Afrophloeus spathulatus (Boheman) Boheman, 2013

Borovec, Roman & Oberprieler, Rolf G., 2013, Afrophloeus, a new genus of African weevils of the tribe Embrithini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), with description of a new species and notes on the composition of Embrithini, Zootaxa 3693 (3), pp. 365-378 : 373-374

Afrophloeus spathulatus (Boheman) , comb. n.

( Figs. 1, 4, 7, 10–11 , 16–22 )

Trachyphloeus spathulatus Boheman in Schoenherr, 1843: 111; Lacordaire, 1863: 193; Seidlitz, 1868: 98; Lona, 1937: 33; Borovec & Meregalli, 2013: 501.

Redescription. Body length 2.41–3.19 mm.

Colour in fresh specimens dark brownish to blackish, with conspicous, longitudinal pale spot on basis of interstriae 1 and 5 and with distinct chevron pattern of three dark and three pale, V-shaped bands ( Fig. 1 ); pronotum without distinct spots; head with pale median patch on vertex and irregular one above each eye, also partly whitish around epistome ( Fig. 1 ); scapes and funicles with dark appressed scales; femora and tibiae with pale appressed scales.

Rostrum ( Fig. 7 ) 1.39–1.45 x broader than long, at base abruptly slightly widened and here wider than head including eyes, then evenly feebly tapering anteriad. Epifrons with broad median furrow, posteriorly strongly raised above vertex. Head very broad. Antennae ( Fig. 10 ) robust; scapes slender in basal third, then abruptly dilated to apical third, from there evenly tapering to apex, anterior edge evenly sinuate, posterior edge angled at apical third; funicles usually 6-segmented, segments 1 and 2 conical, 3–6 transverse, segment 1 bell-shaped, 1.1–1.2 x longer than broad, 1.5–1.7 x broader than 2, segment 2 1.2–1.3 x longer than broad, 3–6 progressively broader, 3 as broad as 2, 6 almost as broad as basal part of club, sometimes only 5- or 4-segmented; clubs with segment 1 exceeding half of total club length.

Pronotum in dorsal view 1.72–1.80 x broader than long, broadest before middle, somewhat constricted behind anterior margin, base gently arched, disc simple; in lateral view slightly convex except flat anteriorly, anterior border feebly sinuate with dense row of short, broad scales. Elytra 1.09–1.13 x longer than broad, from base obliquely broadening to basal quarter, there broadest across posthumeral calli, then about parallel-sided, at apex jointly broadly rounded; posthumeral calli on interstria 9 prominent in dorso-lateral view; striae narrow, interstriae feebly convex; disk in lateral view almost flat. Protibiae ( Fig. 11 ) on inner side feebly bisinuate, at apex indistinctly lobed; armed with 7 spines, the inner one smallest, the next two about 2 x longer, curved, strongly divergent, the following two shorter, straight, blunt, contiguous to fused at their bases, the outer two smilar but often slightly smaller, widely separate. Tarsi with segment 2 1.2–1.3 x broader than long, 3 1.3 x broader than long and 1.2 x broader than 2, onychium 1.7–1.8 x longer than 3.

Genitalia. Penis ( Figs. 16–17 ) widest at anterior third, weakly tapering basad, apex broadly rounded; in lateral view curved, apex pointed and shortly attenuated. Sternite VIII of female ( Fig. 20 ) with short, broad, umbrellashaped basal plate. Spermatheca ( Fig. 22 ) with ramus not developed, nodulus short, pointed, turned.

Material examined. Types. Lectotype (here designated): Typus [red label, printed] / Cap. B. Sp. Drège. [handwritten] / LECTOTYPUS Trachyphloeus spathulatus Boheman, Borovec & Oberprieler des. 2013 [red label, printed] / Afrophloeus spathulatus (Boh.) , Borovec & Oberprieler det. 2013 [printed] (NHRS). Other specimens. SOUTH AFRICA, WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE: 1 ex., Cape [of] G[ood] Ho[pe], Pine Town [33°55’S 18°25’E] (BMNH); 15 exx., Brenton-on-Sea nr. Knysna, 34°04’S 23°01’E, 2.x.1989, R. Oberprieler lgt. (SANC); 1 ♀, Citrusdal camping, 32°35’653”S 19°00’658”E, 26.x. 2011, 170 m, sifting of artificial lawn, R. Borovec lgt. (RBSC); 4 exx., George [33°58’S 22°28’E], 30.ix.1968, adult beetles damaging carrot, radish and brassica seedlings, H. P. van Heerden (SANC); 14 exx., George, 33°58’S 22°28’E, 5.vi.1979, on clover and feeding on lucerne and young potato plants, C. Rappard lgt. (SANC); 1 ex., Harkerville E of Knysna, 34 03’S 23 14’E, 5.ix.1987, S. Neser lgt. (SANC); 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, Hermanus, Kleinriviersberg [34°26’S 19°27’E], 16.xi. 2005, 150 m, G. Osella lgt. (GOVI); 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Hermanus, 34 25’S 19 14’E, 16.xi.2005, E. Colonnelli lgt. (ECRI); 1 ♀, Swartvlei, 33°06’S 22°45’E, 3.xi.1988, E. Colonnelli lgt. (MZUR). SOUTH AFRICA, EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE: 3 exx., Alexandria [33°39’S 26°24’E], Sept. 1947, Ac. PE. 268 (SANC); 4 exx., Alexandria [33°39’S 26°24’E], July 1950, Ac. PE. 325 (SANC); 2 exx., Alexandria [33°39’S 26°24’E], April 1959, J. S. Taylor lgt. (SANC); 2 exx., Algoa Bay [33°50’S 25°50’E], 21.x.1896, Dr. H. Brauns lgt. (BMNH); 1 exx., Paterson Dist., 33°26’S 25°58’E, iv.1985, C. J. Stedman lgt. (SANC); 3 exx., Paterson, 33°26’S 25°58’E, 15.7.1985, Emex, J. Scott, M. Way lgt. (SANC); 5 exx., Salem [33°28’S 26°29’E], 12.ix.1900, damaging various plants, C. Gardner lgt. (BMNH); 5 exx., Salem [33°28’S 26°29’E], 12.ix.1900, C. Gardner lgt. (SANC). SOUTH AFRICA, NORTH-WEST PROVINCE: 4 exx., Saartjiesnek nr. Pretoria, 25°42’S 27°50’E, x.1973, E. Holm lgt. (SANC).

Biology. The adult weevils have been recorded damaging seedlings of brassica, carrots, potatoes and radishes and feeding on clover and lucerne.

Distribution. The species occurs naturally in the southern parts of the Western and Eastern Cape provinces ( Fig. 24 ). The single short series recorded from the North-West province near Pretoria appears to be an introduction, but it is unclear whether the species has established in this area.

Remarks. The single type specimen in the NHRS is 3.13 mm long and well preserved and stands under the name “ spathulatus ” in Schoenherr’s collection. Although there is no evidence that Boheman’s description (Schoenherr 1843) is based on more than one specimen, we follow Recommendation 73F of the ICZN (1999) and assume that other syntypes may exist and therefore designate the specimen in the NRHS as lectotype. The locality and collector are only given as “Cap. Bonae Spei. Dom. Drège.” in Boheman’s description, but the specimen was likely taken somewhere in the southern or eastern Cape Colony by Carl Friedrich Drège, who collected natural history specimens there together with his brother Johann Franz Drège between 1829 and 1833 (Gunn & Codd 1981). Afrophloeus spathulatus is very similar to A. dilaticornis , differing mainly in its posteriorly less strongly expanded scapes. The variation in the number of funicle segments in this species is remarkable but without any apparent pattern. In the series from Kleinriviersberg near Hermanus, two males and one female have 6-segmented funicles but one female only 4-segmented ones, and one male and one female of the series from Hermanus have 5- segmented ones.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 15. Habitus and structural details of Afrophloeus gen. n. 1. A. spathulatus (Boheman), ♀, Swartville, dorsal habitus; 2. A. dilaticornis sp. n., paratype ♀, Alexandria, dorsal habitus; 3. A. squamifer (Boheman), ♂, Marion Bay, dorsal habitus; 4. A. spathulatus (Boheman), ♀, Swartville, lateral habitus; 5. A. dilaticornis sp. n., paratype ♀, Alexandria, lateral habitus; 6. A. squamifer (Boheman), ♀, Marion Bay, lateral habitus; 7. A. spathulatus (Boheman), ♂, Kleinriviersberg, head, dorsal view; 8. A. dilaticornis sp. n., paratype ♂, Alexandria, head, dorsal view; 9. A. squamifer (Boheman), ♂, Marion Bay, head, dorsal view; 10. A. spathulatus (Boheman), ♀, Swartville, left antenna, dorsal view; 11. A. spathulatus (Boheman), ♂, Kleinriviersberg, left protibia and tarsus, dorsal view; 12. A. dilaticornis sp. n., paratype ♀, Alexandria, left antenna, dorsal view; 13. A. dilaticornis sp. n., paratype ♂, Alexandria, left protibia and tarsus, dorsal view; 14. A. squamifer (Boheman), ♂, Marion Bay, left antenna, dorsal view; 15. A. squamifer (Boheman), ♂, Marion Bay, left protibia and tarsus, dorsal view. Scale bars 1 mm for 1 – 6, 0.5 mm for 7 – 9, 0.25 mm for 10 – 15.

FIGURES 16 – 23. Genitalia of Afrophloeus gen. n. 16. penis of A. spathulatus (Boheman), dorsal view; 17. penis of A. spathulatus (Boheman), lateral view; 18. tegmen of A. spathulatus (Boheman), dorsal view; 19. sternite IX of male A. spathulatus (Boheman), dorsal view; 20. sternite VIII of female A. spathulatus (Boheman), dorsal view; 21. ovipositor of A. spathulatus (Boheman), dorsal view; 22. spermatheca of A. spathulatus (Boheman); 23. spermatheca of A. squamifer (Boheman). Scale bars 0.5 mm for 16 – 20, 0.25 for 21 – 23.

FIGURES 24 – 25. Distribution of Afrophloeus species. 24. South Africa; 25. South Australia (○ — A. spathulatus (Boheman), ■ — A. squamifer (Boheman), ∆ — A. dilaticornis sp. n.).