Ernobius vinolasi Novoa & Baselga, 2000

Novoa, Francisco & Baselga, Andrés, 2000, A New Species Of Ernobius Thomson (Coleoptera: Anobiidae: Ernobiinae) From The Cíes Islands, Spain, The Coleopterists Bulletin 54 (3), pp. 403-407 : 403-406

Ernobius vinolasi Novoa & Baselga , new species

( Figs. 1–4 )

Type Series. Holotype male: Spain. Isla de San Martín, Vigo ( Pontevedra ), U.T.M. 29TNG0872, collected by F. Novoa on 13 July 1997, 10 m altitude. Deposited in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain (number 8634 in the Catalogue of Type Material) . Paratype male: same data as holotype. Deposited in the collection of the Departamento de Biología Animal, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain .

Diagnosis. Antennomeres 6–8 together longer than 9 ( Fig. 2 ). Sides of the pronotum explanate ( Fig. 1 ). Dorsal surface of tarsomere 4 with the apical excavation occupying two­thirds of the length of tarsomere ( Fig. 3 ). Aedeagus characteristic, with median lobe provided with a subapical spine and left paramere hooked at apex ( Fig. 4 ).

Description. Length 3.5–4.0 mm. Ground colour dark brown, with antennae, palps, legs, sides of pronotum and suture and apex of elytra paler. Body covered with long, depressed pubescence. Head, pronotum and elytra covered with conspicuously umbilicate, circular granules, the surface of cuticle among granules shiny but slightly wrinkled. Wings fully developed.

Head: transverse with protruding eyes; distance between the internal border of eyes half the width of head, eyes included; antennomeres 6–8 together longer than 9; antennomere 9 at least twice the length of 8 ( Fig. 2 ).

Pronotum: transverse, 1.5 times as broad as long; hind angles angularly curved; base finely marginated, narrower than elytra over shoulders. Sides of the pronotum clearly explanate and somewhat flattened almost up to the front angles.

Elytra 1.8 times as long as wide, its greatest width in posterior third.

Dorsal surface of tarsal segment 4 with the apical excavation extending two­thirds of the length of the segment ( Fig. 3 ). Tarsomere 5 long and slender, with the protruding part beyond segment 4 three times its greatest breadth in length.

Aedeagus with median lobe asymmetrical, flattened at apex, provided with a subapical spine and strongly curved at base, where it articulates with the bases of the parameres.

Parameres asymmetrical, with left twisted and hooked at apex, with the base extending along the basal piece; the right one acute at apex and with a broad base. Basal piece and basal parts of parameres forming a bulb enveloping the base of median lobe ( Fig. 4 ).

Distribution. Known only from Cíes Islands.

Etymology. This species is named for Amador Viñolas, an outstanding Coleoptera researcher.

Ecological Note

The specimens were collected in a wood of Pinus pinaster Aiton , located at a steep declivity in the east slope of the island. This slope is sheltered from ocean winds. Members of the genus Ernobius seem to be exclusively associated with Conifers ( Johnson 1975).

Discussion

The aedeagus of E. vinolasi resembles slightly that of E. pruinosus (Mulsant & Rey) ( Fig. 5 ), belonging to the E. abietinus (Gyllenhal) group of species ( Johnson 1975), since both share a median lobe with a subapical spine towards the right paramere. However, the antennal configuration in E. vinolasi sets this species apart from the E. abietinus group.

We consider E. vinolasi closely related to the E. pini group since specimens exhibit tarsomere 4 excavated well beyond the middle and tarsomere 5 more than twice as long as its maximum breadth.

Nevertheless, though the dorsal surface of tarsomere 4 is provided with an apical excavation clearly surpassing the middle, it only occupies two­thirds and not three­quarters the length of the segment. This tarsal shape is intermediate between those presented by the E. pini and E. mollis (Linne´) species groups, but we do not include the new species in the latter because of the different type of aedeagus, which is similar among species of the E. mollis group, as pointed out by Johnson (1975).

Among the E. pini group of species, E. vinolasi can be separated from E. impressithorax Pic and E. oertzeni Schilsky by the lack of reticulation on the pronotum, from E. madoni Pic by the dorsal surface of prothorax covered with granules and not punctated, and from E. rufus (Illiger) and E. pini by the circular shape of granules on the centre of pronotum. Ernobius vinolasi differs from E. gallicus Johnson and E. fulvus Johnson by the sides of the pronotum clearly explanate and flattened almost up to the front angles, whereas in the latter the pronotum is hardly explanate. Finally, E. vinolasi is differentiated from E. parens (Mulsant & Rey) by the dark brown ground colour and the characteristic shape of the aedeagus.

The key to Iberian species in Español (1992) is modified in couplet 12 to include the new species as follows:

12. Sides of the pronotum hardly explanate, at least in front of the middle. Aedeagus as in figure 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ E. gallicus

– Sides of the pronotum clearly explanate --------------------------------------------------------- 13

13. Ground colour reddish brown. Aedeagus as in figure 7 ------------- E. parens

– Ground colour dark brown. Aedeagus as in figure 4 ---------------- E. vinolasi

Figures

Fig. 1. Dorsal habitus of Ernobius vinolasi, paratype. Scale bar: 1 mm.

Figs. 2–4. Ernobius vinolasi. 2) Right antenna, paratype. 3) Right tarsus, holotype. 4) Aedeagus, paratype. Scale bars: 0.25 mm. Figs. 5–7. Ernobius spp. 5) Aedeagus of Ernobius pruinosus. 6) Aedeagus of Ernobius gallicus. 7) Aedeagus of Ernobius parens. After Johnson (1975).