Amasa cognatoi Sittichaya & Smith, 2022

Sittichaya, Wisut & Smith, Sarah M., 2022, New species and new records of Amasa Lea, 1894 ambrosia beetles from Thailand (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Xyleborini), Zootaxa 5196 (2), pp. 197-210 : 199-200

Amasa cognatoi Sittichaya & Smith sp. nov.

( Fig. 3 )

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:147EDD3A-7321-4CAB-824B-1967DE6C3FD3

Material examined. Holotype, female: THAILAND, Phang Nga Province, Sri Phang Nga National Park , 8°59′40.3″N 98°28′07.9″E, tropical rainforest, ethanol baited trap, 01.iv.2015, W. Sittichaya, (NHMW).

Diagnosis: 2.30 mm long (pronotal anterior margin to declivital summit 2.0 mm); 1.05× as long as wide. This species is easily distinguished by very short and stout form, pronotum approximately as long as elytra; pronotum round, type 1, when viewed dorsally, anterior margin serrate, procoxae moderately separated, declivity with long, erect hair-like setae.

Similar species: Amasa cylindrotomica (Schedl) .

Description (female). 2.30 mm long (pronotal anterior margin to declivital summit 2.0 mm); 1.05× as long as wide. Very stout, cylindrical, yellowish brown, pronotal anterior slope, near elytral lateral margin and declivity dark brown, elytra near declivital margin reddish brown.

Head. Epistoma entire, transverse, with row of hair-like setae. Frons weakly convex to upper level of eyes; median line between eyes flat, not impressed, vertically extended to epistoma, surface dull, impunctate, alutaceous, asperate; asperities longitudinal, sparse, inconspicuous, rounder and slightly denser above epistoma, increasing in size and length and decreasing in density dorsally and laterally. Frons sparsely covered with long very fine hairlike setae. Eyes deeply emarginate just above antennal insertion, upper part smaller than lower part. Submentum small triangular, deeply impressed. Antennal scape regularly thick, slightly shorter than club (1:1.2). Pedicel as wide as scape, shorter than funicle. Funicle 4-segmented, segment 1 shorter than pedicel. Club circular and flat without sutures, type 5, its margins present but softly pubescent. Pronotum. 1.0× as long as wide. In dorsal view short and rounded, type 1, sides subparallel in basal 1/2, rounded anteriorly and dorsally; anterior margin with a row of ten serrations. In lateral view basic, type 0, disc flat, summit approximately at midpoint. Anterior slope with very densely spaced, fine transverse asperities, becoming lower towards summit, bearing moderately long, fine, erect hair-like setae. Some longer hair-like setae at anterior and lateral margins. Disc shining, with very fine sparse punctures, glabrous. Lateral margins obliquely costate. Base transverse, posterior angles broadly rounded. Elytra. 1.0× as long as wide, 1.0× as long as pronotum. Scutellum moderately sized, broad, linguiform, flush with elytra, flat, shining. Elytral base broadly convex, edge carinate, humeral angles rounded, parallel-sided in basal 4/5, then sharply angulate to apex. Disc slightly ascending posteriorly, shining, sparsely covered with very fine and very short inconspicuous setae; striae and interstriae laterally diverging from base to declivital summit; striae small, shallowly impressed; interstriae flat, very fine and inconspicuous punctate, double as wide as striae. Declivity truncate, face slightly ascending posteriorly, circumdeclivital margins sharply carinate; face slightly convex, subshiny, covered with erect long setae; three striae present, strial punctures round, deeply impressed, approximately as large as on disc, punctures subcontiguous, each with a very short fine seta; interstriae impunctate, flat, interstriae 1–3 multiseriate granulate, each granule with a long erect hair-like seta, granules multiseriate, confused. Posterolateral margin forming a circumdeclivital carina; carina setose, setae short, erect, hair-like. Legs. Procoxae moderately separated, prosternal coxal piece flat, inconspicuous. Protibiae slender, triangular, broadest at apex; posterior face inflated, finely granulate; outer margin three and five small socketed denticles at apex, their length as long as basal width. Mesotibiae broad, triangular, broadest at apical 2/3, flattened, outer margins with eight small socketed denticles. Metatibiae broad, flattened, broadest at middle, outer margins evenly rounded, with ten small socketed denticles. Meso-and metatibiae posterior faces with inner part longitudinally inflated and bearing long fine setae, outer part flat, glabrous, unarmed; anterior faces finely granulate.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Dr. Anthony I. Cognato for his great contributions to modern Scolytinae taxonomy.

Distribution: THAILAND: Phang Nga Province.

Host plants. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Amasa cognatoi sp. nov. holotype A) dorsal view; B) lateral view; C) postero-lateral view; D) frons; E) venter and antennae.