Jacobyana Maulik, an Oriental flea beetle genus new for the Afrotropical Region with description of three new species from Central and Southern Africa (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Alticinae)

Abstract An Orientalflea beetle genus Jacobyana Maulik, 1926 including 7 species from India, Nepal, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, is reported in the Afrotropical Region for the first time. It is represented there by three new species, Jacobyana bezdeki sp. n., Jacobyana centrafricana sp. n., and Jacobyana sudafricana sp. n. Micrographs of male and female genitalia, scanning electron micrographs of some diagnostic morphological characters, a key to identification and distributional data for the new species, are provided.

In this paper we report the fi rst records of Jacobyana for Sub-Saharan Africa and describe three new species: J. bezdeki sp. n., from Malawi, J. centrafricana sp. n., from Democratic Republic of Congo, and J. sudafricana sp. n., from Republic of South Africa. Th is extends considerably the geographical distribution of Jacobyana and widens already important Oriental component in the Afrotropical fl ea beetle fauna (Biondi and D'Alessandro 2010).
Th e Afrotropical Region, in fact, shares the highest number of fl ea beetle genera with the Oriental Region (26 of 102 genera in total) (Biondi & D'Alessandro 2010). Th e presence of some Oriental genera in the Afrotropical Region may be due to a possible Gondwanian origin: Sanckia Duvivier, 1891, which mainly occurs in Madagascar although species are found in the Sub-Saharan Africa and southern part of the Oriental Region; Torodera Weise, 1902, occurs in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Oriental Region, but it is absent from Madagascar; Amphimela Chapuis, 1875, Nisotra Baly, 1864, andParadibolia Baly, 1875, occur in the Afrotropical, Oriental and Australian Regions; and Bikasha Maulik, 1931, occurs both on the Seychelles Islands and peninsula of Vietnam.

Materials and methods
Material consisted of dried insects preserved in the institutions listed below. Further faunistic data on the Jacobyana species in Sub-Saharan Africa were collected during zoological collecting trips that were part of an Italian research project (PRIN 2004057217) aimed at interpreting the disjunct distribution of diff erent plant and animal groups in the Mediterranean-South African regions. Specimens were examined and dissected using WILD MZ12.5 and LEICA M205C binocular microscopes. Photomicrographs were taken using a Leica DFC500 camera and the Auto-Montage Pro 2006 software (license number: 15224*syn2459*153a2112_maurizio_266836). Scanning electron micrographs were taken using a HITACHI TM-1000. Geographical coordinates of the localities are reported in degrees and minutes (DMD-WGS84 format); those included in square brackets were added by the authors.
Abbreviations. Morphology. LAED: length of median lobe of aedeagus; LAN: length of antennae; LB: total length of body; LE: length of elytra; LP: length of pronotum; LSP: length of spermatheca; WE: width of elytra; WP: width of pronotum.
Collections and depositories. BAQ: collection of M. Biondi preserved in the Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, University of L'Aquila, Italy; BMNH: Th e Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom; SANC: South African National Collection, Plant Protection Research Institute, Pretoria, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa; TMSA: Transvaal Museum, Pretoria, Gauteng, Republic of South Africa.
Metafemoral spring (Fig. 19) similar to springs of Psylliodes morpho-group (Furth & Suzuki 1998) but likely constitutes a new morpho-group with dorsal lobe regularly curved, with rather long extended arm; basal edge straight, angled < 90° with central axis of dorsal lobe; dorsal edge of ventral lobe straight; basal angle of ventral lobe acute, short, apically pointed; recurve fl ange distinctly sclerotized.
Notes. Jacobyana bezdeki sp.n. (LB = 2.64 mm), J. centrafricana sp. n. (LB = 2.66 mm), and J. sudafricana sp.n. (LB ♂ = 2.25 mm and ♀ > 2.43 mm) are the smallest species of the genus (Sprecher-Uebersax, 2002). All new Afrotropical species share a ratio of the length between antennomeres 3 and 4 (= 2) with J. ovata Medvedev from Sri Lanka (known only by a single female). However, all three African species are distinguishable from J. ovata by their smaller size (J. ovata: LB = 3.40 mm), interantennal space distinctly narrower than length of fi rst antennomere (as broad as fi rst antennomere in J. ovata) and, with the exception of some specimens of J. sudafricana sp. n., by the colour of the dorsal integuments, never uniformly black (entirely black in J. ovata). Diagnosis. Jacobyana bezdeki sp. n. is diff erent from J. centrafricana sp.n. and J. sudafricana sp.n. in having dorsal integuments reddish-brown (integuments are entirely or almost entirely black in J. sudafricana sp. n. and black with reddish elytral apex in J. centrafricana sp.n.). Other distinctive characters are: head with frons and vertex distinctly raised (Figs 3,9,15); punctation medially absent in distal part of fi rst abdominal sternite and in last abdominal sternite (Figs 5,11,18); median lobe of the aedeagus in ventral view laterally sub-parallel and apically widely rounded (Figs 6,13,20).
Legs with partially darkened femur and reddish tibia and tarsi; hind tibia straight without dentate external margin; apical spur of hind tibiae short, reddish. First anterior and middle tarsomeres slightly dilated with adhesive setae on ventral side (Fig. 12).
Ventral parts (Fig. 5) dark-brown, with dense and rather uniformly distributed setiferous punctures, but medially sparser or absent on prosternum, metasternum, distal part of fi rst abdominal sternite and last abdominal sternite; last abdominal sternite without special preapical impressions.
Median lobe of aedeagus (Fig. 6) short and robust (LAED = 0.91 mm; LE/LAED = 2.44), in ventral view laterally sub-parallel, apically widely rounded; ventral sulcus very wide, clearly impressed, with partially wrinkled surface and two paired short longitudinal carinae and numerous small protruding structures; dorsal sulcus poorlydeveloped; dorsal ligula well-developed, apically acute; median lobe in lateral view clearly arcuate at basal third and slightly sinuous in apical part; surface of median lobe with pores, especially on ventral side of apical part.
Etymology. Th is species is named after its collector J. Bezděk (Czech Republic), valued specialist of Chrysomelidae.
Distribution. Malawi (Fig. 1)  n.; more diff usely black in J. sudafricana sp. n.); the basal margin of the pronotum is slightly more sinuous (Figs 4, 10, 16); punctures of the ventral side of the body more densely impressed (Figs 5, 11, 18); the median lobe of the aedeagus in ventral view is clearly lanceolate, laterally with the maximum width about middle and with acutely rounded apex (Figs 6, 13, 20).
Legs with blackish femur and tibia but with paler tarsi; hind tibia straight with no dentate external margin; apical spur of hind tibia short, reddish. First anterior and middle tarsomeres slightly dilated with adhesive setae on ventral side (Fig. 12).
Ventral side (Fig. 11) blackish, with very dense and rather uniformly distributed setiferous punctures, sparser or absent in middle part of prosternum, metasternum and last abdominal sternite; last abdominal sternite without special preapical impressions.
Median lobe of aedeagus (Fig. 13) short and robust (LAED = 0.93 mm; LE/LAED = 2.46), in ventral view clearly lanceolate, laterally with maximum width about at middle; apex acutely rounded; ventral sulcus very wide, moderately impressed, without any evident carinae or sulci but medially weakly protruding; dorsal sulcus obliterate; dorsal ligula well developed, apically acutely rounded; median lobe in lateral view basally strongly arcuate at basal third and slightly sinuous in distal half; apex slightly bent in ventral direction.
Etymology. Th is species name refers to the geographic region where it lives and means "from Central Africa".
Median lobe of aedeagus (Fig. 20) short and robust (LAED = 0.75 mm; LE/LAED = 2.45), in ventral view laterally sub-parallel in basal 2/3 and slightly convergent in apical third; apex widely sub-truncate; ventral sulcus very wide, clearly impressed, with evident longitudinal median carina distally clearly expanded, with numerous small protruding structures; dorsal sulcus obliterate; dorsal ligula well-developed, apically sub-triangular; median lobe in lateral view very strongly curved at basal third and clearly bent in ventral direction at apex; surface of median lobe with pores, especially on ventral side of apical part.
Paratypes (all females) very similar in shape, sculpture and color to the holotype, but distinctly bigger. Tip of elytral apex variable in color from entirely black to partially reddish. Spermatheca (Fig. 21A) with sub-reniform and elongate basal part, clearly more developed than apical part; apical part with distinct collum and apex; appendix evident; ductus elongate, sub-apically inserted, with several coils in proximal part. Vaginal palpi and tignum as in Fig. 21B, 21C.
Etymology. Th is species name refers to the geographic region where it lives and means "from Southern Africa".

Key to species
1 Dorsal integuments reddish-brown. Frons and vertex distinctly raised (Fig. 3). Median lobe of aedeagus (Fig. 6) short and robust, in ventral view laterally sub-parallel, apically widely rounded; ventral sulcus very wide, clearly impressed; in lateral view basally clearly arcuate at basal third and slightly sinuous in apical part ..