Scolytodes speculofrons Jordal, 2018

Jordal, Bjarte H., 2018, Hidden gems in museum cabinets: new species and new distributional records of Scolytodes (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), Zootaxa 4504 (1), pp. 76-104 : 79

Scolytodes speculofrons Jordal , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:20F90265-A1D8-45F2-B2AA-B940D709BB7A

( Figs 3, 6, 9 )

Type material. Holotype, female: Peru, Huanuco Dept, Cordillera Azul , 39km NE Tingo Maria, 1700m, site672, 11¯ 14jan. 1983, montane rain forest, A. Newton & M. Thayer . Allotype and Paratypes (4): same data as holotype. All types deposited in FMNH .

Diagnosis. Interstriae 10 sharply elevated to near apex; protibiae without additional mesal tooth. Female frons flat with a longitudinal and slightly elevated shiny area surrounded by setae forming a bulb-shaped wreath. Closely related to S. cenchros Jordal , but the female frons has longer setae, the vertex is shinier and obscurely punctured, and pronotum has erect setae. The female frons and protibiae are very similar to S. tucumani Wood , but the body of both sexes is much stouter, the pronotum more narrowly rounded, and elytral punctures are less impressed.

Description female. Length 2.1¯ 2.2 mm, 2.1¯2.2 × longer than wide; colour dark brown. Head. Eyes entire, separated above by 2.4¯2.6 × their width. Frons flat from upper level of eyes to epistoma, median fourth on lower half slightly elevated, shiny and impunctate; vestiture consisting of fine long hair-like setae outside shiny area, almost reaching epistoma. Antennal club densely pubescent, setae semi-erect, sutures weakly marked. Funiculus 6- segmented. Pronotum reticulate, faint irregular punctures spaced by 2¯5 × their diameter. Vestiture consisting of 6 erect setae (4–0–2). Elytra smooth, striae not impressed, punctures tiny, shallow, separated in regular rows by 2¯3 × their diameter; interstriae approximately 5¯8 × wider than striae, punctures slightly smaller than those in striae, mainly in rows. Glabrous. Legs. Procoxae separated by 0.5 × and mesocoxae 1 × the width of one procoxa. Protibiae slightly broader towards apex, broadest at level of tooth 2, distal teeth 1 and 2 of equal length, with 4¯5 tiny teeth and granules along the outer edge towards base; protibial mucro very short and straight. Meso- and metatibiae with 5–6 lateral, socketed, thin teeth on distal half. Ventral vestiture. Setae on metasternum and metanepisternum simple.

Male. Similar to female except smaller, 1.9¯2.0 mm long, lower frons flat and impressed just above epistoma, surface reticulate, shallowly punctured, 4¯6 longer setae on epistoma and near antennal insertion; eyes separated by 2.1 × their width.

Key ( Wood 2007). There are several ambiguous couplets in the key, including couplet 2 (protibial teeth) and 35 (pronotum reticulate). One may reach couplet 39, but S. pseudopiceus Wood has much longer frontal setae in the female, and other differences.

Etymology. The name speculofrons , a dative singular form of the Latin noun speculo, meaning glass, and frons (front of the head), referring to the impunctate shiny frons and epistoma.

Biology and distribution. This species is only known from the type locality in Peru, in medium altitude rain forest.

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. Dorsal, lateral and front view of the female holotype of Scolytodes cavus (1, 4, 7), S. excavatus (2, 5, 8), and S. speculofrons (3, 6, 9).