Curculio helleri Pelsue and Zhang, 2002

Pelsue, Frank W. & Zhang, Runzhi, 2002, A Review Of The Genus Curculio From China With Descriptions Of New Taxa. Part III. The Curculio subfenestratus Voss Group (Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Curculionini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 56 (1), pp. 1-39 : 23-24

Curculio helleri Pelsue and Zhang , new species

Figs. 13–14

HOLOTYPE. China. Jianyang : female [ China / Fujian /Jianyang/ 16 May 1960 / F. Pu] ( IZAS).

Description. Female: length 5.6 mm (n = 1), width 3.2 mm (n = 1). Head: moderatesized; punctures small­sized with small, narrow, elongate, a few recumbent, cinerous scales laterally and ventrally; frons moderate, 0.22 as wide as head across eyes; clothed with few small narrow, elongate, cinerous scales; interocular fovea present. Rostrum: length 3.0 mm (n = 1); 0.54 as long as body; derm fuscous dorsally, testaceous ventrally; broadly narrowing from frons to insertion of scape becoming evenly cylindrical beyond insertion to apex; dorsal carina from fovea to antennal insertion; gradually arcing from head to apex; scrobe ventral; scape inserted in apical half. Antennae: length: scape 0.8 mm. funiculus: segment one 0.45 mm, two 0.35 mm, three 0.25 mm, four 0.2 mm, five 0.2 mm, six 0.15 mm, seven 0.2, club 0.5 mm, funicle 1.8 mm (n = 1); scape 0.44 as long as funicle; derm fuscorufous; clothed with sparse, narrow, elongate, testaceous scales; club elongate, acuminate, segments 1–3 approximately same length, apex small, short, not as long as funicular segments 5–7, segment 7 of funiculus longer than segment 1 of club. Thorax: length 1.6 mm (n = 1). width 2.2 mm (n = 1), 0.72 as long as broad; dorsally, disc margins subparallel, abruptly rounding to constriction, slightly convex in lateral view; punctures medium, dorsally with elongate cinerous scales; pleuron with broad, clavate, cinerous scales; base evenly arced not sinuate; mesosternal intercoxal process prominent, clothed with clavate, cinerous scales; scutellum medium, longer than broad, clothed with white scales; mesepimeron densely clothed with broad, clavate, white scales; mesepisternum, metepisternum, metasternum, and procoxae evenly clothed with short, broad, clavate, white scales; metasternum somewhat inflated anterior to coxal cavity. Elytra: length 3.5 mm (n = 1); striae deep, set with narrow, elongate, clavate, white scales; humeri moderately prominent, rounded; intervals broad, flat, densely clothed with narrow, elongate, some clavate white and testaceous scales; confused diffuse macula of white and testaceous scales; crosshatched setae short; disc somewhat convex in lateral view distally. Legs: length of hind femur: 2.3 mm (n = 1), all femora with teeth small, acute, thorn shaped; all femora broad at base to moderate­sized clava, all clothed with narrow, elongate, cinerous scales; tibiae somewhat sinuate at base, pro­ and mesouncus small, metauncus absent. Abdomen: sternite 2 longer than 1 behind coxal cavity; sternite 2 ascending to 3; sternites 3 and 4 same length; 5 as long as 3 and 4 combined; sternites 1 and 2 clothed with short, broad, clavate, white scales laterally, narrower, white scales medially same as sternites 3–5. Pygidium : small, barely visible, with short white seta­like scales. Genitalia: spermatheca not dissected.

Remarks. This species appears similar to C. ignobilis , but distinguished by antennal club, which is not as long as funicular segments 4– 7, and cinerous vestiture.

Etymology. Named in honor of eminent entomologist K. M. Heller, who described many taxa of Curculionini.

Figures

Figs. 13–14. Curculio helleri n. sp. Female, habitus dorsal and lateral views, holotype. Figs. 15–16. Curculio luteusvittus n. sp. Male, habitus dorsal and lateral views, holotype. Figs. 17–18. Curculio gansuensis n. sp. Male, habitus dorsal and lateral views, holotype. Various scales.