Undarobius, a new genus of cavernicolous weevils (Curculionidae: Entiminae Leptopiini) from the Undara Lava Caves in north-eastern Australia, with an overview of anophthalmic and microphthalmic Australian Curculionidae
Author
Escalona, Hermes E.
Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, G. P. O. Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Author
Oberprieler, Rolf G.
0000-0002-1837-580X
Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO, G. P. O. Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia. & Rolf. Oberprieler @ csiro. au; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0002 - 1837 - 580 X
berprieler@csiro.au
text
Zootaxa
2021
2021-08-18
5023
2
207
222
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.5023.2.2
1175-5326
5225800
32EA32BC-0E25-4BF9-86CB-A5C881CB5BCD
Undarobius irvini
Escalona & Oberprieler
sp. n.
(
Figs. 11–13
,
36
)
http://zoobank.org/
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:
2BC48169-7DBE-4E82-94EB-1A72AD5116EB
Diagnosis.
Body length 4.0 mm. Elytral setae longer, apically narrow and acute. Body 1.8 × longer than wide, rostrum 1.9 × longer than wide. Prothorax and elytra 0.9 × and 1.2 × as long as wide, respectively. Spermatheca as in
Fig. 36
.
Description. General appearance.
Body length 4.0 mm, 1.8 × longer than wide. Squamae sparse on pronotal and elytral discs but denser laterally; scape, pronotum and elytra with long, apically narrow and acute setae. Punctures mostly fine, distance between them greater than puncture sizes.
Head.
Rostrum 1.9 × longer than wide and 1.6 × longer than head in lateral view, oval in cross-section. Position of eyes indicated by small glabrous area.
Antennae
. Scapes 0.8 × shorter than funicle and club. Funicles with segment 1 longer than 3.
Thorax
. Pronotum 0.9 × as long as wide with sparse fine punctures. Hypomera behind procoxae 1.5 × longer than coxal width. Elytra 1.2 × as long as wide, disc barely convex, setae long, apically narrow and acute.
Legs.
Metatibial apex with reduced mucro, visible at high magnification.
Female genitalia.
Spermatheca as in
Fig. 36
.
Material examined
(
1 ex.
).
HOLOTYPE
,
♀
:
AUSTRALIA
: N E Qld / Mt. Garnet, Undara,
1000 m
/
20 May 1985
/ F. G. Howarth, D. Irvin // Yarramulla Sta / Taylor Cave //
HOLOTYPE
/
Undarobius irvini
/ Escalona & Oberprieler 2021 (
ANIC
).
FIGURES 9–16.
Undarobius
habitus and mouthparts. 9–10, 12—
U. howarthi
sp. n.
(SL 3.8 mm, ♂) 9–10: dorsal, 12: lateral aspect; 11, 13—
U. irvini
sp. n.
(SL 3.8 mm, ♀) 11: dorsal, 13: lateral aspect; 14– 16—
U. howarthi
sp. n.
♀, mouthparts, 14: labium, ventral view, 15: left mandible, dorsal view, 16: right maxilla, ventral view.
FIGURES 17–25.
Undarobius howarthi
sp. n.
, ♂, structural details. 17—head, dorsal view; 18—head, ventral view; 19—head, lateral view; 20—mouthparts, ventral view; 21—apex of rostrum, dorsal view; 22—left antenna, dorsal view; 23—prothorax, ventral view; 24—prothorax, dorsal view; 25—elytra, dorsal view.
FIGURES 26–36.
Undarobius
species
, structural details. 26–34
U. howarthi
sp. n.
,
26—pterothorax and elytra, ventral view; 27—ventrites, ♂, ventral view; 28—foreleg; 29—middle leg; 30—hindleg; 31—penis, dorsal view; 32—penis, lateral view; 33—sternite VIII, ♀, ventral view; 34—ovipositor, ventral view; 35—spermatheca; 36—
U. irvini
sp. n.
, spermatheca.
FIGURE 37.
Satellite image with panoramic view of Undara Volcano and North and Northwest Lava Tubes. Source Google Earth, 7 April 2021.
Derivation of name.
The species is named for the speleologist Douglas Irvin (Chillagoe Caving Club), collector of the only known specimen.
Comments.
This species is so far known from a single female, collected from the deep zone of Taylor Cave (
Howarth 1988
). It is noticeably smaller and narrower than the females of
U. howarthi
, and it can also be distinguished by its longer and sharp-pointed elytral setae. Its spermatheca is narrower and has a longer and more sharply angled cornu, although additional specimens will need to be studied to assess its variability.