Monolepta citrinella Jacoby, 1899

Wagner, Thomas, 2020, Revision of Monolepta Chevrolat, 1836 species from North-East Africa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Bonn zoological Bulletin 69 (2), pp. 225-247 : 241-242

Monolepta citrinella Jacoby, 1899

( Figs 10 , 18 )

Monolepta citrinella Jacoby, 1899: 375 .

= Monolepta michaelseni Weise, 1914: 265 ; Wagner 2016: 424.

= Monolepta eburnea Laboissière, 1920: 99 ; Wagner 2016: 424.

= Monolepta poriensis Laboissière, 1920: 100 ; Wagner 2016: 424.

= Monolepta oryzae Bryant, 1948: 62 ; Wagner 2016: 424.

Further material examined. 24 specimens, 9 findings.

Botswana. 1 ex., Mochudi , 24.23S / 26.09E, XII .1979, C. R. Owen ( BMNH) . – Ethiopia. 2 ex., Rock Valley nr. Harar, 9.19N / 42.08E, VI .1965, A. B. Gurney ( USNM) . – Mocambique. 1 ex., Maputo Special Reserve, West Gate , 26.30S / 32.43E, VI .2017, Aristophanous et al. ( BMNH) . – South Africa. 4 ex., RSA, NW Prov., Kleks- dorf, 26.52S / 26.40E, I.2001, Snizek ( NME). – Tanzania . 7 ex., Ukiriguru , 2.43S / 33.01E, IX.1960, I. A. D. Rob- ertson ( USNM) ; 4 ex., Malya , IV.1960, I. A. D. Robertson ( USNM) ; 2 ex., Tarime , 1.21S / 34.23E, X.1959, I. A. D. Robertson ( USNM) . – Zambia. 1 ex., Victoria Falls , 17.5S / 25.51E, VI .1968, P. Spangler ( USNM) ; 1 ex. Kafue, XII .1919, Univ. Film ex., H. C. Laven ( USNM) .

Remarks. A detailed redescription was published in Wagner (2016), where 1331 specimens out of 225 find- ings are revised. The type specimen for the valid name originated from Natal in South Africa.

242 Thomas Wagner

Diagnosis. Monolepta citrinella is characterized by its entirely yellow coloration. Some specimens are pale yellow, rarely whitish. It is the only species with this coloration in North-East Africa. Other species with entire yellow dorsum like M. livingstoni (Jacoby, 1900) , M. pimenteli Laboissière, 1939 , and M. hiekei Wagner, 2016 are all restricted to southern Africa.

Distribution and ecology. Widely distributed in savannahs and semi-deserts up to desert biomes in tropical Africa ( Fig. 10 ). This almost pan-afrotropical distribution has resulted in a large number of synonyms. Many specimens were collected by light trapping (some of them in moth traps, and then completely covered by lepidopteran scales). The absence of an aposematic pattern and large eyes are also typical characters of nocturnal beetles.

Figures

Fig. 10. Distribution of M. citrinella, M. nigrocruciata.

Fig. 18. Monolepta citrinella Jacoby, 1899.A. Colour patterns.B. Basal antennomeres, males. C. Dto., females.D. Median lobe, a. lateral, b. dorsal, c. ventral, without endophallic structures. E. Spermathecae. F. Bursa-sclerite, dorsal. G. Dto., ventral.