Nephius acastus, Grebennikov, 2018

Grebennikov, Vasily V., 2018, Dryophthorinae weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) of the forest floor in Southeast Asia: DNA analysis of two new Nephius from Vietnam and Taiwan suggests non-monophyly of Stromboscerini, Zootaxa 4500 (3), pp. 381-387 : 383-384

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4500.3.5
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:A0081D71-D208-40E7-88FA-86CA929E4E80
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5304393
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03D42902-EE41-3845-FF47-F909FBC25FA2
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Nephius acastus
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Nephius acastus sp. nov.

Figs 1A–K View FIGURE 1

Diagnostic description. Holotype male ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 ); length between anterior edge of pronotum and elytral apex 6.94 mm; body background color (not considering whitish pilosity) brown with reddish hue ( Figs 1A–D View FIGURE 1 ); rostrum in lateral view relatively less curved ( Fig. 1C View FIGURE 1 ); eyes ventrally contiguous ( Fig. 1E View FIGURE 1 ); central longitudinal groove on pronotum present ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ); disk of pronotum (except the area immediately adjacent to the groove) rugose by being densely covered with deep, large and contiguous punctures ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ); elytra parallel-sided ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ); odd and even interstriae subequal in shape ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ); interstriae 2 and 3 at elytral apex without sizable hemispherical projections ( Fig. 1A View FIGURE 1 ); male genitalia as in Figs 1H–K View FIGURE 1 ; DNA data as in Table 2.

Material examined. Holotype male (currently in CNC, will be deposited in NMNS): “ TAIWAN, Taichung, Dasyueshan forest , 24.2384 120.9517, 1924m, 11.viii.2013 siftTW02, V.Grebennikov, “CNCCOLVG00006719 GoogleMaps . Paratypes ( CMNC, CNC, NMNS): 11 specimens (CNCCOLVG00006682, 6715, 6716, 6717, 6718, 6720, 6810, 6868, 6869, 6870, 6871) from Dasyueshan and Huisun forests .

Distribution. Known from two localities in central Taiwan some 25 km apart: Dasyueshan and Huisun forests. Elevation: 1,924 –2,060 m.

Etymology. The species epithet is a Latinized Greek mythical name of an Argonaut, son of the wicked Thessalian King Pelias; noun in apposition.

Remarks. The geographically closest nominal Nephius species was described as Anius salebrosus Voss, 1958 from a holotype and a paratype collected in 1946 by Tschung Sen in “Kuatun, Fukien”, China (Guadun, Fujian, about N27.728° E117.639°), which is at least 500 km across the Taiwan strait from the type locality of N. acastus sp. nov. The original description did not include illustrations and is insufficient to adequately compare N. salebrosus with the herein described new species. Through the courtesy of Lourdes Chamorro it was possible to compare N. acastus sp. nov. with images of the holotype of N. salebrosus stored in NHRS. The new species differs from A. salebrosus by having (1) in dorsal view rostrum at base 0.48 times as wide as pronotum between anterior corners (0.42 times in N. salebrosus ); (2) center of the pronotal disc with short longitudinal groove and closely adjacent punctures (without groove or punctures in N. salebrosus ) and (3) posterior edge of pronotum distinctly narrower than the width of pronotum immediately anterad (wider in N. salebrosus ).