Koreguajus Anderson and Bermúdez Higinio, 2022

Anderson, Robert S. & Higinio, María Fernanda Bermúdez, 2022, Koreguajus antennatus Anderson and Bermúdez Higinio, a new genus and new species of Sphenophorina (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae; Rhynchophorini) from Colombia, Zootaxa 5190 (4), pp. 595-600 : 595-596

Koreguajus Anderson and Bermúdez Higinio , new genus

( Figs. 1–9 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:35883BC3-E292-4408-BC78-F19181CE5BED

Type species. Koreguajus antennatus Anderson and Bermúdez Higinio , new species, here designated.

Description. Length 12.8 mm, width 5.7 mm, female. Color black to dark red-brown. Integument dull dorsally, glossy ventrally, finely punctate throughout. Punctures each bearing a short seta, surrounded by dense, golden micropilosity except on elytral disc and ventrally on middle of metasternum and ventrites 1 and 2. Rostrum in dorsal view with apex rounded, buccal region not exposed. Antenna inserted in deep fovea anterior to eye, separated from eye by about width of funicle, all antennomeres including scape and club tightly connected; scape about as long as length of funicle and club combined; all antennomeres including club subequal in width, scape slightly wider; funicle with 6 antennomeres, club with basal portion almost fully obscuring apical circular (in apical view) pilose portion that is not visible in lateral view. Mandibles about as tall as wide. Postmentum elongate-narrow; peduncle rounded, not prominent ventrally. Pronotum large, elongate, disk flat; lateral margins subparallel throughout basal 3/5 of length, sharply convergent to apex; basal margin rounded at middle. Elytra broad, slightly rounded dorsally; intervals of uniform width, striae deeply impressed. Scutellum triangular, widest at or near base. Procoxae placed far posteriorly, separated from mesocoxae by about onehalf width of procoxa, separated by about one-half width of antennal club; mesocoxae separated by about width of mesocoxa; metacoxae widely separated by about twice width of metacoxa. Prosternum flat, long, posterior margin of prosternum emarginate medially. Mesosternal process flat, emarginate at apex; lateral thoracic sclerites large and fully exposed, mesepimeron ascending. Metasternum long, distance between meso- and metacoxae about twice width of a metacoxa. Metanepisternum narrowed distally. Pygidium exposed, oblique in orientation, more horizontal than vertical, prolonged apically; flat, punctate throughout, densely micropilose. Legs with tibial apex with large inwardly directed straight tooth, inner margin also with subapical smaller tooth; outer apical margin rounded; femoral-tibial articulation with ventrally directed femoral flanges widened apically, forming apical brackets. Tarsus with tarsomeres short, robust, all dorsally micropilose, tarsomere 1 subequal in length to tarsomere 3, each slightly longer than tarsomere 2; width of tarsomere 3 about 1.5 times width of tarsomere 2, apical margin medially emarginate; tarsomere 5 (claw-bearing) robust, extended slightly beyond apices of lobes of tarsomere 3; tarsomeres 1–3 slightly wider than long. Tarsal claws very small, somewhat robust, separate. Genitalia of female not examined. Male unknown.

Derivation of generic name: The genus is named Koreguajus in honor of the Coreguajes, an indigenous community that lives in the department of Caquetá. Its name translates as “the people of the land”. This name is masculine in gender.

Comments. The new genus is characterized largely by the odd structure of the antennae ( Figs. 1 , 5 ). Whereas almost all Dryophthorinae have the antennal club much wider than the funicle and thus distinct, in this species the funicular antennomeres are subequal in width to the club such that the club is not distinct from the rest of the antenna. The robust, dorsally micropilose tarsomeres are also distinctive ( Figs. 7–9 ).

The triangular scutellum ( Fig. 2 ), distally narrowed metanepisternum ( Fig. 3 ) and form of the femoral-tibial articulation ( Fig. 4 ) would place this genus in the Sphenophorina ( Chamorro et al. 2020) . Relationships to other genera are not known.

Natural History. No details are known about the natural history of this species.

Revisions to keys. Vaurie (1967) included a key to the genera of Rhynchophorini (excluding Rhynchophorina) of the New World. Anderson (2002) presented a key to the Dryophthorinae (as Dryophthoridae ) of Costa Rica and Panama, which included some changes to the generic level taxonomy but did not include any South American genera. Here we modify both keys for the inclusion of Koreguajus by the insertion of the following couplet at the start of the key prior to couplet 1 in Vaurie (1967) and prior to couplet 16 in Anderson (2002).

- Antenna with the funicular antennomeres tightly connected, wider than long, subequal in width and subequal in width to that of club ( Fig. 5 ); club not distinct from funicle, apical pilose area circular in apical view, not or barely visible in lateral view ( Figs. 5–6 ); tarsi with tarsomeres robust, tightly connected, not petiolate basally ( Figs. 7–9 ); tarsomere 5 only slightly projecting beyond lobes of tarsomere 3 ( Figs. 7–9 ); tarsomeres dorsally covered with dense, golden micropilosity, which also covers almost the entire body including appendages ( Figs. 1–3 )................... Koreguajus Anderson and Bermúdez Higinio

- Antenna with the funicular antennomeres loosely connected, longer than wide to wider than long but much narrower in width to that of club; club distinct from funicle, apical pilose area generally ½ to 1/3 length of club, rarely visible as a small apical patch; tarsi with tarsomeres more elongate, loosely connected, petiolate basally; tarsomere 5 projecting well beyond lobes of tarsomere 3; tarsomeres dorsally glabrous or nearly so; body including appendages with at most scattered tufts of dense, golden micropilosity.............................................................1 ( Vaurie 1967); 16 Anderson (2002)

Figures

FIGURES 1–3. Koreguajus antennatus. 1, Lateral habitus, female. 2, Dorsal habitus, female. 3, Ventral habitus, female.

FIGURES 4–6. Koreguajus antennatus. 4, frontal view of head, female. 5, lateral view of antenna, female. 6, apical view of antennal club (inset), female.

FIGURES 7–9. Koreguajus antennatus. 7, prothoracic leg, female. 8, mesothoracic leg, female. 9, metathoracic leg, female.