Chelonychus stragulus (Fall) Clark, Wayne E. & Burke, Horace R., 2002

Clark, Wayne E. & Burke, Horace R., 2002, Revision Of The Weevil Genera Magdalinops Dietz And Chelonychus Dietz (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Anthonomini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 56 (1), pp. 107-122 : 25-26

Chelonychus stragulus (Fall) , new combination

Figs. 27, 28 , 30

Epimechus stragulus Fall 1907:267 . Holotype. United States. New Mexico. [Wootens/N. M./8/7/03] [stragulus/TYPE] [Type/25188] [[H. C. FALL/ COLLECTION] [ Epimechus /stragulus/Fall] (/, MCZC).

THE COLEOPTERISTS BULLETIN 56(1), 2002 121

scales, broader, slightly imbricated scales present beneath. Rostrum: ( Fig. 27 ). evenly curved; proximal portion shallowly sulcate; long, narrow scales on extreme base replaced toward antennal insertions by narrower, sparser scales; distal portion glabrous. Antenna: funiculus with 6 articles. Prothorax: pronotum with admixture of elongate, narrow, slightly curved, cinereus scales and broader, flattened, cinereous to infuscate scales. Elytra: narrow, rounded apically in dorsal view; striae narrow, punctures with minute, inconspicuous setae; interstriae with elongate, narrow, slightly curved, cinereous scales and slightly to distinctly broader, flattened, cinereous to infuscate scales. Pygidium : with slender, cinereous scales. Abdomen: sterna 1–4 with pallid scales laterally, with narrower scales medially; sternum 5 convex, with elongate, setiform scales medially. Legs. profemur unarmed; protibia with inner margin prominent in basal 2/3, concave in apical 1/ 3; protibial uncus long, slender, slightly curved, acute; metatibia with inner margin slightly prominent in basal 2/3, slightly concave in apical 1/3, outer margin straight ( Fig. 30 ); metatibial mucro straight, oblique in lateral view, acute ( Fig. 30 ); tarsal claw without basal tooth. Genitalia ( Fig. 33 ): median lobe of aedeagus narrowed to bluntly rounded apex in dorsal view, broadly, evenly curved in lateral view; endophallus minutely denticulate.

Specimens Examined. In addition to the holotype from New Mexico, 7 specimens of C. stragulus from the following localities were examined. United States. California. Tulare Co.: Kern Lake (6,500 9, 2, MCZC) . New Mexico. Lincoln Co.: 1.5 mi. W Alto (7,200 –7,400 9, CMNC) . Otero Co.: 15.2 mi. E Cloudcroft , 6,800 9 (‘‘sweeping oak­locust,’’ 1, TAMU) . Rio Arriba Co.: 14 mi. NW Chama (1, TAMU) . Texas. Brewster Co.: South Rim Trail, Chisos Mountains , Big Bend National Park (6,700 –7,200 9, 2, TAMU) .

Plant Associations. The only indications of plant associations of C. stragulus is the label ‘‘sweeping oak­locust’’ near Cloudcroft, New Mexico.

Remarks. Fall (1907) described this species as Epimechus stragulus , but it most closely resembles the type species of Chelonychus Dietz , C. longipes Dietz , and like that species, has long slender tarsal claws. It is therefore transferred to Chelonychus as C. stragulus (Fall) .

Chelonychus stragulus closely resembles C. longipes in size, body form and pronotal and elytral vestiture but is distinguished from that species by the 6­ segmented antennal funiculus, the simple or minutely toothed tarsal claws, and the unarmed femora.

The female holotype of E. stragulus is slightly larger than the males from Big Bend National Park , Texas, and 15.2 mi. E Cloudcroft, New Mexico, and has broader scales on the pronotum and elytra .

Figures

Figs. 25–28. Chelonychus spp., habitus. 25) C. longipes, /, Nederland, Colorado; 26) C. longipes, /, Nederland, Colorado; 27) C. stragulus, /, holotype; 28) C. stragulus, /, holotype.

Figs. 29–31. Chelonychus spp. 29) C. longipes,?, metathoracic leg, Nederland, Colorado; 30) C. stragulus,?, metathoracic leg, Chisos Mountains, Texas; 31) C. longipes,?, right metatarsus, Nederland, Colorado.

Figs. 32–33. Chelonychus spp, aedeagus, dorsal view. 32) C. longipes,?, Nederland, Colorado; 33) C. stragulus,?, Chisos Mountains, Texas.