Four new Entiminae from the Mediterranean region (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae: Phyllobiini, Trachyphloeini), with additional data on the distribution of some poorly known species
Author
Germann, Christoph
Author
Borovec, Roman
Author
Braunert, Carlo
text
Zootaxa
2015
2015-11-11
4040
3
345
358
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.4040.3.6
7deacc57-011c-41f4-b2b6-ecba74f983c0
1175-5326
233130
A57DC91B-A04F-4913-AF74-46973EF6C231
Argoptochus sappho
sp. n.
(
Figs 1, 2, 5
,
22, 23, 34
,
40
)
HOLOTYPE
.
♂
"249_15.21
GREECE
,
Lesbos Isl.
,
5km
SE Aspropotamos
,
N39°15′10″
E26°25′26″
,
5m
, rocky coast,
1.5.2015
, leg.
C. Germann
" (
NMBE
).
Red label:
Holotype
Argoptochus sappho
sp. n.
Germann,
Borovec & Braunert, 2015
.
PARATYPES
.
In total 9: 3 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, same data as
holotype
(
CBML
,
CGTS
,
RBSC
).
All with red labels:
Paratype
Argoptochus sappho
sp. n.
Germann,
Borovec & Braunert, 2015
.
Description.
Body length:
2.01–2.41 mm
,
holotype
2.02 mm
(
Figs 1, 2
).
Elytra blackish with 2–3 lateral intervals paler, pronotum and head blackish, fore margin of pronotum brownish, antennae brownish with basal half of club blackish, legs yellowish to brownish. Elytra without appressed vestiture, glabrous, with one dense and conspicuous row of setae on each interval. Inner seven intervals with greyish-white, slender, parallel-sided, perpendicularly erect setae a little longer than width of one interval, distance of two setae shorter than half of their length. Outer three intervals with distinctly shorter semierect setae, about as long as half the width of one interval or shorter. Each puncture of striae with very short and fine, greyish seta. Pronotum on disc with identical erect setae as on elytra, densely irregularly scattered, in lateral part with distinctly shorter, appressed setae of similar shape, directed upwards. Head dorsally with similar setae as pronotum, only slightly shorter; rostrum with similar erect setae, but of half the length of setae covering head, lateral part with appressed short setae directed anteriad. Antennal scapes, femora and tarsi with slender, inconspicuous, semiappressed setae; funicles and outer edge of tibiae with semiappressed to semierect slender setae, moderately short, brownish on funicles and yellowish on tibiae; clubs finely setose.
FIGURES 1-12. 1.
Argoptochus sappho
sp. n.
male habitus dorsal.
2.
Ditto female.
3.
Argoptochus albisetus
(Borovec, 1998)
, male.
4.
A. hystricus
(Borovec, 1998)
, male.
5-7.
Antennae of
5.
A. sappho
sp. n.
6.
A. albisetus
.
7.
A. hystricus
.
8.
Pelletierellus bryophilus
sp. n.
male habitus dorsal.
9.
Ditto female.
10.
Pelletierellus bialookii
Borovec, 2015
male habitus dorsal.
11.
Head and antennae of
P. bryophilus
sp. n.
12.
Ditto
P. bialookii
.
FIGURES 13-21. 13.
Cathormiocerus kostali
sp. n.
female habitus dorsal.
14.
C. meyeri
sp. n.
male habitus dorsal.
15
.
C. atlasicus
Borovec & Bahr, 2008
female habitus dorsal.
16.
C. agadiriensis
Borovec & Bahr, 2008
ditto.
17-19.
Heads and antennae of
17.
C. kostali
sp. n.
18.
C. meyeri
sp. n.
19.
C. agadiriensis
.
20-21.
Antennae of male and female of
C. inflatiscapus
Escalera, 1918
.
Rostrum robust, 1.39–1.45 times as wide as long, widest at base, 1.13–1.16 times wider at base than at apex, evenly tapered apicad with slightly concave sides; rostrum laterally at the same level as head, weakly vaulted. Epifrons very narrow, at middle of rostrum 0.4 times as wide as rostrum at the same place, enlarged anteriad with concave sides, longitudinally shallowly depressed, irregularly finely punctured, moderately shiny. Frons and epistome not developed. Antennal scrobes in dorsal view well visible, reniform; laterally short, subtriangular, dorsally placed. Head wide and weakly vaulted, irregularly finely punctured, moderately shiny. Eyes small, dorsally weakly vaulted and prominent from outline; laterally subcircular, placed about at middle of head.
Antennae moderately robust but long; scape 1.1 times as long as funicle, 5.1–5.8 times as long as wide, at apex slightly narrower than club, at midlength weakly curved, in apical half weakly evenly enlarged towards apex. Funicle segment 1 conical, 1.6–1.7 times as long as wide, 2.0–2.2 times as long as segment 2, which is isodiametric; segment 3 1.1 times as wide as long; segments 4 and 5 1.2–1.3 times as wide as long; segment 6 1.4 times as wide as long; segment 7 1.4–1.5 times as wide as long; club 1.8–2.0 times as long as wide (
Fig. 5
).
Pronotum 1.26–1.33 times as wide as long, widest at midlength with distinctly rounded sides, about equally tapered at apex and base, with anterior and posterior borders about equally wide. Disc moderately shiny, densely, irregularly punctured; punctures with ill-defined borders, shallow, with visible bottom, distance between two punctures shorter than their diameter. Pronotum laterally vaulted, behind anterior border somewhat flattened.
Elytra oval, 1.29–1.31 times as long as wide, widest at midlength, with regularly rounded sides, broadly rounded at apex, conspicuously more shiny than pronotum and head with rostrum, smooth. Striae narrow, finely regularly punctured, intervals flat, wide. Elytra in lateral view distinctly vaulted.
Femora of all legs edentate. Protibiae moderately robust, 5.3–5.8 times as long as wide, at apex mesally straight, laterally weakly enlarged, apex rounded with fringe of fine yellowish setae, in lateral part somewhat longer than at inner side. All tibiae lacking mucros. Tarsi slender, segment 2 1.1 times as wide as long; segment 3 1.2 times as wide as long and 1.2–1.3 times as wide as segment 2; onychium 1.1–1.2 times as long as segment 3.
Ventrites shiny, smooth, with semi-appressed, long and slender piliform setae.
Male genitalia. Penis short, widest at midlength, evenly tapered apicad with weakly rounded sides, tip shortly rounded. In lateral view penis weakly curved, with apex slightly curved dorsally (
Figs 22, 23
).
Female genitalia. Sternite VIII with spade-shaped plate, faintly sclerotized along margins, stronger crossshaped sclerotization in the middle, apodeme long and slender. Spermatheca with C-shaped, short and thick cornu, tube-shaped and raised nodulus, and short ramus (
Fig. 34
).
Sexual dimorphism. Males are more gracile than females, in which the elytra are much more robust (
Figs 1, 2
).
Remarks.
A number of the
types
are teneral, their body is lighter and thus brownish instead of blackish.
Etymology.
The new species is dedicated to the ancient Greek poet
Sappho
from Lesbos Island, and is a noun in apposition.
Differential diagnosis.
Argoptochus sappho
sp. n.
is similar to
A. albisetus
(Borovec, 1998)
and
A. hystricus
(Borovec, 1998)
in the glabrous, shiny, blackish elytra without appressed setae or scales. It is possible to distinguish all three species according to the following set of characters:
1.
Funicle and short basal part of club yellowish, rest of club dark. Last three funicle segments longer than wide, at most segment 7 isodiametric. Raised setae on funicle whitish, fine, inconspicuous. Elytral striae impressed. Tibiae clearly mucronate....................................................................................
A. hystricus
(Borovec, 1998)
- At least last two funicle segments and basal part of club darker. Last three funicle segments wider than long. Raised setae on funicle blackish, bristle-shaped, conspicuous. Elytral striae not impressed. Tibiae not mucronate......................
2
2.
First funicle segment 2.0–2.2 times as long as wide and 1.6–1.8 times as long as segment 2, which is 1.3–1.5 times as long as wide. Antennal scape 6.1–6.3 times as long as wide. Protibiae 6.8–7.2 times as long as wide. Tarsal segment 2 1.1 times as long as wide. Rostrum 1.24–1.32 times as wide as long. Apex of penis acute (
Fig. 24
)........
A. albisetus
(Borovec, 1998)
- First funicle segment 1.6–1.7 times as long as wide and 2.0–2.2 times as long as segment 2, which is isodiametric. Antennal scape 5.1–5.8 times as long as wide. Protibiae 5.3–5.8 times as long as wide. Tarsal segment 2 1.1 times as wide as long. Rostrum 1.39–1.45 times as wide as long. Apex of penis broader with short rounded tip (
Figs 22, 23
).........
A. sappho
sp. n.
Bionomy.
The new species was discovered while sifting leaf litter under flowering
Cistus salviifolius
and
Lavandula stoechas
on a rocky plateau at the east coast of Lesbos Island (
Fig. 40
). In a feeding experiment five specimens of
A. sappho
sp. n.
were kept alive during one week. Only withered leaves of tested
Asteraceae
,
Brassicaceae
,
Caryophyllaceae
Cistaceae
and
Lamiaceae
were accepted. The feeding traces are minute. We thus conclude that
A. sappho
,
and very likely also other species of the
A. vindobonensis
Formánek, 1908
-species group with glabrous elytra with long setae, are detritivorous and hence are rarely collected in the field mainly because of their discrete lifestyle. Other
Argoptochus
mostly with coloured and metallic dense appressed scales (e.g.
A. bisignatus
(Germar, 1824)
or
A. cretensis
(Pic, 1904))
are usually very actively crawling and feeding on the vegetation (grasses and herbs) during their rather short period of occurrence.