Miloderes amargosensis Van Dam and O’Brien, 2015

Van Dam, Matthew H. & O’Brien, Charles W., 2015, Review of the genus Miloderes Casey, 1888 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), with desciptions of three new species, Zootaxa 4006 (2), pp. 247-284 : 271-272

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4006.2.2
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B7A45EAC-D817-47BF-A284-731FEF2B8F8C
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5661864
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C15787EF-E93D-FFF6-FF08-F98B8293FD7F
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Miloderes amargosensis Van Dam and O’Brien
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Miloderes amargosensis Van Dam and O’Brien View in CoL , sp. nov.

( Figs. 1–5 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 F, 8B, D)

Description. Body clothed in long dense setae. Head with scales on frons convex. Pronotum with one central vitta, lateral margins strongly convex. Elytra with blue pattern, gray and brown pattern to blue and brown pattern. Legs with front tibial shape flat expanded, tibial brush elongate; hind tibial apex truncate. Median lobe curved. Endophallus with basal lobe not recurved and distended, dorsal lobe not present, distal projection absent, endophallus terminal not recurved, median ventral lobe absent, middle thick, ventral apical lobe absent, subapical lobe resting on posterior dorsal surface, transfer apparatus not sclerotized or absent. Spermatheca with basal lobes of relatively equal lengths.

HOLOTYPE, (male): NV: Nye Co. sand dunes in Amargosa Desert, 6 April 1973, Derham Giuliani coll. ( CAS). Specimens examined. PARATYPES: NV: Nye Co.: sand dunes in Amargosa Desert, 6 April 1973, Derham Giuliani coll. (5 CAS) [N36.641971, W-116.569667]; Amargosa Desert, “Big Dune”, 1 May 1973, R. McPeak coll. (1 CAS); Big Dune, 28 April 1975, F.G. Andrews and A.R. Hardy coll. (9 CDFA); 29-30 April 1982, L.G. Bezark, cereal bowl trap (1 CWOB); same location: 6 April 1973, Derham Giuliani coll. (11 CDFA); 16 April 1974, Derham Giuliani coll. (25 CDFA, 2 CMNC); E Lathrop, 15 April 1974, Derham Giuliani coll. (2 CDFA); Amargosa Desert, April 1973, Derham Giuliani coll. (2 CDFA); 7 mi. E Lathrop, Amargosa River Sand Dunes, under Larrea , 24 February 1980, D.G. Kissinger coll. (1 CDFA); Big Dune, E Lathrop, 21-22 March 1985, Derham Giuliani coll. (12 CDFA); E. side Big Dune, 75 m. Sand Dune-Creosote Scrub, 16-17April 1978, sifting, Rolf Aalbu Coll. (1 CWOB).

Distribution. ( Fig. 19 View FIGURE 19 ) This species is endemic to the “Big Dune” of the Amargosa Valley, Nevada.

Etymology. This epithet is designated to reflect the geographic location of this species found only in the Amargosa Valley.

Intra- and interspecific morphological variation. Miloderes amargosensis is most similar to M. tingi but differs markedly in the endophallus lacking a ventrobasal lobe and the pronotum having a dark central vitta. The shape of the rostrum is also squarer than in M. tingi . Little color variation is seen in this species with some individuals having a more blue gray color pattern to brown.