Scolytodes planifrons Jordal & Kirkendall

Jordal, Bjarte H. & Kirkendall, Lawrence R., 2019, Rainforest and cloud forest Scolytodes (Curculionidae, Scolytinae, Hexacolini) from the Arthropods of La Selva inventory in Costa Rica: new species, new synonymy, new records, ZooKeys 863, pp. 1-34 : 1

Scolytodes planifrons Jordal & Kirkendall sp. nov. Figs 37, 40, 43

Type material.

Holotype, female: Costa Rica, Prov. Heredia, 9 km NE Vara Blanca, 1450-1550 m, 10°14'N, 84°06'W, 22 Mar. 2005, INBio-OET-ALAS transect, Finca Murillo, 15/WF/01/50, INB0003665427. Allotype male: same data as holotype, INB0003665426. Paratype: same data as holotype, INB0003665425 (1f); 6 km ENE Vara Blanca, 1950-2050 m, 10°11'N, 84°07'W, 17 Feb. 2002, INBio-OET-ALAS transect, 20/WF/01/22, INB0003223047 (1f). Holotype and allotype deposited in MNCR, 1 paratype in USNM, 1 paratype in ZMBN.

Diagnosis.

Interstriae 10 carinate to level of metacoxae; interstriae 9 carinate between level of metanepisternum and elytral apex; protibiae with an additional mesal tooth near tarsal insertion. Distinguished from the the very similar species S. sulcifrons and S. clusiapraelatus Jordal, 2013 by the flat lower frons of females, the small elytral setae, and by the paired strial punctures.

Description female.

Length 1.4-1.5 mm, 2.0-2.1 × as long as wide; color dark brown to black. Head. Eyes entire, separated above by 2.8-3.0 × their width. Frons convex on upper half, entirely flat with scant fine punctures below. Vestiture consisting of sparse fine setae associated with punctures. Antennal club setose, with two transverse sutures weakly marked by longer setae. Funiculus 6-segmented. Pronotum shiny, very weakly reticulate, with small punctures spaced by 2-3 × their diameter. Vestiture consisting of two erect long setae along the median part of the anterior margin (2 –0– 0). Elytra smooth, shiny; striae not impressed, small punctures in rows, two and two in longitudinal pairs, each pair spaced by the length of a pair; interstriae 3-4 × as wide as striae, punctures of same size as in striae, widely spaced, mainly in rows. Interstriae 10 carinate to level of metacoxae; interstriae 9 carinate between level of metanepisternum and elytral apex. Vestiture consisting of 2-4 short erect interstrial setae, minute recumbent setae elsewhere. Legs. Procoxae separated by 0.5 × and mesocoxae 0.9 × the width of one procoxa. Protibiae broadening slightly distally, lateral teeth 1 and 2 of sub-equal size, with 2-3 additional small teeth along the lateral edge towards base; an additional mesal tooth present near tarsal insertion; protibial mucro, short, slightly curved posteriorly. Meso- and metatibiae with 7 and 6 small socketed lateral teeth on distal half. Ventral vestiture. Setae on metanepisternum and metasternum simple; sclerolepidia small round scales.

Male.

Nearly identical to female, frons slightly more rounded on lower half, body length 1.3-1.4 mm.

Key

( Wood 1982). Keys to couplet 22, with no further match.

Etymology.

The Latin name planifrons is composed by the stem of the masculine adjective planus, meaning flat, the linking vowel -i, and the noun frons, meaning forehead, referring to the completely flat and shiny lower frons of the female (and almost so in male). It is invariable.

Biology and distribution.

This species is only known from two high altitude localities in Costa Rica. The four individuals were reared from sifted litter samples (miniWinkler method).