Eunidia timida Pascoe, 1864

Eunidia timida Pascoe, 1864 View in CoL

( Fig. 7 a-d)

Eunidia timida Pascoe, 1864: 283 View in CoL ( Thomson, 1868: 140; Aurivillius, 1908a: 128; Hunt & Breuning, 1956: 356; Breuning, 1957a: 79).

Eunidia diversipes Breuning, 1961b: 334 View in CoL syn. nov.

Comments. – E. timida closely resembles Eunidia caffra Fåhraeus, 1872 , but is smaller, 4 mm to 4,5 mm long, compared to the 6 to 8 mm for E. caffra . The Breuning (1957) revision of the genus Eunidia , stipulates that the pronotum of E. timida is "very transverse," which is incorrect. Pascoe (1864) specifies that the pronotum is as long as wide, narrowing slightly at the base, in the original description. In E. caffra , the pronotum is of equal length and width, or only slightly transverse, but does not narrow basally.

Further, E. timida has longer antennae, the last 4 antennomers project beyond the elytral apex, equal to more than a third of their length; antennomeres are long and narrow; fourth antennomere longer than the scape (in E. caffra shorter or as long as the scape ( Breuning & Téocchi, 1978)); antennomeres 4 & 5 subequal in length (4 slightly shorter than 5 in E. caffra ( Breuning & Téocchi, 1978)) ; following antennomeres decreasing gradually in length. Ventral eye lobes unusually short (Aurivillius, 1908a), only slightly longer than wide (about double the length in E. caffra ); 1,75 times longer than the genae (about 3–4 times longer in E. caffra ( Breuning & Téocchi, 1978)) . Frons moderately transverse, area between one of the eye lobes and midline of frons slightly less than the width of one eye lobe. Interocular space on vertex about 3 times the width of dorsal eye lobe.

Eunidia timida is reddish-brown and covered with a sparse pale-yellow pubescence. Middle and hind femora, and first two or three basal antennomeres sometimes darkened and brownish in colour. Tibiae and tarsi yellowish, antennomeres 4-11 yellowish, sometimes darkened apically.

We had the opportunity to study the types of E. timida , type locality RSA, Natal [KZN] (NHMUK) ( Fig. 7a&b) and E. diversipes , type locality East Africa [ Mozambique], Delagoa Bay [now Maputo] (NHMB) ( Fig. 7c&d). We see no morphological differences. The dark brown colouration of the medial and posterior femora, in contrast with the lighter tibiae, tarsi and anterior femora as described by Breuning (1961b) for E. diversipes , is also indicated by Breuning (1957b) in his redescription of E. timida .