Azotoctla gomezi, Cardona-Duque, Juliana & Franz, Nico M., 2012

Cardona-Duque, Juliana & Franz, Nico M., 2012, Description and phylogeny of a new Neotropical genus of Acalyptini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae) associated with the staminodes of Cyclanthaceae, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 166 (3), pp. 559-623 : 602-603

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00851.x
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/3007EF26-BD12-C90B-B963-8C7EC7ADF9CB
treatment provided by	Marcus
scientific name	Azotoctla gomezi
status	SP. NOV.

Treatment

AZOTOCTLA GOMEZI CARDONA- DUQUE & FRANZ SP. NOV. ( FIGS 1–5 View Figure 1 View Figure 2 View Figure 3 View Figure 4 View Figure 5 )

Diagnosis: Light yellowish to dark reddish brown; mesepimeron ventrally distinctly projected; humeri slightly protruded; endophallus with ten to 14 spinelike, variously orientated sclerites along basal half. Azotoctla gomezi can be distinguished from the remaining Azotoctla species by a more deeply retracted mesanepisternum and mesepimeron that meet with the posterior portion of the prothorax in lateral view; by the lateral longitudinally orientated aedeagal plates, which are apically separated (as opposed to subcontiguous); by the widely and distinctly projected aedeagal apex; and by the endophallic sclerites. See also diagnosis of A. melolauta .

Description: Male ( Fig. 1A View Figure 1 ): small, length 2.5 mm, width 1.2–1.3 mm, oval l/w = 1.9–2.0 (N = 3). Colour light yellowish to reddish brown; vestiture long, golden, most conspicuous on rostrum, prothorax, elytra, thoracic sternites, femora, tibia, and ventrites. Rostrum ( Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ) short, 0.5 mm; r/p = 1.0–1.2, reddish brown to dark reddish brown, distinctly tumescent above antennal insertion; in dorsal view slightly pilose and punctulate between antennal insertion and eyes; antennal insertion near apical quarter, scrobe subrectate, basally deep. Antennal club ( Fig. 2A View Figure 2 ) ovateelongate, apically slightly pointed, I similar in length to II, II similar to two times length of III. Head yellowish brown; ventrally glabrous, dorsally pilose. Eyes distant from pronotal margin by nearly one quarter of their diameter. Pronotum l/w = 0.6–0.7, yellowish brown, in dorsal view semicircular to suboval, anterior margin 0.5¥ width of posterior margin, lateral margins rounded, greatest width at posterior margin, vestiture long; posterior margin slightly bisinuate; in lateral view subrectangular. Mesepimeron ventrally distinctly projected ( Fig. 2E View Figure 2 ). Prosternum scarcely pilose; procoxal cavities inserted at middle; prosternal process acute; metaventrite densely pilose, punctulate; metacoxal cavities separated by distance similar to mesocoxal diameter. Ventral vestiture dense, venter punctulate. Prothoracic legs yellowish brown; procoxa distinctly pilose; profemur f/p = 1.3–1.5; protibia t/f = 0.7–0.8. Meso- and metatibiae anteroventrally pubescent along apical third. Scutellum triangular, yellowish brown. Elytra semicircular, elongate l/w = 1.3–1.5, anterior margins sinuate; humeri slightly protruded; lateral margins subparallel throughout anterior two thirds, thereafter nearly straight and converging; in lateral view evenly convex ( Fig. 1A View Figure 1 ); striae narrower than intervals, shallow; strial punctures large, dark brown, suboval; intervals light yellowish brown, vestiture short. Abdomen nearly 1.5¥ length of lateral margin of metaventrite, vestiture long, similar to that of metaventrite, sparser anteriad; sternites 1 and 2 centrally slightly concave; 1 and 2 similar in length. Tergites 1–3 incomplete; tergites 4–7 complete; tergites 5 and 6 lateroposteriorly with paired strigatesculptured regions ( Fig. 3D, E View Figure 3 ). Tergite 8 almost completely covered by elytra; distinctly wider than long (width nearly 1.3¥ its length), posterior margin rounded. Distal angle of sternum 8 with three to four large setae ( Fig. 4A View Figure 4 ). Sternum 9 ( Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ) with basal portion of basal plate sinuate, Y-shaped; apodeme two times width of aedeagal apodemes, distinctly widened at its apical end. Tegminal plate ( Fig. 4C View Figure 4 ) reduced, basal piece Y-shaped; tegminal apodeme strongly deflexed, apically upturned, nearly one quarter of length of aedeagus. Aedeagus ( Fig. 4D View Figure 4 ) long, l/w = 4.8– 5.0 (N = 3); longitudinal plates clavate; basal margin narrowly rounded, apex conical, projected (projection medium sized and wide); tectum membranous, tissue papillate, dense, basal papillae lanceolate; endophallus with ten to 14 spine-like, variously orientated sclerites along basal half; in lateral view wide, ventral margin distinctly deflexed, apex upturned; aedeagal apodemes distinctly sinuate at apex.

Female: length 2.2–2.3 mm, width 1.2 mm, l/w = 1.9 (N = 2). Rostrum 0.5–0.6 mm; r/p = 1.1–1.5, slightly tumescent above antennal insertion, pilose throughout, slightly rugulose, dorsolateral margins darkened; antennal insertion near apical third; scrobe projected to apex, basally weakly defined. Head dark reddish brown. Pronotum l/w = 0.6–0.7, anterior margin 0.6¥ width of posterior margin; in lateral view subrectangular. Mesoventral process narrow roundedemarginate ( Fig. 2D View Figure 2 ). Prothoracic legs f/p = 1.3–1.5; t/f = 0.7. Elytra l/w = 1.3. Abdominal suture between sternites 1 and 2 slightly evident; sternite 5 slightly longer than 3 + 4. Tergites 1–6 incomplete; lateroposterior part of tergites 5 and 6 with paired strigatesculptured regions, tergite 7 simple. Tergite 8 ( Fig. 5A View Figure 5 ) semicircular; posterior margin plicate; anterior margin emarginate; lateral margin simple. Sternum 8 ( Fig. 5B View Figure 5 ) with lamina mesally projected; inner corners of furcal arms with four to five setae. Coxites ( Fig. 5C View Figure 5 ) slightly shorter than apodeme of sternite 8, styli apically with three to four long setae. Spermatheca ( Fig. 5D View Figure 5 ) with corpus slightly swollen; apex of cornu broadly rounded; ramus and collum separated, not protruded.

Variation: Several of the examined males have somewhat elongate, tubular (as opposed to conical) procoxae. Moreover, in some specimens the lateral pronotal margins continuously converge towards the anterior margin; therefore the greatest width of the pronotum is at the posterior margin as opposed to the anterior third.

Type material: Holotype male (dissected) ‘COant. [ Colombia, Antioquia], San Luís, Río Claro , 5°53′32,1″ N; 74°51′17,8″ W, 324 m, bosque, en inflorescencia en fase masculina de Carludovica palmata Ruiz & Pavón, Ago. 2/2009, leg. Bota, Cardona, Franz & Mazo, CEUA 47838 ’ ( CEUA) GoogleMaps . Paratypes, same label information as holotype except ‘ CEUA 47837 ’, ‘ CEUA 47845 ’, ‘ CEUA 47846 ’, ‘ CEUA 47847 ’, ‘ CEUA 47889 ’, ‘ CEUA 47890 ’ ( CEUA: 4 males, 2 female; 6 dissected); ‘COant. [ Colombia, Antioquia], San Rafael, Vda. [Vereda] La Rápida, Finca Cantarrana, 6°15′27,6″ N; 75°01′41,5″ W, 1041 m, en estaminodios recogidos en el suelo de Carludovica palmata Ruiz & Pavón , May. 25/2007, leg. Cardona & Tuberquia, CEUA 45762 ’, ‘ CEUA 45763 ’, ‘ CEUA 45764 ’, ‘ CEUA 45772 ’, ‘ CEUA 45773 ’, ‘ CEUA 45774 ’ ( CEUA: six males, two females; eight dissected) and ‘ CEUA 45760 ’, ‘ CEUA 45761 ’ (specimens donated to ICN: ‘ ICN-048299 ’ and ‘ ICN- 048300 ’; one male, one female); ‘ Costa Rica, Limón, San Clemente, 40 m, 9°49′10″ N; 82°54′ 20″ W, on Carludovica palmata , 05-VI-2003, leg. H. Do & N. Franz’ ( ASUT: three males, five females; four dissected); ‘ Panamá, Colón, Barro Colorado Island , 100 m, on Carludovica palmata , 1-VI-99, leg. N. Franz’ ( ASUT: five males, five females; two dissected) GoogleMaps .

Etymology: Named in honour of the late Luis D. Gómez, an outstanding Costa Rican botanist and natural historian, who observed and collected numerous palm-, cyclanth-, and arum-associated species of acalyptine weevils in Central and South America.

Natural history: Azotoctla gomezi is known from the eastern flange of the Central Cordillera in Colombia (Department of Antioquia), where specimens have been collected in open areas as well as in humid forests. This widespread species also occurs in the Limón Province of Costa Rica and in the Colón Province of Panama ( Fig. 35 View Figure 35 ). The adults were collected on C. palmata inflorescences at all sampled localities, most commonly on staminodes that had become detached and had fallen to the ground.