Apodrosus artus Girón & Franz, 2010

Girón, Jennifer C. & Franz, Nico M., 2010, Revision, phylogeny and historical biogeography of the genus Apodrosus Marshall, 1922 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Insect Systematics & Evolution 41, pp. 339-414 : 353-356

Apodrosus artus Girón & Franz sp.n.

( Fig. 6 )

Diagnosis

Apodrosus artus is characterized by the combination of a relatively narrow body shape (3.2-times longer than wide), the absence of a carinate striped projection on the posterior margin of the epistome, an antennal scape that surpasses the posterior margin of eyes, an only slightly produced metasternum (in lateral profile), an irregularly colored vestiture composed of yellowish brown, black and green, iridescent (yellowish, reddish) scales and with recurvate, lanceolate brown setae, and an aedeagus apex with a mesal, laterally acutely offset projection. This species may be differentiated from A. andersoni by its more narrow body shape and parallel-sided elytra with recurvate setae, and from A. earinusparsus by a lighter coloration and elytra with recurvate setae. Apodrosus viridium has a similar body shape but lacks the irregularly colored scale coverage and presents erect elytral setae.

Specimens examined

Holotype ♂ “ DOMIN. REP., Prov. La Vega, Jarabacoa-Constanza Rd., Km. 16 , 1150 m, 11 Apr 1992, M. A. Ivie, D. S. Sikes & W. Lanier, beating guava ” ( CMNC); paratypes, same label information as holotype (CMNC: 1 dissected ♂); “DOMIN. REP., La Vega Prov., 2.6-6.4 Km E. of Manabao, 4-VI-1994, coll. M. C. Thomas” (CMNC: 1 ♂).

Description

Body length 3.5–4 mm; in dorsal view ( Fig. 6A ) 3.2-times longer than greatest width which is at second third of elytra, shape subrectangular; dorsal outline in lateral view slightly convex. Integument surface slightly undulated; vestiture composed of yellowish brown, black and green, iridescent (yellowish, reddish) scales, with recurvate, lanceolate brown setae. Eyes ( Fig. 6B ) 1.3-times longer than wide, projected, 0.5-times width and 0.7-times length of head in lateral view, separated from anterior margin of prothorax by 0.4-times greatest diameter of eye; line of anterior margin of eyes slightly impressed; shortest distance between eyes (dorsal view) 0.4-times greatest width of pronotum; median furrow ( Fig. 6B ) linear, narrow and shallow, extending from anterior margin of eyes and reaching anterior margin of pronotum. Rostrum ( Fig. 6B ) slightly longer than wide; epistome ( Fig. 6B ) apically with 2–3 setae situated on each side; nasal plate weakly defined, flat. Length of rostrum in lateral view 1.4-times its basal width; antennal insertion apicad of midpoint of rostrum; scrobe curved downwards by 65°, directed posteriorly at end, reaching anterior third of eye, separated from it by 1.5-times width of scrobe. Mandibles with 2 lateral seta. Antennae reddish brown; antennal scape extending beyond posterior margin of eyes, though not reaching anterior margin of prothorax; funicular antennomere I 1.6-times longer than II; antennal club 0.6-times length of funicle, 2.5-times longer than wide. Pronotum ( Fig. 6A ) cylindrical, slightly longer than wide, greatest width apicad of midpoint; dorsal surface shallowly puncturate, each puncture with a curved, lanceolate brown seta; posterior margin slightly bisinuate, as wide as anterior margin; prothorax in lateral view with dorsal outline 1.5-times length of ventral outline; scutellum subcircular, rugose and glabrous. Mesosternum 0.6-times length of prosternum ( Fig. 6D ); mesocoxal cavities 3.4-times width of intercoxal process. Metasternum with lateral portions posteriorly produced (in lateral profile gradually ascending towards posterior third, thereafter descending roundly, posterior face glabrous); distance between posterior margin of mesocoxae and anterior margin of metacoxae 0.7-times length of prosternum. Legs with profemora 1.2-times length of pronotum; tibiae with spiniform setae along ventral margin; claws apically divergent. Elytra in dorsal view ( Fig. 6A ) 1.9-times their greatest width which is 2.2-times wider than pronotum; anterior margins sinuate; humeral region of elytra 1.7-times width of posterior margin of pronotum; lateral margins parallel until second third, thereafter convergent; apex acutely rounded; in lateral view ( Fig. 6C ) with dorsal outline slightly convex; posterior declivity gradually descending; striae IX and X fused along their second third; intervals completely covered with scales, with dark and light areas forming an irregular pattern; interval V slightly produced at posterior declivity; interval X flat; with recurvate, lanceolate brown setae. Venter ( Fig. 6D ) with green scales, denser on sides, scarce and elongate in mid region; segment IV slightly longer than V and VI jointly; ♂: IV as long as VII, VII with anterior margin 2.2-times wider than its length, posterior margin of VII widely rounded.

Terminalia. Male with tergum VII 1.2-times wider than its mesal length, posteromesal area with setae; anterior margin nearly triangular, mesally narrowly rounded, posterior margin mesally emarginate. Tergum VIII transverse, 1.3-times wider than its mesal length, with anterior margin mesally roundly emarginate; posterior margin widely rounded. Sternum VIII with posterior margin nearly straight, spiculum relictum lightly sclerotized, forming a forked process with base 4.5-times longer than wide, 4.5-times longer than arms. Spiculum gastrale with apodeme 1.4-times longer than aedeagus, each furcal arm sclerotized, reniform. Tegmen with tegminal apodeme 0.6-times length of aedeagus; tegminal plate simple. Aedeagus in dorsal view ( Fig. 6E ) 3.8-times longer than its greatest width; apex roundly truncate, laterally acutely off set. Endophallus with a pair of small sclerites positioned at apical third and a reduced sclerite at basal third. Aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig. 6F ) almost acutely convex, 11-times as long as its greatest width. Aedeagal apodemes slightly longer than aedeagus.

Female. Unknown.

Variation

The scale coloration pattern is irregular and displays some variation between specimens.

Etymology

Named in reference to the narrow body shape, with Latin adjective artus meaning “narrow” ( Brown 1956).

Natural history

Apodrosus artus is known to occur in the Central Cordillera at an altitudinal range of 1000–1150 m, in the La Vega province of the Dominican Republic, northeast of Pico

Duarte, the highest elevation of the Hispaniola ( Fig. 18B ). Adults have been taken on guava ( Psidium guajava Linnaeus , Myrtaceae ).

Figures

Fig. 6. Apodrosus artus. (A) habitus, dorsal view; (B) head, frontal view; (C) habitus, lateral view; (D) habitus, ventral view; (E) and (F) aedeagus in dorsal and lateral view, respectively. This figure is published in colour in the online version of this journal, which can be accessed via http://www.brill/ise

Fig. 18. Occurrences of Apodrosus species in (A) the Bahamas (Grand Bahama and Andros Island) and (B) Hispaniola, Mona Island, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.