Asphalmus japonicus Sharp, 1896

Borovec, Roman, 2010, A taxonomic study of Eastern Palaearctic Omiini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (2), pp. 577-594 : 585-587

Asphalmus japonicus Sharp, 1896

( Figs. 8‒13 , 24 )

Asphalmus japonicus Sharp, 1896: 95 .

Asphalmus japonicus: WINKLER (1932: 1452) ; LONA (1938: 507); ALONSO- ZARAZAGA & LYAL (1999: 166); KOJIMA & MORIMOTO (2004: 124); BOROVEC (2006: 26).

Type material examined. Seven specimens of the species were examined from the Sharp collection ( BMNH), one of them was labelled as the lectotype, two as paralectotypes (see BOROVEC (2006) for details).

Redescription. Body length (rostrum excluded): 3.62‒4.06 mm.

Body dark brownish, antennae and legs reddish brown. Elytral intervals with 4–5 irregular rows of semiadherent, grey, piliform setae as long as a third to a quarter of width of interval. Pronotum and head scarcely and indistinctly covered by the same adherent setae as elytra, pronotal setae transversally directed to midline ( Fig. 24 ). Antennae and legs with scarce, adherent, brown piliform setae, only antennal funicle and inner edge of tibiae with semiadherent ones.

Rostrum 1.37‒1.40 times as wide as long, at base equally as wide as at the apex and 1.05‒1.07 times as wide as in median narrowest part. Rostrum short, in basal half indistinctly tapered anteriorly, in apical half strongly enlarged with strongly rounded sides, correspondingly arched as lateral margins of scrobes. Epifrons distally strongly tapered, with strongly concave sides, at rostral base about as wide as a quarter of rostral width in the same place. Frons large, U-shaped, curved ventrally, slightly angular in lateral view, reaching posterior border of pit-shaped scrobes, matt, with fine microsculpture, finely and densely punctate, shallowly depressed. Epifrons elevated as compared to the rostrum, the latter separated from the rest of the head by a wide, shallow transversal furrow. Interocular space with small but deep fovea in the middle. Rostrum in lateral view strongly vaulted. Scrobes in dorsal view visible and open, in lateral view large, dorsal border subparallel with dorsal border of rostrum, directly visible above the eye, ventral border directed towards the middle of the eye. Eyes large, strongly convex, protruding from the outline of the head. Head tapered anteriad ( Figs. 8, 9 ). Head and rostrum matt, finely and densely punctate, distance between punctures strikingly shorter than their diameter.

Antennae slender, in males somewhat more so than in females. Antennal scape short, strongly curved in the middle of its length, regularly enlarged to apex and here equally wide as antennal club. Antennomere 1 in males 1.7 times as long as wide and shorter than antennomere 2, 2.2–2.3 times as long as wide; antennomeres 3–6 isodiametric; antennomere 7 1.1 times as wide as long. Antennomere 1 in females 1.4 times as long as wide and shorter than antennomere 2, twice as long as wide; antennomeres 3‒5 isodiametric; antennomere 6 1.1‒1.2 times as wide as long; antennomere 7 1.2‒1.3 times as wide as long.

Pronotum slender, 1.03‒1.06 times as wide as long, regularly vaulted, with regularly rounded sides, widest just behind the middle ( Figs. 10, 11 ). Dorsal surface matt, irregularly, but very finely and densely punctate. Distance between punctures strikingly shorter than their diameter, with very small and fine punctures between larger punctures ( Fig. 24 ).

Scutellum very small, hardly visible.

Elytra long-oval, in males more slender than in females (in males 1.51‒1.55 times, in females 1.36‒1.39 times as long as wide), widest in midlength ( Figs. 10, 11 ). Striae wide, distinctly punctate, in dorsal part only indistinctly narrower than strongly elevated intervals ( Fig. 24 ).

All femora dentate. Dent of profemur in males small, triangular, somewhat larger than tooth at internal angle of protibia. Dent on metafemur half as large as the dent on the profemur. Dents of the profemur in females very small, on metafemur hardly visible. Protibia slender and very long, strongly enlarged mesally and straight laterally, apex rounded with a fringe of very short, fine, yellow setae and with one tooth at internal angle. Mesal edge of protibia sinuate with scarce, long erect setae. All tarsi in females more slender than in males, in both sexes protarsi more robust than metatarsi. In males protarsomere 2 1.4 times as wide as long; protarsomere 3 1.4‒1.5 times as wide as long and 1.4‒1.5 times as wide as protarsomere 2; ungular tarsomere as long as protarsomere 3. Metatarsomere 2 1.3 times as wide as long; metatarsomere 3 1.3‒1.4 times as wide as long and 1.4 times as wide as metatarsomere 2; ungular metatarsomere 1.1 times as long as metatarsomere 3. In females protarsomere 2 1.3 times as wide as long; protarsomere 3 1.4‒1.5 times as wide as long and 1.5 times as wide as protarsomere 2; ungular tarsomere 1.3‒1.4 times as long as protarsomere 3. Metatarsomere 2 1.3 times as wide as long; metatarsomere 3 1.4 times as wide as long and 1.5 times as wide as metatarsomere 2; ungular metatarsomere 1.5 times as long as metatarsomere 3.

Male genitalia. Very long and slender, in ventral view very feebly, regularly tapered apically, apex in short distance regularly pointed, triangular. In lateral view aedeagus regularly curved and at apex tapered apically ( Fig. 13 ).

Female genitalia. Plate of sternum 8 narrow, about triangular. Ramus of spermatheca somewhat longer and narrower than nodulus.

Differential diagnosis. Asphalmus japonicus is very similar to A. ovatus . It is very easily distinguishable from it by having rostrum short, equally wide at the base and at the apex, frons and pronotum matt, pronotum densely and finely punctured, scutellum hardly visible and aedeagus symmetrical.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Russian Far East, Japan, Korea.

Figures

Figs. 1–13. 1–7 – Yunakovius orientalis gen. & sp. nov., holotype. 1 – head and rostrum, dorsal view; 2 – head and rostrum, lateral view (scale = 0.50 mm); 3 – pronotum and elytra in female, dorsal view (scale = 1.00 mm); 4 – abdominal ventrites (scale = 1.00 mm); 5 – spermatheca (scale = 0.25 mm); 6 – ovipositor (scale = 0.25 mm); 7 – sternum 8 in female (scale = 0.50 mm). 8–13 – Asphalmus japonicus Sharp, 1896, Japan. 8 – head and rostrum, dorsal view; 9 – head and rostrum, lateral view (scale = 0.50 mm); 10 – pronotum and elytra in male, dorsal view; 11 – pronotum and elytra in female, dorsal view (scale = 1.00 mm); 12 – abdominal ventrites (scale = 1.00 mm); 13 – aedeagus, ventral and lateral view (scale = 0.25 mm).

Figs. 23–26. Habitus. 23 – Yunakovius orientalis gen. & sp. nov. (paratype ♀, 3.1 mm, ZIN); 24 – Asphalmus japonicus Sharp, 1896 (♂, 3.8 mm, BMNH); 25 – A. ovatus (Sharp, 1896) (♂, 3.4 mm, BMNH); 26 – A. sharpi sp. nov. (holotype ♂, 3.0 mm, BMNH).