Ebenacobius grobbelaarae Haran, 2022

Haran, Julien, Benoit, Laure, Procheş, Şerban & Kergoat, Gael J., 2022, Ebenacobius Haran, a new southern African genus of flower weevils (Coleoptera: Curculioninae: Derelomini) associated with dicotyledonous plants, European Journal of Taxonomy 818 (1), pp. 1-54 : 20-23

Ebenacobius grobbelaarae Haran gen. et sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E4651F33-88D1-4229-81A9-817DB4FF1FFE

Figs 2D , 4G , 6D

Differential diagnosis

This species can be distinguished by the peculiar shape of the rostrum that is very elongate and strongly downcurved at base in lateral view ( Fig. 4G ). In males, the prosternal process is directed backward (when present).

Etymology

Ebenacobius grobbelaarae Haran gen. et sp. nov. is dedicated to our colleague Beth Grobbelaar, entomologist and collection manager at SANC who first recorded specimens of this new taxon.

Type material

Holotype REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA • ♂; “ SOUTH AFRICA [REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA], Tvl [Limpopo Province]; D’Nyala Nat. Res. Ellisras District; 23.45S – 27.49E; xii.1987; B. Grobbelaar ” “Holotype; Ebenacobius grobbelaarae ; Haran 2022”; SANC.

Paratypes REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA – Limpopo Province • 2 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; SANC • 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; CBGP • 1 ♀; Tshitangani forest patch , East of Louis Trichard; 22°54.715′ S, 30°20.382′ E; 10 Dec. 2017; R. Borovec leg.; FFWS . – Gauteng Province • 1 ♀; Pretoria, hill inside of town ; 25°41.507′ S, 28°12.534′ E; 3 Dec. 2017; R. Borovec leg.; general sweeping (grasslands) and beating of shrubs and trees; FFWS . – North West Province • 3 ♂♂; Saartjiesnek Farm near Hartbeestpoort ; 25°45′ S, 27°56′ E; 3 Dec. 1995; R. Stals leg.; on flower head of Protea caffra (Proteaceae) ; SANC • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; 25 km west of Pretoria; 23–29 Nov. 1984; H. and A. Howden leg.; SANC • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; CMN.

Description

Male

BODY LENGTH. 2.9–3.1 mm.

COLOUR. Body integument pale brown, head reddish-brown, prothorax with two ill-defined dark-brown stripes on each side on the median line, elytra with two oblique dark-brown stripes, one situated three punctures below humeral angle to mid-length of elytral suture, another at level of metafemora laterally to apical ⅓ of suture, dark strips extending on odd interstriae; base of interstriae 1 and 5 usually darkbrown; dorsum (prothorax + elytra) with recumbent contiguous setae forming 1–2 row on each interstria, not concealing the integument.

HEAD. Rostrum 1.2 × longer than prothorax in lateral view, strongly downcurved at base, then curvature regular; underside with row of setae, almost as long as 2 nd segment of funicle, integument forming small tubercle before apex; in dorsal view covered with recumbent contiguous setae; antennae inserted at 3/5 of length; head capsule coarsely punctate in dorsal view, with contiguous setae, forming more dense tuft near dorsal margin on eyes; eyes slightly convex, moderately exceeding the lateral curve of head capsule in dorsal view; antennal funicle with segment 1 elongate, 2× longer than wide, as long as 2–4, 5–7 wider than long.

PROTHORAX. Wider than long (W:L ratio: 1.27), widest near base, narrower there than elytra at humeral angles; sides subparallel in basal ¾, slightly and regularly converging apicad; apical constriction as long as width of funicle in middle of length; lateral carina forming cuticular expansion at apex, before constriction; integument densely punctate, space between punctures smooth and shiny, narrower than or equal to diameter of punctures; setae recumbent, contiguous, oriented toward scutellar shield; prosternal process inserted between procoxae, directed posteriorly, 1.5 to 4 × longer than wide, sides straight or forming a spatula, truncate at apex.

ELYTRA. Sides slightly convex, widest near middle of length (W:L ratio: 0.68); humeri raised; apex jointly rounded; striae made of one row of punctures, as wide as or slightly narrower than interstriae; interstriae convex, 1-3-5 more convex apically, 9 forming a carina; scutellar shield rounded, glabrous.

ABDOMEN. Underside covered with small non-contiguous whitish setae.

LEGS. Profemora moderately thickened near middle of length; protibiae with external margin straight, meso- and metatibiae curved outward in apical half; tibiae armed with a small apical mucro, reduced and almost invisible on mesotibiae; claws simple.

TERMINALIA. Body of penis elongate (W:L ratio: 0.34), almost 2 × shorter than apodemes, sides subparallel in dorsal view, narrowing in apical 1/5, apex obtuse; in lateral view curvature stronger in basal half, moderate in apical half, width regular ( Fig. 6D ).

Sexual dimorphism

Females can be distinguished from males by their rostrum which is less downcurved basally in lateral view than in ♂♂. The dorsal curve of the rostrum is also continuous with the curve of the head (forming an obtuse angle in ♂♂; Fig. 4G ).

Remarks

As is the case in several species of Derelomini ( Haran et al. 2020), this species has major and minor males. In minor males, the prosternal process may be reduced to a small tubercle between the procoxae. This species represents the first case of a prosternal process oriented backward in derelomine weevils.

Life history

The host plant of this species is unknown, adults were collected in November and December. Collected once in the same sampling event together with E. atratus gen. et comb. nov.

Distribution

Republic of South Africa (Gauteng, Limpopo and North West Provinces).

Figures

Fig. 2. A–I. Habitus of males of Ebenacobius Haran gen. nov. in dorsal view (part 1). A. E. curvisetis Haran gen. et sp. nov. B. E. rectirostris Haran gen. et sp. nov. C. E. duplicatus Haran gen. et sp. nov. D. E. grobbelaarae Haran gen. et sp. nov. E. E. costalis (Fåhraeus, 1844) gen. et comb. nov. F. E. thoracicus Haran gen. et sp. nov. G. E. xhosa Haran gen. et sp. nov. H. E. san Haran gen. et sp. nov. I. E. kuscheli Haran gen. et sp. nov. Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 4. A–J. Habitus of males of Ebenacobius Haran gen. nov. in lateral view (part 1). A. E. curvisetis Haran gen. et sp. nov. B. E. thoracicus Haran gen. et sp. nov. C. E. rectirostris Haran gen. et sp. nov. D. E. xhosa Haran gen. et sp. nov. E. E. duplicatus Haran gen. et sp. nov. F. E. san Haran gen. et sp. nov. G. E. grobbelaarae Haran gen. et sp. nov. H. E. kuscheli Haran gen. et sp. nov. I. E. costalis (Fåhraeus, 1844) gen. et comb. nov. J. E. mulanjensis Haran gen. et sp. nov. A–J = not to scale.

Fig. 6 (part 1). A–I. Male genitalia of Ebenacobius Haran gen. nov., penis in dorsal (left) and lateral (right) view.A. E. curvisetis Haran gen. et sp. nov.B. E. rectirostrisHaran gen. et sp. nov.C. E. duplicatus Haran gen. et sp. nov. D. E. grobbelaarae Haran gen. et sp. nov. E. E. costalis (Fåhraeus, 1844) gen. et comb. nov. F. E. thoracicus Haran gen. et sp. nov. G. E. xhosa Haran gen. et sp. nov. H. E. san Haran gen. et sp. nov. I. E. kuscheli Haran gen. et sp. nov. A–I = not to scale.