Neobarombiella emma, Bolz & Wagner, 2012

Neobarombiella emma sp. n.

( Figs 141–144)

Etymology. Named after Emma Schollmeier, the grandmother of Helmut Bolz’s girl-friend Susanne Schöler.

Total length. 3.40–4.40 mm (mean: 3.74 mm) (n=10).

Head. Head and maxillary palp black or brownish-black. Antenna very long and slender, yellowish-brown, terminal antennomeres darker ( Fig. 141); Length of second to third antennomere 0.63–0.72 (mean: 0.67), and length of third to fourth antennomere 0.59–0.67 (mean: 0.62) ( Fig. 143). Eyes small and widely separated ( Fig. 141), width of eye to interocular distance 0.33–0.41 (mean: 0.38).

Thorax. Pronotum trapezoidal, coarsely punctuated, black in about two thirds of material examined, the rest brownish-yellow, with fine microsculpture and polished leather-like sheen. Pronotal width 1.02–1.36 mm (mean: 1.16 mm), pronotal length 0.56–0.68 mm (mean: 0.63 mm), and pronotal length to width 0.50–0.56 (mean: 0.54). Elytron brownish-black, slender; as pronotum with microsculpture and a polished leather-like sheen ( Fig. 141); elytral length 2.45–3.20 mm (mean: 2.68 mm), elytral width 1.40–2.00 mm (mean: 1.63 mm), and maximal width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.55–0.65 (mean: 0.61). Meso- and metathorax brownish-black, legs reddishyellow; length of basi-metatarsus to metatibia 0.50–0.52 (mean: 0.51).

Abdomen. Brown or brownish-black.

Male genitalia. Median lobe long, slender, and parallel-sided in ventral view, straight in lateral view with blunt apex ( Fig. 142); apical section with deep V-shaped incision and lacking characteristic sclerotized structures; endophallic brush small, lacking spiculae, and fully covered by tectum and median lobe.

Diagnosis. This species is well characterized by its small size, elongate antennomeres, the non-metallic brownish to black colouring, and its restricted distribution in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of eastern South Africa. Most similar in appearance is N. pakhassana , a species which occurs sympatrically but is even smaller, total length in N. pakhassana : 2.20–3.15 mm ( 3.40–4.40 mm in N. emma sp. n.), and has broader elytra, width of both elytra to length of elytron 0.69–0.77 ( 0.55–0.65 in N. emma sp. n.) ( Figs 106, 141). Neobarombiella nigrocaerulea has dark metallic green elytron which are usually combined with a yellow pronotum, and N. punctatolineata has elytron with the same fine microsculpture, and polished leather-like, oily sheen, are similar to N. emma sp. n. in size. Both these species differ in having sub-regular, linear, elytral punctuation. Neobarombiella punctatolineata can be distinguished by its large eyes, width of eye to interocular distance 0.56–0.71 ( 0.33–0.41 in N. emma sp. n.) and more distinctly transverse pronotum (pronotal length to width 0.45–0.54 ( 0.50–0.56 in N. emma sp. n.) ( Figs 48, 141). Furthermore, N. punctatolineata has a Guineo-Congolian distribution which is far removed from that of N. emma sp. n. in, South Africa ( Fig. 51).

Distribution. Only recorded from one location, near Port St. John, in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa.

Type material. Holotype, male: “ S. Africa., R. E. Turner., Brit. Mus., 1923-463. / Port St. John, Pondoland., Aug.15-31.1923. / Holotype, Neobarombiella emma, Bolz & Wagner 2010 / AfriGa, specimen ID:, 1878, specimen data, documented, 10.III.2011 ” ( BMNH; Fig. 144). Type locality: South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Port St. John , 31°38'S / 29°33'E GoogleMaps .— Paratypes: South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal. 11 specimens with the same label data as the holotype are paratypes ( BMNH) GoogleMaps .