Pseudoculio spiesi Pelsue & O’Brien, 2011

Pelsue, Frank W. & O’Brien, Charles W., 2011, A redefinition of the Curculionini of the world, with a key to subtribes and genera, and two new genera: Pseudoculio and Megaoculis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae), Zootaxa 3102, pp. 27-49 : 39

Pseudoculio spiesi Pelsue & O’Brien sp. n.

Material examined: Holotype—India 3 S. India /Tamil Nadu/Nilgiri Hills/ 11 km SE Kotagiri/1100 ± 100 m / 11˚24’N76˚56’E/Kunchappanai/P. Pacholatko lg./ 3-15-V-2002 ( NHMB) Paratypes-(5) (3) 3 (2) Ƥ 2 3 S. India / Tamil Nadu/Nilgiri Hills/ 11 km SE Kotagiri/1100 ± 100 m /11˚24’N76˚56’E/Kunchappanai/P. Pacholatko lg./ 3-15- V-2002. 1 ( NHMB) 1 ( FWPC) 1 3 South India /Anamalai Hills/Cinchona/3500’/ V-1956 /F. S. Nathan. ( CWOB) 1 Ƥ S. India Tamil Nadu, 1997/17-22.v; 15 km SE Kotagini/ 11,22N 76,56E; Kunchappanai/Dembicky & Pacholátko leg. ( NHMB) 1 Ƥ S. India /T. V. Campbell/G. A. K. Marshall Coll./B. M. 1950-255 ( BMNH).

Description: Habitus (Figs. 35–36) 3 4.5–4.7 mm (mean= 4.6 mm, n=4) in length; 2.2–2.3 mm (mean= 2.2 mm, n=4) in width. Head: 0.56 as wide as pronotum; punctures small; glabrous; gena with small, recumbent, clavate, luteous scales; eyes round, large, finely faceted; frons 0.26 as wide as head across eyes; with narrow, elongate, clavate, luteous scales along margin of eye. Rostrum: 3.3–3.5 mm (mean= 3.4 mm, n=4) in length; 0.73 as long as body; derm fuscous; wide at base, gradually narrowing to thin apex, subcylindrical; continuous with frons; punctures slit-like from frons to insertion of scape; straight to insertion of scape, there deflexed to apex; scrobe ventral, scape inserted past midpoint. Antennae: Scape 1.6–1.7 mm (mean= 1.6 mm, n=4), funicle 1.4–1.5 mm (mean= 1.4 mm, n=4), club 0.6 mm in length; funicle subequal to scape; funicular antennomere 1 longer than 2, 3 longer than 4, 4–7 same length; club oval-acuminate, as long as antennomeres 4–7, antennomere 1 longer than funicular antennomere 7. Thorax: 1.4–1.5 mm (mean= 1.4 mm, n=4) in length; 1.7 mm (mean= 1.7 mm, n=4) in width; 0.88 as long as wide; derm fuscous; side margins of disc straight to 3/4 of length, then deflexed to constriction; punctures small, each with small narrow gold scale, with 5 small maculae, 3 basomedian, 2 anterolateral: 2 basolateral of larger, narrow, elongate, clavate, gold scales; diffuse median vittae of smaller, narrow, elongate, clavate, gold scales; pleuron with small, clavate, gold and luteous scale; mesosternal intercoxal process feeble, scarcely visible; scutellum as long as wide, and clothed with small narrow white scales; mesepimeron densely clothed with broader, recumbent, clavate, luteous scales; mesepisternum with posterior fringe of scales similar to mesepimeron, and remaining scales small, narrow, white; metepisternum with posterior macula of clavate, luteous scales; lateral area of metasternum with small narrow white scales, with posterior fringe of larger luteous scales, medially with even larger clavate luteous scales. Elytra: Striae shallow; strial punctures large with small, narrow, elongate, decumbent, gold scales; with shallow scutellar declivity; humeri rounded; intervals broad, flat, with small, dirty white scales; basomedian macula distad of scutellum of larger, recumbent, clavate, luteous truncate scales; intervals 2–3 with small macula of scales past midpoint; crosshatched setae suberect, short, luteous toward apex. Legs: Pro-, and mesofemoral teeth small, metafemoral tooth small, but larger than others; metafemoral clava with dorsal angle sharply pointed with median nodule; tibiae subsinuate, broad to apex; pro-, and mesouncus large, metauncus with inner hook-like process short, bifid; metafemur exceeding apex of elytra by 1/3 length of femur. Abdomen: Sternum II longer than I behind coxal cavity; II with laterodiscal margin covering lateroapical margin of III, II declivous; III longer than IV; III+IV longer than V; V with shallow median impression with lateral fringe of long setalike scales, apex of V truncate; sternum II with lateral macula of dense, clavate, luteous scales; V with apical macula of smaller narrow elongate luteous scales, remaining scales small and white. Pygidium: Large convex, with long seta-like testaceous scales. Male genitalia: Median lobe 1.2 mm in length, rather broad, broader in middle, there deflexed to apex, 0.3 mm in width; apodeme 1.3 mm in length (Figs. 53–54). Female: 3.9–5.2 mm (mean= 4.2 mm, n=2) in length; 2.0– 2.1 mm (mean=2.1, n=2) in width. Rostrum: 5.0– 5.2 mm (mean= 5.1 mm, n=2) in length. Antennae: Scape 1.4 mm, funicle 1.6 mm, club 0.5 mm in length. Thorax: Anteroapical margin with shallow median channel set off by lateral carinae (similar in Shigizo ), channel flanked by macula of clavate fulvous scales; channel with small, clavate, white scales; mesosternal intercoxal process not visible in lateral view; sternum piceous. Elytra: Striae fuscous; intervals rubiginose with 2 rows on lateral margin of small, narrow, elongate, decumbent, fulvous scales. Legs: Derm rubiginose; dorsal angle of metafemoral clava rounded, lacking nodule; metatibial inner process not uncus-like. Abdomen: Sternum I as long as II. Pygidium: Visible, small, with elongate fulvus seta-like scales. Spermatheca: Missing from dissection.

Differential diagnosis: This species appears similar to P. crinitus , but is lighter in color lacks long, erect, setalike scales and has 5 small maculae on the pronotum.

Specific epithet: Species named in honor of the senior author’s friend Dr. Martin Spies.