Archellerenius giustoi, Wanat, 2013

Wanat, Marek, 2013, The Apionidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) of New Caledonia. Genera Archellerenius gen. nov. and Hellerenius Wanat, Zootaxa 3717 (4), pp. 515-542 : 518

Archellerenius giustoi sp. nov.

( Figs 3 , 9–37 )

Type material. Holotype ♂: a) New Caledonia, Col des Roussettes, 500 m, 5 Feb 1963, G. Kuschel (NZAC).

Paratypes (5 ♂ 3 ♀): Province Nord: Mt. Aoupinié, W of Ponerihouen [near sawmill, -21.1555/165.3201], 550 m, 30–31 VII 1971, beating, 1 ♂, leg. J. Gressitt (BPBM). Mt Panié (refuge hut), 20.34.43S/164.46.04E [-20.5786/ 164.7678], 1330 m, humid montane forest, 2 II 2004, 1 ♀; 1200–1300 m, 3 II 2004, 1 ♂ 1 ♀ - all leg. MW (MW). Upper Tchamba Valley: Wâo Uni (refuge), -21.0057/165.2487, 400 m, 15 I 2007, night beating, 1 ♂, leg. MW (MW). Col des Roussettes (rainforest near refuge), -21.4074/165.5250, 530 m, 2 XII 2010, 1 ♀, leg. MW (MW).

Province Sud: Pic du Pin base (forest & plantation), -22.2482/166.829, 280 m, 26 XII 2006, 1 ♂, leg. MW & RD (MW). Mt Humboldt (S trail), Botanical Reserve, -21.8827/166.3997, 1130–1280 m, moss forest, 10 XI 2008, 1 ♂, leg. MW (MW).

Total distribution in Fig. 46.

Diagnosis. See generic diagnosis above.

Description. Body 2.8–3.2 mm long; antennal scape entirely testaceous.

Rostrum shaped as in Figs 13–16 , at base finely punctured, rugose at sides; prorostrum shiny, with microscopic punctures at least basally. Antennal club as long as 6 distal funicular segments combined. Head: frons usually with shallow V-like fovea; vertex evenly flattened throughout; subocular tooth usually weakly expressed in head profile. Antennae ( Fig. 19 ): length/width ratios: scape 6.5–8.0, funicular segments: 1st 1.3–1.5, 2nd ca. 2.5, 6th–7th 1.0, scape as long or longer than 6 basal funicular segments combined. Pronotum weakly rounded at sides ( Fig.12 ); hypomeron acutely prominent at posterior margin. Elytra moderately convex ( Figs 9–11 ); striae superficial; intervals flat, finely microreticulate and shiny. Fore leg as in Figs 18, 20 . Abdomen (ventrites 1–5) 1.2× longer than broad.

Male. Antennal club about 2.5× as long as wide. Abdominal ventrites narrower ( Fig. 25 ); 5th ventrite twice as wide as long, broadly truncate, moderately and evenly convex, middle of apical margin with sparse fringe of white setae ( Fig. 26 ). Pygidium: apical third exposed, strongly declivitous, with distinct marginal rim; separating sulcus obsolescent ( Figs 23, 24 ). Sternite VIII with distinct carinae. Sternite IX with untoothed apodeme, ca. 1.6× as long as basal fork ( Fig. 35 ). Tegminal apodeme strongly expanded in apical third; tegminal plate 1.3–1.4× as long as broad, with lateral arms much thinner than adjoining arms of basal piece ( Figs 36, 37 ); membranous lobes short, rounded, apically extended into narrow, acute processes, these microsetose apically; suprafenestral sclerites half as long as fenestrae, acutely produced along internal margins; sensillae indistinct; macrochaetae 6–8, short, hardly exceeding acute sclerotized projections of parameroid lobes; membrane beneath fenestrae sclerotized equally to prostegium; postfenestral sclerite bar-like; prostegium long, deeply incised laterally, divided on its 0.6–0.7 length. Penis: apodemes as long as pedon, strongly expanded apicad; tectum reaching apical fourth of pedon; pedon with rounded, strongly upcurved apex ( Figs 33, 34 ), ventrally membranous in basal half; endophallus with enclosed part densely microspinose in basal third, with sharp and straight distal border-line separating it from big, simply membranous terminal process, the latter with paired basal lobes covering entrance of ejaculatory duct, microplates in sub-orificial region extremely fine and indistinct.

Female. Antennal club more obtuse, 2.0–2.2× as long as wide ( Fig. 19 ). Abdominal ventrites shaped as in Figs 27, 28 . Tergite VII short, broadly rounded ( Fig. 30 ). Tergite VIII transverse, largely membranous, with narrow but complete marginal sclerotisation. Sternite VIII (spiculum ventrale) relatively short, slightly widened in middle part, apically with triangular expansion ( Fig. 32 ). Styli stout and short, hemispherical, with several apical setae; coxites subtruncate apically. Foretube darkened, with dense long microtrichia. Bursa copulatrix relatively large, with corrugated longitudinal folds. Spermatheca: corpus with hook-like process receiving relatively thick spermathecal duct ( Fig. 31 ).

Morphological indices in Tab. 1. For other characters see generic description above.

Etymology. This remarkable and rare species is named to honor Mr. Carlo Giusto, an enthusiastic student of Apionidae , for his passion for these inconspicuous weevils, and shared interest in the genus Hellerenius .

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Mouthparts and rostrum underside, SEM photographs: 1) Hellerenius monteithi, male mouthparts; 2) H. plumipes, male mouthparts (arrow points on U-shaped stripes on outer side of terminal maxillary palp segment); 3) Archellerenius giustoi, female mouthparts; 4) H. plumipes, sensilla on apex of female maxillary palp, magnification 9600 ×; 5) H. monteithi, female prorostrum, ventral view; 6) H. plumipes, male rostrum, ventral view; 7) H. tibialis, female prorostrum, ventral view; 8) H. plumipes, female prorostrum, ventral view. Abbreviations: ls, mixed setae of labial ligula and maxillary malae; m, mandible; mp, maxillary palp (2 - segmented); pf, palpifer; po, postmentum; pr, prementum; sg, subgenal sulcus.

FIGURES 9 – 20. Archellerenius giustoi, male (13, 15), female (9 – 12, 14, 17 – 20): 9) habitus, lateral view; 10) apex of elytra, postero-lateral view; 11) pronotum and elytra, dorsal view; 12) pronotum, dorsal view; 13, 14) head with rostrum, dorsal view; 15, 16) head with rostrum, lateral view; 17) tarsal claws; 18) protarsus; 19) antenna; 20) fore femur (part) and tibia.

FIGURES 21 – 32. Archellerenius giustoi, male (23 – 26), female (21, 22, 27 – 32): 21) metathoracic wing, enlarged radial cell to show distinct radial window (21 A); 22) apical flange of last abdominal ventrite, postero-lateral view; 23, 24) pygidium in dorsal (23) and lateral (24) view; 25 – 28) abdomina in ventral (25, 27) and lateral (26, 28) view (notice mite nymph attached to female 2 nd ventrite); 29) rectum; 30) tergite VII; 31) spermatheca and bursa copulatrix; 32) terminalia with enlarged ovipositor. Abbreviations: b, bursa; c, coxite, d, spermathecal duct, g, gonads; p, pygidium; rr, rectal ribbon-like internal lamina, s, spermatheca; st, stylus, sv, spiculum ventrale; w, radial window.

FIGURES 33 – 45. Archellerenius giustoi, male (33 – 37), Hellerenius lobifer, male (38 – 42) and female (43 – 45): 33) penis with apodemes, lateral view; 34, 39) penis, dorsal view; 35, 38) sternites VIII and IX; 36, 41) tegminal plate and basal piece, lateral view; 37, 42) tegminal plate, dorsal view; 43) spermatheca; 44) tergite VII; 45) complete terminalia. Abbreviations: b, bursa; d, spermathecal duct; ed, ejaculatory duct; gl, spermathecal gland; r, rectum; s, spermatheca.