Sicoderus morio (Suffrian)

Anderson, Robert S., 2018, The genus Sicoderus Vanin 1986 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Erodiscini) in the West Indies, Zootaxa 4497 (3), pp. 301-345 : 325

Sicoderus morio (Suffrian)

( Figures 51–52 , 58 . Map 1)

Toxeutes morio Suffrain 1871: 151 . Holotype not located.

Erodiscus morio ; Chevrolat 1879: 10. Voss 1935. Blackwelder 1947: 836. O’Brien and Wibmer 1982: 101. Peck 2005: 219. Sicoderus morio ; Vanin 1986: 616.

Description: Length male, 3.7 mm; female, 2.7–3.1 mm. Integument black, shining. Eyes separated by a distance about 2/3 width rostrum at midlength. Rostrum 1.13x length elytra in male; 1.15x length elytra in female. Antennal insertion slightly beyond apical 1/ 3 in male, at about middle in female; antennae with article 2 of funicle long, 1.50–1.66x as long as article 3. Prothorax constricted anteriorly, globose, widest at about middle; punctures dense, large and moderately deep, subcontiguous, forming striolae on disc and laterally on flanks; erect setae absent. Elytra in dorsal view widest at midlength, lateral margins convergent both anteriorly and posteriorly; humeri fully reduced, not at all angulate; setae absent. Strial punctures evident, large; interstriae slightly elevated, rounded; striae impressed throughout length. Membranous wings absent. Abdominal ventrite 1 of male slightly raised in middle near posterior margin with a small patch of setosity at tip; of female, uniformly convex in middle near posterior margin. Ventrite 5 of male flattened medially towards apex; of female, uniformly convex. Legs with all femora simple, ventral margin lacking any trace of tooth; tarsal claws simple, no basal tooth. Aedeagus (fig. 58) widest towards apex, internal sac with oval basal sclerite complex somewhat omega-shaped. Female not dissected.

Material examined: CUBA: Cienfuegos, mountains 10 mi. E. Soledad, 28.xi.1926, P.J . Darlington Jr., sweep woods (1 male, CMNC; 1 female, MCZC) . Havana Province, Sierra Bonilla , 27.I.1932, A. Bierig (1 female; CMNC) .

Comments: Suffrian (1871) described this species from an unstated number of specimens from Cardenas, Cienfuegos and Guantanamo. Vanin (1986) was unable to find any specimens of this species and left the status as incertae sedis within Sicoderus . Like Vanin, I have not seen type material for Sicoderus morio , and have not examined material in the Suffrian voucher collection in Havana; Peck (2005) states that this is species # 1000 in the collection but this has not been verified. Suffrian's descriptions are rather wordy and it is difficult to extract characters with diagnostic value. He describes the humeri as being ‘shallowly rounded’, apparently supporting an interpretation of the species as flightless, the elytra lacking humeri. The elytral striae are stated as ‘coarsely punctate, interstriae slightly raised’. The pronotum and prosternum are coarsely punctate with the punctation confluent on the flanks. These character states would appear to fit three specimens as follows: a male and female from near Soledad (Cienfuegos) and a female specimen from Sierra Bonilla (Havana). Peck (2005) lists Cienega de Zapata (Matanzas) but I have not seen any specimens from this locality.

Figures

FIGURES 49–52. Species of Sicoderus. 49. Sicoderus medranae, dorsal habitus. 50. Sicoderus medranae, lateral habitus. 51. Sicoderus morio, dorsal habitus. 52. Sicoderus morio, lateral habitus.

FIGURES 57–60. Species of Sicoderus. 57. Sicoderus medranae, aedeagus, dorsal view. 58. Sicoderus morio, aedeagus, dorsal view. 59. Sicoderus perezi, aedeagus, dorsal view. 60. Sicoderus pseudostriatolateralis, aedeagus, dorsal view.