Pseudomyllocerus thracicus Germann, Kakiopoulos and Borovec, 2024

Germann, Christoph, Kakiopoulos, George & Borovec, Roman, 2024, Pseudomyllocerus thracicus sp. nov. from northern Greece (Coleoptera; Curculionidae; Entiminae), Zootaxa 5447 (4), pp. 583-590 : 584-589

Pseudomyllocerus thracicus Germann, Kakiopoulos and Borovec sp. nov.

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Holotype: male, 284_16.11 GREECE, Mt. Xanthi , W-Xanthi , N41°11’25» / E24°46’23», 820m, Kalk, offene Wäldchen, 26.5.2016, leg. C. Germann ( NMB).

Paratypes: 2 ex., same data as holotype ; 2 ex., ditto, leg. C. Braunert ( cCB) ; 8 ex., 284_16.4 GREECE, Kabala, W-Lekani , Mt. Lekani , N41°09 ›52»/ E24°31 ›41», 920m, lichter Quercus -Wald, Kalk, 23.5.2016, leg. C. Germann ( cCG, NMB) ; 3 ex., ditto ( cRB) ; 1 ex., ditto, leg. C. Braunert ( cCB) ; 9 ex., 284_16.5 GREECE, Kabala, E-Lekani , N41°09’40» / E24°35’36», 730m, Feldränder, Kalk, 23.5.2016, leg. C. Germann ( cCG, NHML, NMBE) ; 4 ex., ditto, leg. C. Braunert ( cCB) ; 2 females: 24/V/2016, 2 Km. south of Komnina village (Thrace, prefecture of Xanthi), altitude about 200 m., collected by shaking of grass ( cGK) ; 2 ex., 284_16.10 GREECE, Mt. Xanthi, W-Xanthi , N41°11’56» / E24°45’28», 660m, Kalk, offene Wäldchen, 26.5.2016, leg. C. Germann ( cCG) ; 3 ex., Greece, Ostmakedonien, Lekani , Wiese , N 41°09’37», E 24°35’21», 26.05.2016 (17947), 744 m asl, leg. A. Link ( cAL). 6 ex., 284_16.15 GREECE, Xanthi, S-Komnina , Kromniko, N41°08’32» / E24°44’38», 580m, niederer Wald ( Quercus , Carpinus ), 28.5.2016, leg. C. Germann ( cCG).

Size. (Without rostrum) males 3.1–3.5 mm, females 4.2–4.6 mm.

Colour. Body and head dark brown; antennae and legs light brown to yellowish. Figs 1 –10, 13, 22.

Head. Eyes strongly convex, protruding from outline of head, oval in section. Rostrum transverse, more slender in males than in females, in males subparallel-sided, in females slightly evenly tapered anteriad, fore margin deep triangularly incised, epistome blackish and glossy, without scales. Epifrons longitudinally weakly impressed along middle. Scrobes deep, pit-like, visible from above. Head and rostrum with fan-shaped to oval, vivid green-metallic recumbent scales and long (5 times longer than wide), semi-appressed, whitish bristles set with tiny rasp teeth at apex. Scales sparser on upper side of head and rostrum. Antennal scape long, bowed and slender, reaching almost middle of pronotum in repose. Apex of scape thickened. Funiculus slender, 1 st and 2 nd funicular antennomeres three times longer than wide, 3rd and 4 th twice as long as wide, 5 th and 6 th about as long as wide, club fusiform, long and slender, twice as wide as 7 th funicular antennomere.

Pronotum. (L/W): 0.7, transverse, widest in the middle, only weakly constricted just before fore margin, densely and irregularly punctuate on disc, vestiture consisting of oval to fan-shaped, vivid green metallic recumbent scales and long (5 times longer than wide), semi-appressed, whitish bristles. Scales sparser and thinner along middle on upper side, and denser at sides.

Elytra. (L/W) males: 1.5–1.6, parallel-sided, females: 1.4–1.5, oval. Base wider than pronotum, much wider in females. Shoulders well-pronounced, hind wings rudimental. Striae linear and regularly punctate with thin, brownish bowed hairs originating just before punctures, interstriae about three times wider. Vestiture consisting of vivid green-metallic, fan-shaped scales, and narrower scales but copper coloured. These scales along elytral disc forming two V-shaped darker bandings between elytral base until about end of first half of elytral declivity, in lateral extension until 5 th interstriae. On interstriae additional to scales, semi-erect, whitish bristles, of the same shape as on head and pronotum but slightly longer, in one or more often two irregular rows. Scutellum. Bare, glossy and triangular.

Legs. Slender, femora without denticle, tibiae straight. Four visible tarsomeres tarsal segments, 1 st tarsomere 1.5 times longer than 2 nd, 3 rd shorter, bilobed, 1.8 wider than 2 nd, 4 th tiny, onychium as long as segment one. Claws simple, fused at base.

Abdomen. Ventrite 5 in males apically shallowly concave, apical margin weakly bisinuate.

Male terminalia. ( Figs 3–6 ) Aedeagus elongate triangular, apically evenly tapered with straight sides ( Figs 3, 5 ), aedeagus in lateral view flattened and regularly dorsoventrally deflexed ( Fig. 4 ). Tegmen with parameres as long as width of basis of median lobe. Apodeme a bit longer than parameres. Sternite IX straight, about as long as aedeagus.

Female terminalia. (Figs 7–10) Gonocoxites elongate, without styli, proximal gonocoxites feebly sclerotized, distal gonocoxites heavier sclerotized and set with long light sensillae (Fig. 7). Sternite VIII with very long and slender apodeme, sclerotized part of plate sandglass-alike (Fig. 8). Spermatheca with ramus slightly longer than wide, distinctly longer and wider collum, and moderately long, syringe-like cornu with well developed attenuate velum (Fig. 9).

Sexual dimorphism and variability. Males smaller and more gracile ( Fig. 1 ) than females, which are larger with elytra more convex ( Figs 2 , 22 ), ventrites 5 modified in males, flat in females. Some variability was observed in the pattern of the scales on the elytra, where the bandings are less ( Fig. 2 ) or more pronounced ( Fig. 22 ).

Diagnosis

The green scales of Pseudomyllocerus thracicus are shared with P. dorsalis ( Fig. 15 ), which is, however, closer to P. canescens ( Fig. 14 ) based on its general appearance and the robust habitus.

Based on the brownish pattern on the elytra a certain similarity is shared with P. schneideri ( Fig. 19 ), which has a more robust habitus, less green metallic scales and only a weakly depressed apical margin of ventrite 5 in males ( Fig. 11 ), not shallowly concave with bisinuate apical margin as in P. thracicus .

Pseudomyllocerus thracicus shares characters with P. fallax ( Fig. 18 ). Both species have narrow brown or coppery scales on elytra, half as wide as greenish or whitish scales. The scutellum is black and glabrous. In males, ventrite 5 is depressed, apically concave with lateral margins somewhat elevated ( Figs 12– 13 ). 7 th funicular antennomere is isodiametric, at most slightly longer than wide. Club at base regularly rounded. Medial side of metatibia in males with semi-erect white setae. P. thracicus differs from P. fallax in the semi-erect elytral setae long, distinctly longer than length of recumbent scales ( P. fallax : semi-appressed elytral setae short, subequal in length to recumbent scale). Ventrite 5 in males apically shallowly concave, apical margin weakly bisinuate, Fig. 13 ( P. fallax : ventrite 5 in males apically deeply concave, apicad strongly bisinuate, Fig. 12 ). Recumbent elytral scales vivid green and copper coloured ( P. fallax : recumbent elytral scales grey and brown, grey scales at most with feeble green sheen). Aedeagus apically evenly tapered with straight sides ( P. fallax : aedeagus apically with short tip, which is separated by a weak concavity just before).

In contrast, the morphologically similar P. sinuatus ( Fig. 20 ) and P. neapolitanus ( Fig. 21 ) both show wide brown scales on elytra, subequal in shape and width to the greyish scales. Their scutellum is densely squamose, grey. Ventrite 5 in males is regularly domed and apically rounded. The last funicle segment is slender, distinctly longer than wide, club basal narrowed. The medial side of metatibia in males with semi-appressed white setae.

Ecology: We collected the new species in hilly landscapes on rather dry limestone slopes from low bushes ( Quercus spp. , Carpinus sp. ), herbs and grass ( Fig. 23 ). Nearby but not syntopic and mainly along rivers, we collected Pseudomyllocerus sinuatus on the same excursion.

Figures

FIGURE 23. Habitat in Greek Thrakia where Pseudomyllocerus thracicus sp. nov. was collected from bushes and herbs (© C. Germann).

FIGUES 1–2. Habitus of 1. male holotype and 2. female paratype of Pseudomyllocerus thracicus sp. nov. (© C. Germann).

FIGUES 3–6. Male genitalia. 7–10. Female genitalia of Pseudomyllocerus thracicus sp. nov. 3. Aedeagus dorsal and 4. Lateral view. 5. Ventral view on tip of aedeagus. 6. Sternite IX. 7. Gonocoxites. 8. Tergite VIII and sternite VIII. 9. Spermatheca. 10. Tergite VII. Figs 11–13. Ventrites 5 of males of 11. P. schneideri. 12. P. fallax. 13. P. thracicus sp. nov. (© C. Germann).

FIGUES 14–22. 14. Pseudomyllocerus canescens (Germar, 1823), male. 15. P. dorsalis (Mannerheim, 1825), male. 16. P. caucasicus (Stierlin, 1883), holotype male. 17. P. libycus (Magnano, 1975), allotype female. 18. P. fallax Stierlin, 1888, holotype female. 19. P. schneideri (Schilsky, 1911), male. 20. P. sinuatus (Fabricius, 1801), female. 21. P. neapolitanus (Pic, 1902), male. 22. P. thracicus sp. nov., paratype female (© C. Germann and K. Weissing).