Bondariella mimica Hustache & Bondar, 1942

Valente, Roberta De Melo & Júnior, Mariano Brandão Cordeiro, 2015, Revision of Bondariella Hustache & Bondar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), with descriptions of the first species from the Amazon and notes on natural history, Zootaxa 4018 (2), pp. 201-227 : 221-222

Bondariella mimica Hustache & Bondar, 1942

( Figs. 2 A, 3H–I, 7)

Bondariella mimica Hustache & Bondar, 1942 : in Bondar 1942: 21; Bondar 1943: 370 (natural history); Vaurie 1953: 26 (lectotype designation); Wibmer & O’Brien 1986: 316 (catalogue).

Male ( Figs. 2 A, 7). Length of pronotum + elytra: 2.1–2.4mm (N=10). Integument ( Fig. 2 A) dark reddish brown; thorax, head and rostrum reddish black; elytra generally darker on sutural interval and/or with a darker oval spot on basal 1/4 of intervals I–IV; covered by large yellowish spatulate scales. Rostrum ( Fig. 2 A) 0.9 times as long as pronotum, curved in lateral view. Antennae: antennal insertion premedian (0.4); scape 1.8 times as long as article I of funicle. Pronotum 1.2–1.4 times wider than long; disc with large and closely spaced punctures (distant by 0.5 times their own diameter); scales subequal in length throughout; median line not evident; collar not evident. Interprocoxal distance slightly shorter (0.9 times) than procoxal diameter. Femora and tibae lacking comb of setae. Elytra 1.3–1.4 times longer than wide; 2.2–2.4 times as long as pronotum; sutural interval with two rows of scales; remaining intervals with 2–3 rows of scales on base, becoming variously two rows toward apex. Abdominal tergites ( Fig. 7 A): laterotergites subdivided into four smaller sclerites; median fissure complete, reaching distal margin of tergite IV; tergite IV with lateral and median spiculate patches on median sclerites; tergite VII with two rows of plectra, each with seven distantly spaced plectra. Ventrites ( Fig. 7 B): I–II combined 2.0–2.3 times as long as III–IV combined; ventrite I 1.2–1.3 times as long as ventrite II; ventrite V transversally oblong, 3.3–3.5 times wider than long, flat, distal margin rounded, lacking tufts of scales. Sternum VIII ( Fig. 7 C): each sclerite semicircular, with six posteroventral setae. Spiculum gastrale ( Fig. 7 D) 2.0 times as long as median lobe; stylus curved and moderately wide; furcal arms sclerotized, elongate, narrowed, not clavate, slightly asymmetrical. Tegmen ( Fig. 7 E) sclerotized, 1.8 times as long as median lobe; dorsal parameroid lobes free (not connected medially on base), each parameroid lobe 0.6 times as long as median lobe, clothed with long setae on distal 1/3; ventral tegminal apodeme 0.8 times as long as median lobe, narrowed, elongate and reflexed dorsally. Aedeagus ( Fig. 7 F): median lobe elongate and narrow, 2.5 times longer than wide; apex rounded; lateral margins narrow; sides parallel; endophallus membranous, clothed with sparse spinules, lacking membranous bags of spinules; ostium evident, distal; orificial plates larger, subtriangular. Apodemes of aedeagus 1.7 times as long as median lobe, not sclerotized on basal ¼.

Female ( Fig. 2 A). Length of pronotum + elytra: 2.2–2.5mm (N=10). Differs from male by generic characters of the rostrum, scrobe, antennal scape, interocular distance and ventrite II (cited above). In addition, by rostrum ( Fig. 2 A) reddish brown, strongly curved; scrobe 0.2 times as long as rostrum; antennal insertion basal (0.1 times); scape shorter than article I of funicle (0.7 times). Body part ratios. Length rostrum/length pronotum: 0.8– 0.9 times; pronotum width/length: 1.4 times; elytron length/width: 1.3–1.5 times; length elytron/length pronotum: 2.2–2.4 times; interprocoxal distance/procoxal diameter: 0.9 times; length ventrite I/length ventrite II: 1.1–1.3 times; length ventrites I+II/length ventrites III+IV: 2.1–2.2 times; ventrite V width/length: 3.0–3.3 times.

Etymology. Named by Bondar (1942) in accordance to the names, Bondariella and Nicentrus mimicus (nomen nudum), suggested by Hustache (see introduction for details). The specific epithet mimica is adjective (feminine singular) from Latin ( mimicus ) signifying “imitative”.

Remarks. Bondariella mimica ( Fig. 2 A) is distinguished from other species of Bondariella by the body covered by large yellowish spatulate scales and the integument dark reddish brown, with thorax and head reddish black. Bondariella mimica can be similar to specimens of B. mucugeana with lighter integument but they can be distinguished each other by the characters discussed on remarks of B. mucugeana , besides in B. mimica lacking membranous bags of the spinules in the endophallus ( Fig. 7 F) and the elytra have a discrete darker oval basal spot ( Fig. 2 A). Finally, B. mimica has only been collected from Syagrus schizophylla while the remaining species of the genus have been collected from different palm species.

Natural history. Bondariella mimica is recorded from the Atlantic Forest biome, from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. As spelled in labels of the specimens, “Bahia, Bahia” means “ Salvador, Bahia”. Adults and larvae were collected on male flowers of Syagrus schizophylla , locally known as “licurioba” (Bondar 1942, 1943, cited as Cocos schizophylla Mart. ). Also adults mate, and larvae and adults feed and complete their life cycle between petals of male flowers from open inflorescences of S. schizophylla (Bondar 1942, 1943). Bondar was able to rear larvae of B. mimica in the laboratory, but larvae and pupae have not yet been described. In additional collections besides the type series, Bondariella mimica has only been recorded on flowers of S. schizophylla (for details, see natural history of Bondariella ).

Material examined. Lectotype male deposited in AMNH: “Bahia, Bahia,\ Brazil 2589 [label 1], Cocos schizophylla [label 2], ♂ [label 3], Gregorio Bondar\ Collection\ David Rockefeller\ Donor [label 4], Lectotype \ Bondariella \ mimica \ Hustache & Bondar\ P. Vaurie [label 5—rectangular, pink, print]”. Paralectotypes: “Bahia, Bahia\ Brazil [label 1], 2589 [label 2], Cotipo [label 3—rectangular, red, manuscript], Gregorio Bondar\ Collection\ David Rockefeller\ Donor [label 4]”( AMNH: 9♂, 9♀); “I–II–II [label 1—also not legible information, manuscript], Gregorio Bondar\ Collection\ David Rockefeller\ Donor [label 2]” ( AMNH: 2♂), “Cotipo [label 1— rectangular, red, print], 1942\ Bahia\ Salvador \ Bondar [label 2], Bondariella \ mimica Hust. e Bond.,\ cotipo 1942\ H. Reichardt det. 1962 [label 3]” ( MZUSP: 16♂ (1 dissected), 5♀).

Figures

FIGURE 2. Habitus of Bondariella: lectotype male (dorsal and lateral view) and paralectotype female (lateral view). A B. mimica (♂ 2.3 mm, ♀ 2.4 mm). B Bondariella rudicula sp. nov. (♂ 1.9 mm, ♀ 2.1 mm). C Bondariella crenata sp. nov. (♂ 2.1 mm, ♀ 2.1 mm).

FIGURE 7. Bondariella mimica, paralectotype male. A Tergites, dorsal aspect showing plectra. B Ventrites. C Sternum VIII, dorsal view. D Spiculum gastrale, dorsal view. E Tegmen, dorsal view. F Aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view. Scale bars: A – B, 200 µm; C – F (on same scale), 0.25 mm.