Bonesioides gambiae Freund & Wagner 2003, sp. nov.

Description

Total length. 4.0– 4.4 mm (mean: 4.24 mm).

Head. Labrum, labial and maxillary palpus black, frons and vertex dark metallic blue. Antenna extending towards end of metasternum (figure 54). Antennal articles black, first three articles rarely paler. Antennal article 3 about 50% longer than antennal article 2 (figure 55), A2/A3: 0.63 (mean: 0.63); antennal article 4 longer than antennal articles 2 and 3 combined, A3/A4: 0.53–0.62 (mean: 0.57). Eyes large (figure 54), WE/DE: 0.66–0.70 (mean: 0.68).

Thorax. Pronotum and elytra dark metallic blue. PL: 0.7–0.8 mm (mean: 0.73 mm), PW: 1.2–1.3 mm (mean: 1.26 mm), PL/PW: 0.56–0.60 (mean: 0.58). EL: 3.0– 3.4 mm (mean: 3.26 mm), EW: 1.8–2.0 mm (mean: 1.90 mm), EW/EL: 0.56–0.62 (mean: 0.58). Mesothorax, metathorax and legs black, metatibia more than twice as long as metatarsus (figure 54), TA/TI: 0.44–0.50 (mean: 0.47).

Abdomen. Black.

Male genitalia. Median lobe slender, homogeneously narrowed apically (figure 57). Orifice nearly circular, tectum short and slender. Endophallus slender with strongly hooked base. Spiculae very long, partly covered by tectum, other part protruding. Endophallic brush and apical part of sclerotized ductus ejaculatorius protruding, not covered by tectum and extending towards apical third of median lobe.

Female genitalia. Spermatheca with expanded nodulus, middle part short and straight, cornu short and slightly curved (figure 56).

Distribution. Only known from Gambia (figure 38).

Diagnosis. Bonesioides gambiae sp. nov. is most similar to B. laboissierei nom. nov., B. trispiculata sp. nov. and B. kirschi, which are similar in size and habitus (figures 17, 39, 54, 90). The coloration of all of those species is dark metallic blue, and they can be only distinguished by distribution and structures of the male genitalia. The median lobe in B. gambiae sp. nov. is very similar to the median lobe in B. laboissierei nom. nov., but the endophallus is strongly hooked at the base (figure 57), while in B. laboissierei nom. nov. it is straight (figure 42). B. trispiculata sp. nov. can be clearly distinguished by the three spiculae in the endophallus (figure 92). The median lobe in B. kirschi is broad, the tectum and the protruding apical part of the sclerotized ductus ejaculatorius are short (figure 20), while the median lobe in B. gambiae sp. nov. is much more slender, the tectum and the protruding apical part of the sclerotized ductus ejacolatorius are very long. B. gambiae sp. nov. is recorded only from Gambia, while the other mentioned species mainly occur in Central and South Africa (figure 38).

Type material

H  : W ‘ Holotypus Bonesioides gambiae / Gambia, Brikama, C. R. Wallace, 20.VIII.56, C. I. E. coll. 15208 / Pres. by Com. Inst. Ent. B. M. 1957-302’ (BMNH); Gambia: 13°15∞N/16°39∞W. P  : Gambia: 2 ex., same data label as holotype (BMNH); 3 ex., Mbuko, July 1956, C. R. Wallace (BMNH); 9 ex., Gambia, July–September 1927 (BMNH).