Derelomus pericarti Hoffmann, 1968

Derelomus pericarti Hoffmann, 1968

Fig. 8 View Fig

Derelomus pericarti Hoffmann, 1968: 173 .

Diagnosis

Derelomus pericarti can be distinguished by the combination of appendiculate claws, the lateral carina on the pronotum covered with whitish scales, the antennal funicle and club concolorous, the elytral pattern absent or reduced to a dark dot on the 4 th elytral interstriae and the penis body in the male forming a long spatula moderately curved upward. It is very close to D. schoedli , the color of the club and the shape of the body of penis allows distinguishing these species.

Lectotype (here designated)

REPUBLIC OF CHAD • ♂; “Rép. du Tchad; Bas-Chari , 1963; J. Péricart, coll.” “Env. de Fort-Lamy; Farcha 26.7; o/ Acacia nilotica ” “TYPE [red label]” “ Derelomus ; (s.st.) pericarti m[me]; A. Hoffmann det.” “Museum Paris. Coll J Péricart” “Lectotype ♂; Derelomus ; pericarti ; Hoffmann, 1968; J. Haran des. 2025”; MNHN.

Paralectotypes

REPUBLIC OF CHAD • 4 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀; N’Djamena, Farcha ; 12°07′16″ N, 14°59′06″ E; 26 Jul. 1963; J. Péricart, coll.; on Vachellia nilotica (L.)P.J.H.Hurter & Mabb.; MNHN • 1 ♀; N’Djamena, Farcha, Chari riverside ; 12°06′50″ N, 14°59′28″ E; 29 Jul. 1963; J. Péricart, coll.; on Vachellia nilotica ; MNHN. GoogleMaps

GoogleMaps

Other material

CAMEROON • 2 ♀♀; N’goum [see map in Hoffmann 1968: 153]; 12°48′29″ N, 14°32′49″ E; 11 Aug. 1963; J. Péricart, coll.; evening sampling; MNHN. GoogleMaps

Redescription ( ♂)

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 1.8–2.0 mm.

COLOR. Body integument uniformly pale brown, elytra in some specimens with a dark spot beyond middle of length of interstriae 4; vestiture of dorsum made of white setiform scales on head and pronotum and minute white setae on elytra, hardly visible, forming one row on each interstria.

HEAD. Rostrum as long as pronotum in lateral view, moderately downcurved, curvature slightly stronger in basal half; in dorsal view 3.5 × as long as wide, integument densely punctate, lacking carinae along median line, covered with short suberect whitish setae oriented toward forehead; antennae inserted near apical ¼ of length; head capsule coarsely punctate in dorsal view, with suberect whitish setiform scales oriented backward, more condensed near eyes; eyes moderately convex, slightly exceeding lateral curve of head capsule in dorsal view; antennal funicle with first segment 1.5 × as long as wide, equal in length to segments 2–4 together, 2 isodiametric, 3–7 transverse.

PRONOTUM. Slightly longer than wide (W: L ratio: 0.90), widest near middle of length, 0.73× as wide there as elytra at humeral angles, lateral carina smooth and regular; sides slightly convex, apical constriction shallow; integument with large circular punctures, arranged in an irregular manner, space between punctures dull, narrower or wider than diameter of punctures; scale cover made of white setae longer than diameter of punctures, more condensed along lateral carinae.

METATHORAX. Metanepisterna with scarce, overlapping setiform scales.

ELYTRA. Elongate (W: L ratio: 0.67); sides slightly convex, widest beyond middle of length; humeri raised; apex jointly rounded; striae with punctures as wide as interstriae; interstriae slightly convex; scutellar shield rounded, bearing minute setiform scales.

ABDOMEN. Underside covered with subcontiguous recumbent whitish setae. Stridulatory plate with lines of 5–6 granules, as long as median line; central sclerotized area rounded and narrow at apex.

LEGS. Profemora thickened near middle of length; protibiae with external margin straight, internal slightly bisinuate; claws appendiculate.

TERMINALIA. Body of penis elongate (W: L ratio: 0.20), about 4 × as long as apodemes; sides almost straight, converging from base to apex, apex forming an elongate spatula approximately 2× as long as wide; in lateral view curvature stronger in basal ⅓ of length; width narrowing regularly from apical ¼ of length to apex; apex slightly curved upward and bisinuate ( Fig. 8D View Fig ).

Sexual dimorphism

Females can be distinguished from males by the rostrum which is slightly longer in lateral view ( Fig. 8C View Fig ).

Life history

This species was collected on Vachellia nilotica ( Fabaceae ). Adults were sampled in the evening. Months of collecting were July and August.

Distribution

This species is only known from the N’Djamena region in Chad and the northern tip of Cameroon. Its putative host, V. nilotica , is widely distributed in Africa and western Asia.

Remarks

Derelomus pericarti was described based on a series of male and female specimens without designation of a holotype ( Hoffmann 1968). In the J. Péricart and A. Hoffmann collections housed at MNHN, the series of specimens from N’Djamena, Farcha, used for description (species identification handwritten by Hoffmann) was located. These specimens bear red types and paratype labels. A male specimen bearing the red type label is designated as the lectotype for Derelomus pericarti [here designated] and was labelled accordingly. The rest of the series was labelled as paralectotypes for this species.