Heisonyx barclayi, Borovec & Colonnelli & Osella, 2009

Borovec, Roman, Colonnelli, Enzo & Osella, Giuseppe, 2009, On the South African genus Heisonyx (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (2), pp. 841-860 : 846-847

Heisonyx barclayi sp. nov.

( Figs. 4 , 11 , 20–21 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( BMNH), ‘ South Africa, E Cape, near Kenton-on-Sea , 33.42.40 S, 26.35.64 E, 6.XI.2006, E. Colonnelli lgt .’ ALLOTYPE: ♀ ( ECRI), same data as holotype . PARATYPES: Same data as holotype, 14 specimens ( AMGS, ECRI, GOAI, RBSC), ‘ South Africa, E Cape, Paterson, 300 m, 33.26.55 S, 25.58.12 E, 17.XI.2006, E. Colonnelli lgt.’, 3 specimens ( ECRI, MCZR, MZUR).

Description. Body length: 1.6–2.1 mm (holotype 2.0 mm).

Integument black, legs and antennae brownish to dark brownish, tarsi and antennal club sometimes darker. Whole body except tarsi, funicle and club very densely covered by regularly rounded, shallowly longitudinally striate scales. Coloration of scales light greyish with large dark brownish area on most of pronotal disc and with irregularly spotted elytra ( Fig. 4 ). Each elytral interval with one regular row of two types of setae: long and slender, parallel-sided, erect setae about as long as width of one interval present in apical half of interval 1, 3 and 5 and very shortly clavate, inconspicuous, semierect setae slightly narrower than the diameter of one recumbent scale present on basal half of intervals 1, 3 and 5 and throughout on other intervals. Pronotum and head with irregularly scattered, short, semierect setae. Femora, tibiae and antennal scape densely covered by recumbent scales intermingled with scarce short and slender, semiadherent, scale-like setae.

Rostrum 1.24–1.31 times as wide as long, feebly narrowing toward apex. Epifrons more tapered than rostrum, almost flat, with narrow longitudinal stria along the whole length and in some specimens reaching behind posterior borders of eyes. Epifrons in dorsal as well as in lateral view separated from rest of head by very narrow V-shaped transversal stria at base, in lateral view convex. Antennal scrobes in dorsal view clearly visible on anterior half of rostrum, in lateral view short, distally enlarged, dorsal border directed towards dorsal edge of eye, ventral border directed towards middle of eye, separated from eyes by wide stripe of scales. Eyes large, moderately convex.

Antennae short, scape almost straight, long, longer than funicle, in apical third gradually thickened toward apex. Funicle 5-segmented, first funicular antennomere robust, conical, 1.5–1.6 times as long as wide, 1.3 times as long as funicular antennomere 2, the latter slender and 1.6–1.7 times as long as wide, funicular antennomeres 3–5 1.3–1.4 times as wide as long, club as wide as scape at apex.

Pronotum 1.26–1.37 times as wide as long, widest behind middle, in anterior half strongly constricted toward anterior margin. Disc in lateral view feebly convex, anterior third flat.

Elytra almost globular to shortly oval in shape, 1.18–1.25 times as long as wide, widest in middle, humeri obliquely subtruncate. Intervals almost flat, striae narrow, clearly visible.

Tibiae short, apex of protibia enlarged at inner margin, laterally arcuate, rounded, apex with 4–5 short, brownish to blackish spines and three hook-shaped blackish-brown spines at inner angle, the shortest placed at inner part of protibia. Tarsi short, tarsomere 2 1.4–1.5 times as wide as long; tarsomere 3 1.5 times as wide as long and 1.4–1.5 times as wide as tarsomere 3, ungular tarsomere very short, 0.4–0.5 times as long as 3, claw blackish.

Male genitalia almost parallel-sided with feebly rounded sides. Apex rounded, very feebly angulate ( Fig. 11 ).

Female genitalia. Spermatheca with short, regularly curved cornu, very short and very wide ramus and short and wide nodulus, at apex obtuse ( Fig. 21 ). Ovipositor with well-sclerotised, slender, pointed and regularly curved hemisternite, without stylus ( Fig. 20 ).

Differential diagnosis. The 5-segmented antennal funicle, elytral vestiture and shape of the rostrum make H. barclayi sp. nov. very similar to H. danielssoni sp. nov. In addition to the characters in the key below, the new species differs by the longer rostrum, which is only 1.24–1.31 times (instead of 1.53–1.57 times) as wide as long, and feebly concave (instead of feebly rounded) sides of the rostrum and epifrons and the nodulus of the spermatheca obviously wider than long and obtuse (rather than clearly longer than wide and pointed as in H. danielssoni sp. nov.).

Etymology. The species is dedicated to Maxwell Barclay (BMNH) for his kind help during our stay in London.

Bionomics. All the specimens were collected by beating low herbs.

Distribution. South Africa: Eastern Cape.

Figures

Figs. 4–7. Habitus. 4 – Heisonyx barclayi sp. nov., paratype; 5 – H. fuscus sp. nov., holotype; 6 – H. danielssoni sp. nov., holotype; 7 – H. hexarthrum sp. nov., holotype. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figs. 10–15. Aedeagus. 10 – Heisonyx vitticollis Marshall, 1947, lectotype; 11 – H. barclayi sp. nov., paratype; 12 – H. danielssoni sp. nov., holotype; 13 – H. fuscus sp. nov., holotype; 14 – H. hexarthrum sp. nov., paratype; 15 – H. jelineki sp. nov., paratype. Scale bar: 0.3 mm.

Figs. 16–27. Protibia and female genitalia. 16–19 – Heisonyx vitticollis sp. nov., paralectotype: 16 – right protibia, 17 – ovipositor, 18 – spermatheca, 19 – sternum 8 in female; 20–21 – H. barclayi sp. nov.: 20 – ovipositor, 21 – spermatheca; 22 – H. danielssoni sp. nov., spermatheca; 23 – H. fuscus sp. nov., ovipositor; 24–25 – H. hexarthrum sp. nov.: 24 – ovipositor, 25 – spermatheca; 26–27 – H. jelineki sp. nov.: 26 – ovipositor, 27 – spermatheca. Scale bars: 0.25 mm (a – sternum 8; b – ovipositor and spermatheca; c – protibia).