Alevonota (Alevonota) elegantula

Alevonota (Alevonota) elegantula (BRISOUT DE BARNEVILLE, 1863), revalidated (Figs 20-29, Map 2)

Homalota elegantula BRISOUT DE BARNEVILLE 1863: 23 f.

Type material examined:

Syntype : " S. Germain / elegantula" (MNHNP).

Comments:

The original description is based on an unspecified number of syntypes from "Forêt de Saint- Germain" (BRISOUT DE BARNEVILLE 1863). The name remained valid until FAUVEL (1895, 1897, 1902) placed both A. elegantula and A. rufotestacea in the synonymy of A. atricapilla (MULSANT & REY, 1852), which was later discovered to represent a junior primary homonym. REITTER (1909) and BERNHAUER & SCHEERPELTZ (1926) synonymised both A. atricapilla and A. elegantula with A. rufotestacea; this synonymy has remained unquestioned ever since (SMETANA 2004). The present revision of the type and additional material, however, revealed that A. elegantula represents a distinct species, so that the name is here revalidated.

Additional material examined:

Spain: Aragón: 1 ex., 20 km SE Teruel, La Puebla de Valverde, 40°13'N, 00°57'W, 1100 m, sifted, 14.IV.2003, leg. Assing (cAss). Valencia: 1 ex., Alicante, Sierra d'Aitana, NW Sella, Port de Tudons, 38°39'N, 00°20'W, 1030 m, sifted, 28.III.2007, leg. Assing (cAss). Andalucía: 1 ex., Córdoba, Posadas, 18.IV.1925 (NHMW); 1 ex., Granada, Puerto de la Ragna, 2000-2100 m, 14.V.1960, leg. Besuchet (MHNG). Locality not specified: 1 ex., " Castilien ", 9.IV.1887, leg. Korb (NHMW).

France: Bretagne: 1 ex., Morlaix (DEI); 1 ex., Morlaix, leg. Hervé (NHMW). Île-de-France: 1 ex., Paris, leg. Fauvel (NHMW).

Italy: Lazio: A , Lago di Bracciano, Monti Sabatini, Monte Guerrano, 500 m, 7.V.1998, leg. Wolf (cSch).

Germany: Nordrhein-Westfalen: 1 ex., Köln-Flittard, 15.V.1979, leg. Boness (cRen); 7 exs., Hürth, car-net, 1.V.1989, leg. Köhler, Wunderle (cWun); 14 exs., Köln env., Brühl, Staatsforst Ville, car-net, 3.V.1989, leg. Köhler (cKöh, cAss); 2 exs., same data, but 24.IV.1989 (cKöh, cAss); 1 ex., same data, but 2.V.1989 (cKöh); 1 ex., same data, but 18.V.1989 (cKöh); 1 ex., same data, but 11.VI.1989 (cKöh); 2 exs., same data, but 14.VI.1989 (cKöh); 1 ex., same data, but 29.VI.1989 (cKöh); 1 ex., Haustenbeck, Senne, 2.V.1995, leg. Renner (cRen). Hessen: 1 ex., Fulda, Blankenau, car-net, 1.V.1988, leg. Wunderle (cWun). Niedersachsen: 1 ex., Hannover, Eilenriede, car-net, 11.IV.1991, leg. Assing (cAss); 1 ex., same data, but 29.V.1991 (cAss); 1 ex., Nienburg, Lichtenmoor, car-net, 4.V.2006, leg. Lompe (cAss). Brandenburg: 1 ex., Spreewald, Burg [51°49'N, 14°09'E], window trap, 20.IV.-6.V.2000, leg. Pütz (cAss).

Poland: 1 ex., Legnica ["Liegnitz"], leg. Letzner (DEI).

Diagnosis:

For a colour image of the habitus see the photo of " A. rufotestacea " in TRONQUET (2006). In external appearance similar to A. rufotestacea, also rather variable, but distinguished as follows:

Size on average larger, 3.5-4.4 mm (abdomen extended); RL: 1.4-1.9 mm. Coloration on average darker; pronotum usually brown to dark brown; antennae often dark reddish to dark reddish brown; abdomen often almost completely dark.

Forebody as in Fig. 20. Head usually weakly transverse, HW/HL: 1.00-1.07; puncturation on average more distinct (Fig. 21). Eyes larger and more prominent, approximately as long as postocular region in dorsal view; EyL/PoL: 0.68-0.85 (Fig. 22).

Pronotum on average more transverse, PW/PL: 1.07-1.13; puncturation denser and usually distinct; midline with more pronounced furrow (Fig. 21).

Elytra usually slightly longer than pronotum, EL/PL: 1.00-1.08 (Fig. 20).

: median lobe of aedeagus larger, ML: 0.36-0.41 mm; ventral process more strongly curved and with more acute apex in lateral view (Figs 25-27).

: tergite VIII (Fig. 23), sternite VIII (Fig. 24), and spermatheca (Figs 28-29) of similar shape as in A. rufotestacea.

Distribution and bionomics:

Alevonota elegantula has become known from Spain, France, Germany, and Poland, suggesting an expansive Atlanto-Mediterranean distribution (Map 2). The record from Lazio (Italy) should be considered tentative, since it is based only on a female. The records of A. rufotestacea from the Pyrenées-Orientales by TRONQUET (2006) apparently refer to A. elegantula, as can be inferred from the photograph on plate 19.

Except for two sifted specimens from Spain, all the recently collected specimens were recorded on the wing with car-nets and a window-trap, almost exclusively in forests. The highest record is from 2000-2100 m. The reproduction habitat is unknown. All the known specimens were collected end of March (1 specimen /1 record), April (6/5), May (35/12), and June (4/3), evidently the dispersal period of this species.