Zimmiodes, Hsiao & Oberprieler, 2024

Hsiao, Yun & Oberprieler, Rolf G., 2024, An integrative taxonomic and phylogenetic approach reveals a new genus of Australasian Cycas-pollinating weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cossoninae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (Zool. J. Linn. Soc.) 202 (2), pp. 1-22 : 5-7

Zimmiodes gen. nov.

( Figs 1 , 3–13 )

LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8E098942-8DEE-43A6-B547-C7BF03901B46

Type species: Zimmiodes australis sp. nov., by present designation.

Diagnosis

Zimmiodes can be distinguished from other genera of Pentarthrini by the combination of the following characters: body elongate oval, entirely reddish to blackish brown and glabrous; rostrum moderately long, as long as pronotum ( Fig. 3A, B ); eyes large and strongly prominent ( Fig. 3A, B ); funicles with segment 2 slightly longer than or as long as segment 1 ( Fig. 3C ); pronotum roundly trapezoidal ( Fig. 3D, E ); elytral interstriae costate on declivity, with costae 4 and 5 not joined apically, 9 apically callose; suture between abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 laterally barely visible ( Fig. 3G, H ); temones confluent anteriorly and joined ventrally to body of penis ( Fig. 12 ).

Zimmiodes differs from the similar genera Cossonideus ( Zimmerman, 1992: plate 386) and Pacindonus (Supporting Information, Appendix S3) in having the apical margin of tergite VIII only sparsely fringed with short setae ( Fig. 5C ) (not with long and dense cilia), from Cossonideus ( Cossonideus pascoei Wollaston ) further in possessing sclerolepidia and from Pacindonus further in having slanting plates of sternite VIII in the male and, in the female, a longer, slender spermatheca, with the insertions of duct and gland close together ( Figs 11 , 13 ). Zimmiodes is also externally similar to the Tychiodes group ( Tang et al. 2020: fig. 2; Hsiao et al. 2023: fig. 2; Supporting Information, Appendix S4) but readily distinguishable from it by its male genitalia, with the temones being anteriorly confluent ( Fig. 12 ) (separate in the Tychiodes group).

Description

Adult: Body small, slender and elongate, length ~3.0 mm in both sexes, width ~0.4× length. Body and legs brown, lustrous, glabrous. Rostrum moderately long ( Fig. 3A, B ). Eyes subcircular, convex and strongly protruding laterally ( Fig. 3A, B ), dorsally widely separated, with forehead as wide as basal width of rostrum; ventrally widely separated, as wide as distance between procoxae. Antennae inserted behind middle of rostrum; funicles five-segmented, segments stout and short ( Fig. 3C ); clubs stout and short, distinctly shorter than funicles. Pronotum roundly trapezoidal, nearly as wide as elytra at humeri, sides moderately narrowing anteriorly ( Fig. 3D, E ); surface densely and distinctly punctate, with elongate longitudinal apunctate ridge medially. Prothorax without ocular lobes; procoxal cavities widely separated; prosternellum absent; intermesocoxal process absent; metanepisterna with sclerolepidia; metaventrite flattened, without median pit, discrimen present ( Fig. 3F ). Elytra slender and elongate, jointly ~0.5× as broad as long, sides subparallel, weakly narrowing apicad; disc weakly convex, elytral derm deeply and coarsely punctostriate, without well-developed tubercles; interstriae faintly convex on disc but prominently bluntly costate on declivity, with costae 1–4 extending to elytral apex (4 kinked and sometimes interrupted where it approaches 5), 5 short, not joined to 4, 6 shorter than 5, 7 longer but not reaching apex, 8 about as short as 6, 9 stronger and reaching apex, there callose but not flared, 10 about as short as 8. Abdomen flattened and elongate, suture between ventrites 1 and 2 weakly developed laterally ( Fig. 3G, H ). Femora without ventral tooth; tibiae with well-developed premucro and uncus; meso- and metatibiae without distal setal comb ( Fig. 4 ). Terminalia: tergite VII of male roundly trapezoidal ( Fig. 5A ), of female semicircular ( Fig. 5B ), in both sexes with apical margin densely covered with short setae; tergite VIII of male subquadrate, with apical margin rounded to medially protruding, sparsely covered with short setae ( Fig. 5C ), of female semicircular, with apical margin sparsely covered with short setae ( Fig. 5D ); rectal valve in the form of an elongate loop

Cycas -pollinating weevils in Australasia • 7 ( Fig. 5E ); penis thick, temones anteriorly confluent and joined to body of penis ventrally ( Fig. 12 ); ovipositor ( Fig. 13 ) short, gonocoxites elongate, narrow, styli apical, subcylindrical, with apical tufts of sparse setae, bursa copulatrix with a pair of long, narrow ventral sclerites, spermatheca evenly narrow, insertions of duct and gland close together, duct inserted ventroterminally in bursa, gland elongate, almost as long as spermatheca.

Larva: Head pale orange ( Fig. 6 ). Body of nearly equal width throughout, with very short brown setae.

Pupa: Setae yellowish brown, very short, tapering, mounted on small tubercles ( Fig. 7A, B ); pterothecae striate, with interstriae convex; pseudocerci short, with subcylindrical apex, darkening apicad, without associated setae ( Fig. 7C ).

Derivation of name

The genus name is dedicated to the late Dr Elwood Curtin Zimmerman (1912–2004), former weevil taxonomist at the ANIC, who is renowned for his invaluable works on Australian weevils; the gender of the name is masculine.

Figures

Figure 1. Zimmiodes australis and host plants in the field.A, Cycas media banksii in northern Queensland. B, weevils aggregating among sporophylls of male cone of Cycas media banksii. C, ditto, male cone of Cycas maconochiei. D, weevil, enlarged. E, weevil preparing to fly, showing well-developed hindwings.F, larva tunnelling and feeding in microsporophyll of Cycas maconochiei. G, pupa in pupation chamber in microsporophyll of Cycas maconochiei.

Figure 3. Diagnostic external characters of Zimmiodes. A, head, dorsal view. B, head, ventral view. C, right antenna. D, pronotum, dorsal view. E, pronotum, ventral view.F, meso- and metaventrite. G, abdomen, male. H, abdomen, female. Scale bars: 0.50 mm in A, B, D–H; 0.20 mm in C.

Figure 4. Diagnostic external characters of Zimmiodes. A, foreleg, male. B, foreleg, female.C, midleg, male.D, midleg, female. E, hindleg, male. F, hindleg, female. Scale bars: 0.20 mm.

Figure 5. Terminalia of Zimmiodes. A, tergite VII, male.B, tergite VII, female.C, tergite VIII, male.D, tergite VIII, female.E, female terminalia. Scale bars: 0.20 mm.

Figure 6. Habitus of final-instar larva of Zimmiodes australis, lateral view. Scale bar: 1.00 mm.

Figure 7. Pupa of Zimmiodes australis. A,habitus, ventral view.B, habitus, dorsal view.C, pseudocerci.Scale bars: 1.00mm in A, B; 0.20 mm in C.

Figure 8. Habitus of Zimmiodes, dorsal view. A, Zimmiodes australis, male, holotype.B, Z. australis, female, paratype. C, Zimmiodes papuanus, male, holotype.D, Z. papuanus, female, paratype. Scale bars: 1.00 mm.

Figure 9. Habitus of Zimmiodes, lateral view. A, Zimmiodes australis, male, holotype. B, Z. australis, female, paratype. C, Zimmiodes papuanus, male, holotype. D, Z. papuanus, female, paratype. Scale bars: 1.00 mm.

Figure 10. Diagnostic differences of antennae and forelegs of Zimmiodes australis and Zimmiodes papuanus. A, Z. australis, right antenna. B, Z. papuanus, right antenna. C, Z. australis, foreleg of male.D, Z. papuanus, foreleg of male.Scale bars: 0.20 mm.

Figure 11.Terminalia ofZimmiodes. A, Zimmiodes australis, sternite VIII,male.B,Zimmiodes papuanus, sternite VIII,male.C,Z.australis, sternite VIII,female.D, Z.papuanus, sternite VIII, female.E,Z. australis, spiculumgastrale.F,Z. papuanus, spiculum gastrale.Scale bars:0.20 mm.

Figure 12. Male genitalia (aedeagus) of Zimmiodes. A, Zimmiodes australis, dorsal view. B, Z. australis, ventral view.C, Z. australis, lateral view. D, Zimmiodes papuanus, dorsal view.E, Z. papuanus, ventral view.F, Z. papuanus, lateral view. Scale bar: 0.20 mm.

Figure 13. Female genitalia of Zimmiodes. A, Zimmiodes australis, ovipositor.B, Z. australis, spermatheca with gland. C, Zimmiodes papuanus, ovipositor.D, Z. papuanus, spermatheca with gland.Scale bars: 0.20 mm.