths as follows: 10.5.4.3.3.3.3.16; segments 1–3 with clavate setae; segments 4–7 pearl-shaped. Club at least twice wider than funicle, fusiform, compact but with suture between first and second segment visible, Pronotum clothed with golden silvery scales, sub-square (length: 0.95 mm, width: 0.95 mm, ratio: 1.00), slightly sub-hexagonal, sinuate at the sides, wider in the middle and with spatulate, silvery flattened setae. Punctation usually usually covered by scales. Scutellum small and inconspicuous.
Elytra convex, covered by golden brownish-silvery scales, sub-cylindrical with flat suture (length: 2.45 mm, width: 1.50 mm, ratio: 1.63), wider at the middle. Humeri short and rounded. Elytral declivity with spatulateclavate, golden-silvery, recumbent setae (15°–30°). Punctation of striae, shallow, catenulate and slightly impressed. Interstriae feebly convex, flat, with recumbent setae (15°–30°).
Legs short and robust covered by silvery-golden scales and rather short, clavate-spatulate, silvery-golden setae. Femora clubbed. Protibia with three acute spines on inner edge, with evident mucro on inner apical angle. Protibia not sinuous on inner edge, metatibia and mesotibia straight in side view.
Tarsal segment 1 short, conical; segment 2 short and transverse; segment 3 shallowly bilobed; all segments with thin silvery-golden setae. Onychium curved, robust and quite short.
Female genitalia. See Figures: spermatheca (Fig. 61), sternite VIII (Fig. 100). Genitalia were examined in five specimens.
Paratype variability. Paratypes (all females) are similar to the holotype but differ in size.
Distribution. See Fig. 139. Italian endemic. Known from Basicò locality in the Peloritani Mountains at 500– 600 meters.
Etymology. Named from the Latin altum (feminine alta) the ancient name of the type locality Basicò. The origin of the name refers to the monastery of Santa Chiara di Basicò (from Greek bathikos =Latin altum).
Ecology and Phenology. Collected by Berlese and Winkler extractors from soil obtained sifting the leaf litter on clay soil, of an olive grove in spring and autumn, at 500–600 meters.
Collections summer months gave negative results suggesting that the Dodomeira alta are absent during this time.
Main soil type. Chromic-Cambisol (European Soil Data Centre; Panagos et al. 2012).
Reproduction. Probably parthenogenetic. Species known only from nine females.
Chorological relationships. Sympatric with Pseudomeira solarii Péricart, 1963 and Dolichomeira sp., genus usually wintry, at Basicò.
description: Published as part of Baviera, Cosimo, 2017, A taxonomic monograph of the genus Dodomeira Bellò & Baviera, a new genus of Peritelini from Sicily (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), pp. 1-138 in Zootaxa 4334 (1) on pages 24-26, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4334.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/1009865