Leschenius, VULCANORUM (KIRSCH, 1889)

Río, María Guadalupe Del, Malvardi, Adriana Elena & Lanteri, Analia, 2012, Systematics and cladistics of a new Naupactini genus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae) from the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 166 (1), pp. 54-71 : 62-64

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2012.00833.x
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C31D0351-FFCB-FFE7-FF11-F91FFE0AFE6B
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Leschenius
status

Treatment

LESCHENIUS VULCANORUM (KIRSCH, 1889) View in CoL COMB. NOV. ( FIGS 1 View Figures 1–6 , 13–14 View Figures 13–24 , 25–26 View Figures 25–36 , 37 View Figures 37–42 , 51 View Figure 51 )

Canephorus vulcanorum Kirsch 1889: 17 View in CoL . Canephorulana vulcanorum: Strand 1943: 96 . Amitrus vulcanorum: Kuschel 1955: 277 . Asymmathetes vulcanorum: Kuschel in Wibmer & O’Brien 1986: 53.

Amphideritus brevis Oliff 1891: 68 .

Macrostylus brevis: Dalla Torre, Emden & Emden 1936: 14 .

Amitrus brevis: Kuschel 1955: 277 (syn. of vulcanorum Kuschel 1955: 277 ).

Asymmathetes brevis: Kuschel in Wibmer & O’Brien 1986: 53.

Amphideritus pigmaeus Oliff 1891: 68 .

Macrostylus pigmaeus: Dalla Torre, Emden & Emden 1936: 14 .

Amitrus pigmaeus: Kuschel 1955: 277 (syn. of vulcanorum Kuschel 1955: 277 ).

Asymmathetes pigmaeus: Kuschel in Wibmer & O’Brien 1986: 53.

Redescription: Female ( Fig. 1 View Figures 1–6 ). Species mediumsized (LB, 5.3–8.7 mm). Tegument visible, dark brown to reddish brown, shiny. Vestiture composed of disperse, pale ocher setae; sides of pronotum and margins of elytra (intervals 9–10) with moderately dense and wide, creamy setae, forming a stripe; these setae also present on distal third of femora. Rostrum very short ( Fig. 1 View Figures 1–6 ) (LR/WRa, 0.95), sides moderately convergent towards apex (WRb/WRa, 1.41–1.55), dorsum flat, foveolate–strigose with longitudinal wide striae; median groove wide, deep, reaching posterior margin of eyes. Epistome slightly depressed and punctuate. Eyes medium-sized and moderately convex. Frons foveolate–strigose, with longitudinal, wide, conspicuous striae. Vertex sparcely punctuate. Antennae ( Fig. 13 View Figures 13–24 ) of medium length (LB/LA, 1.9); scape exceeding posterior margin of eyes. Funicular article 2 about 1.21¥ as long as article 1, both elongated; funicular articles 3–5, 2¥ longer than wide, and funicular articles 6–7 as long as wide; club slightly fusiform (LC/WC, 2.42).

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 View Figures 1–6 ) slightly conical, moderately wider than long (WP/LP, 1.36); flanks moderately curved; disc foveolate–puncticulate; median groove absent; anterior margin slightly curved anteriad, slightly thickened; base slightly posteriorly ‘V’– shaped. S cutellum large, slightly elevated.

Elytra ( Fig. 1 View Figures 1–6 ) short (LE/WE, 1.38–1.49), with maximum width postmedian, slightly convex; base slightly curved backwards on middle; striae with medium-size punctures; striae 9–10 closer on posterior two-thirds; intervals slightly convex to flat, about as long as striae; apex acute, entire, not projected.

Legs. Procoxae almost at anterior margin of prosternum; protibiae with row of six or seven acute small denticles (on distal two-thirds of tibiae) and medium sized mucro; meso and metatibiae without denticles and with small mucro; metatibial apex with moderately broad corbel covered with disperse small cream scales; apical and dorsal combs subequal.

Abdomen ( Fig. 14 View Figures 13–24 ). Intercoxal portion of ventrite 1 broader than metacoxal cavities (1.15¥); ventrite 2 longer than ventrites 3 and 4 combined (1.26–1.37¥); posterior margin of ventrite 5 escavated; tergites I-VII membranose.

Terminalia . Sternite VIII ( Fig. 25 View Figures 25–36 ) with plate subrhomboidal, elongate tapering into an acute apex, with tuft of medium-sized and coarse setae, and shorter setae on apical third; ‘V’–shaped sclerotization with lateral arms reaching two-thirds of plate, and lateral borders sclerotized; apodeme 2.2–2.6¥ longer than plate. Ovipositor ( Fig. 26 View Figures 25–36 ) slightly shorter than ventrites 1–5 (0.78–0.84¥); without setae on sides of baculi; ventral baculi subparallel; styli wide, directed backwards. Spermathecal body ( Fig. 37 View Figures 37–42 ) subcylindrical, long; nodulus conical, short; ramus indistinct; cornu long; spermathecal duct ( Fig. 37 View Figures 37–42 ) short, as long as half of ovipositor (~ 1.6 mm), membranous, moderately wide.

Male: Unknown.

Variation

Specimens from Chimborazo have denser vestiture of setae on dorsum, shorter antennae, with funicular articles 1 and 2 less elongate, and articles 3–7 moniliform, the base of the pronotum is wider and the elytra are shorter than in the remaining specimens.

Comparative notes and diagnosis

This species is sister to the remaining species of the genus (cladogram Fig. 52 View Figure 52 ). It is easily distinguished from other congeners by possessing a shorter and less conical rostrum, with sides not thickened and elevated, longer antennae, elytral apex not projected, and corbels of metatibiae moderately broad and squamose.

Type material

The type material of Canephorus vulcanorum Kirsch, 1889 , Amphideritus brevis Oliff, 1891 , and Amphideritus pigmaeus Oliff, 1891 , was not available for examination. However, we studied specimens from Kuschel’s collection, identified by the specialist G. Kuschel by comparison with types that justify the synonymy given by the author in 1955.

Material examined

No data, Amphid. brevis Olliff (1♀ NZAC). COLOM- BIA. Nariño: Pasto , 1–XII–1958, A. Unigarro, en coles (1♀ NZAC). ECUADOR. Carchi: El Angel , 1–I–1931 (5♀♀ NZAC). Chimborazo: NW Chimborazo, 4000 m, 1–XI–1977, Luis Peña col. (1♀ HAHC), 10–11–XI- 1977 (1♀ MLPC, 1♀ HAHC); Riobamba, 3–VII–1905, F. Ohaus G. col., unter Steinen (1♀ NZAC). Cotopaxi: Cotopaxi, 4300–5000 m., III–1965, N. y J. Leleup col., preire alpine (1♀ NZAC); 13 km S. Latacunga, along PanAm, 2600 m, 3-X–1977, G. Noonan & Moffett col., under clumps soil and grass, rock debris in field with green short grass (4♀♀ CWOB); 45 km W. Latacunda, 1–V-1978, O’Brien & Marshall col., under stones (4♀♀ CWOB). Pichincha: N. du Cayambe, Andes contrefort, 3600 m, IV–1965, N. y J. Leleup, prairies alpin, sous pierres (5♀♀ NZAC); Conocoto, 2000 m, III–1965, N. y J. Leleup, sous pierres (1♀ NZAC). Tungurahua: Ambato, 31–III–1931, brevis Olliff comp. c. typo Kuschel 1954 (6♀♀ NZAC), 2600 m, II–1956, Foerster leg. (1♀ NZAC) .

Distribution: Colombia (Nariño) and Ecuador (Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, Pichincha y Tungurahua), between 2600 and 5000 m a.s.l.

Biology: The life cycle of L. vulcanorum comb. nov. was studied in laboratory conditions by Garza. The species was misidentified in the article as Naupactus sp. (2007) . She reported that it lasted 319 days from egg until initiation of adult oviposition. The larvae damage tubers, roots, and underground stems of potato grown at higher altitudes. They live freely in the soil, boring the roots and externally biting the potato tubers. The females start oviposition 35 days after emergence. The eggs are laid in clusters of 18–60, they are oval, with smooth chorion, arranged in two layers, and covered with a crystalline substance that sticks them to each other and to the substrate. During their development the eggs change from white or crystalline to yellow.

Males are unknown for L. vulcanorum comb. nov., and according to the laboratory breeding experiments, virgin females are able to oviposit: in this case, the species would be parthenogenetic.

Host plants and habitat

Leschenius vulcanorum View in CoL comb. nov. was found under soil, grass, or in cracks in the prairies of the Andes, and in association with the cabbage Brassica oleracea (Brassicaceae) View in CoL and with the potato Solanum tuberosum (Solanaceae) View in CoL . It is considered a pest of potato in Colombia, and is known as ‘Potato shooter’ ( Canchala, 1992; Peña, 2001). Major damage was reported in south-western Colombia, in Nariño province.

Remarks

Leschenius vulcanorum comb. nov. shares some characters with species of other genera related to Leschenius . For this reason it was previously assigned to Amitrus (= Canephorus = Canephorulana ), Amphideritus , Macrostylus , and Asymmathetes . Because of its general appearance, mainly with regards to body shape and vestiture, it resembles Amphideritus chilensis (Kuschel, 1949) , but is easily distinguished by its short conical rostrum, with sides slightly curved, narrow and depressed epistome, pre-epistome well developed, and by procoxae widely separated.