Coptoborus newt, Smith & Cognato, 2021

Smith, Sarah M. & Cognato, Anthony I., 2021, A revision of the Neotropical genus Coptoborus Hopkins (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae, Xyleborini), ZooKeys 1044, pp. 609-720 : 609

Coptoborus newt sp. nov. Figure 11A-C, M

Type material.

Holotype, female, Peru: Madre de Dios Dept., Los Amigos Biological Station, CM2, GPS 12.4492°S, 70.2517°W, Smith, Hulcr, 17-18.v.2008, sample Peru 96c 9.1 cm diameter branch (MUSM). Paratypes, female, as holotype (MSUC, 1; MUSM, 1; NHMUK, 1; NMNH, 1); Loreto Pr., nr. jct. Rio Maranon & Ucayali, 4.8°S, 73.5°W, 6-20-VIII-1994, P. Skelley, flight trap (FSCA, 1).

Diagnosis.

1.7 mm (mean = 1.7 mm; n = 4), 2.83 × as long as wide. This species is distinguished by the elytral apex attenuate and weakly emarginate, declivital interstriae 2 denticulate along entire length, denticles as numerous but smaller than those of interstriae 1, posterolateral margin of declivity costate, armed with two large denticles, and declivital slope gradual.

Similar species.

C. amplissimus , C. catulus , C. incomptus , C. scully .

Description

(female). 1.7 mm (mean = 1.7 mm; n = 4), 2.83 × as long as wide (holotype 1.7 mm, 2.83 × as long as wide). Body light brown, elytra darker, antennae and legs lighter. Head: epistoma smooth. Frons strongly shiny, finely punctate, setose; each puncture bearing a long, erect hair-like seta. Eyes narrowly and deeply emarginate. Submentum large, triangular, slightly impressed. Antennal scape short and thick, as long as club. Pedicel shorter than funicle. Club circular, flat, type 3; segment 1 corneous, transverse on anterior face, occupying basal ~1/3; segment 2 narrow, transverse, corneous; segments 1 and 2 present on posterior face. Pronotum: 1.0 × as long as wide. In dorsal view basic and parallel-sided, type 2, sides parallel in basal 3/4, rounded anteriorly; anterior margin without serrations. In lateral view elongate, disc longer than anterior slope, type 7, summit prominent, on anterior 5/7. Anterior slope with densely spaced, broad fine asperities, becoming lower and more strongly transverse towards summit. Disc strongly shiny with sparse, minute punctures, some longer hair-like setae at margins. Lateral margins obliquely costate. Elytra: 1.8 × as long as wide, 1.8 × as long as pronotum. Scutellum minute. Elytra attenuate, parallel-sided in basal 73%, then acutely rounded to apex, apex weakly emarginate. Disc smooth, shiny; striae minutely punctate, glabrous; interstriae flat, sparsely, minutely punctate, unarmed, each puncture bearing a long, erect seta. Declivity gradually rounded, occupying ~1/3 of elytra, smooth, shiny, declivital face convex; striae not impressed, strial punctures larger, deeper than those of disc, each puncture bearing a semi-recumbent seta as long as two punctures, striae 1 parallel to suture; interstriae flat, interstriae 1 and 3 each with 4-5 and 5-7 respectively, subequal, uniformly spaced small denticles, interstriae 2 with a row of minute denticles, denticles on interstriae 2 much smaller than those of interstriae 1 or 3, interstrial setae moderately dense thick erect bristle-like, interstriae 1 with an additional sparse row of slightly shorter setae. Posterolateral margin of declivity costate, armed with two large denticles. Legs: protibiae semi-circular with evenly rounded outer margin, broadest at apical 1/3; apical 1/2 of outer margin with seven large, socketed denticles, their length longer than basal width. Meso- and metatibiae flattened; outer margin evenly rounded with seven large, socketed denticles.

Etymology.

Portrayed by Carrie Henn, Newt (Rebecca Jordan) is the sole survivor of the Xenomorph infestation of the colony on LV-426 in ‘Aliens’ (1986). Noun in apposition.

Distribution.

Peru (Loreto, Madre de Dios).

Biology.

The species was collected from a 9.1 cm diameter branch of an unidentified tree.

Figures

Figure 11. Dorsal, lateral, frontal and declivital view of Coptoborus newt holotype, 1.7 mm (A-C, M), C. nudulus, 2.3 - 2.4 mm (D-F, N), C. obtusicornis, 3.0 - 3.4 mm (G-I, O), C. ochromactonus, paratype, 2.5 - 2.6 mm (J-L, P). All photographs by SMS.