Lalagetes andersoni, Borovec & Skuhrovec, 2018

Borovec, Roman & Skuhrovec, Jiří, 2018, Revision of the species related to Lalagetes subfasciatus Boheman and transfer of remaining Lalagetes species to other genera of Embrithini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Zootaxa 4374 (1), pp. 71-90 : 78-80

Lalagetes andersoni sp. nov.

( Figs 3A , 5A–F )

Type locality. South Africa, Mpumalanga, Kaapmuiden.

Type material. Holotype: ♂, S. [South] AFRICA, TVL [Mpumalanga], Kaapmuiden , 4-7.XII.1984, H. & A. Howden [lgt.] ( SANC) . Paratypes: 2 ♂♂ 5 ♀♀, 48 specimens (undetermined sex), the same data as holotype ( CMNC, SANC, BMNH, TMSA, RBSC) .

Description ( Figs 3A , 5A–F ). Body length males 1.94–2.19 mm, females 2.25–2.34 mm, holotype 2.13 mm. Body ( Fig. 5A ) brownish to dark brownish, only antennal clubs blackish. Elytra with two types of appressed rounded scales, 1: greyish brown, large, partly imbricate, concealing integument, creating two transverse stripes before and behind midlength and longitudinal stripe on interval 7; 2: brownish to dark brownish, smaller, well isolated, leaving narrow intervals, in males 3, in females 4 across width of one interval. Pronotum and head with rostrum with rounded scales slightly smaller than those on elytra, densely covered integument, brownish, with greyish scales creating longitudinal wide stripes at middle and lateral parts of pronotum and in lateral parts of head with rostrum, finely striate. Perpendicularly erect elytral setae slender, lancet-shaped, pointed apicad, at midlength narrower than diameter of one bigger appressed scale, distance between two setae shorter than length of one seta, slightly shorter behind base than at apical declivity, in males distinctly, in females slightly longer width of one interval; scapes at apical half and outer side of tibiae with moderately long, semierect, slender but subspatulate whitish setae, exceeding outline.

Rostrum ( Figs 5A–C ) in males 1.08–1.12, in females 1.22–1.27 × as wide as long, widest at base, in both sexes at base 1.08–1.18 × as wide as at apex, with straight sides. Epifrons wide, widest at base and here only slightly narrower than space between eyes, tapered anteriad with straight sides; when cleared of scales matt, rough, with very slender longitudinal lateral carinas and shallow indistinct fovea at middle. Vertex irregularly finely longitudinally striate mainly at anterior half. Antennal scrobes dorsally visible as narrow furrows along the whole length.

Antennae ( Fig. 5A ). Antennal scape straight, gradually enlarged at apical third, at apex 1.1–1.2 × as wide as club. Segments 1 and 2 very slender and long; segment 1 2.0–2.3 × as long as wide and 1.1 × as long as segment 2, which is 2.5–2.7 × as long as wide; segments 3–6 1.3–1.4 × as long as wide; segment 7 1.1 × as long as wide; club 2.1–2.3 × as long as wide.

Pronotum in males 1.67–1.79, in females 1.77–1.86 × as wide as long.

Elytra in males 1.07–1.11, in females 1.05–1.09 × as long as wide; when cleared of scales striae creating regular narrow rows.

Legs ( Figs 5A, D ). Tarsal segment 2 isodiametric; segment 3 1.3 × as wide as long and 1.7–1.8 × as wide as segment 2; onychium equally long as segment 3 to 1.1 × longer.

Male genitalia ( Figs 3A , 5E ). Penis medium sized, slightly longer than metatarsus, ventrally widest at base, along the whole length with weakly concave sides, weakly enlarged to apical fifth, apex subtriangular. In lateral view almost straight, tip shortly elongated, rounded. Temones 1.4–1.7 × as long as penis.

Female genitalia. Gonocoxites with small and short apical styli, about isodiametric. Sternite VIII with apodeme 4.6–5.0 × as long as plate, plate slightly wider than long, subtriangular. Spermatheca ( Fig. 5F ) with moderately large corpus, ramus short and wide, about isodiametric, nodulus longer than wide, distinctly curved.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. South Africa, Mpumalanga ( Fig. 4 ).

Derivation of name. The new species is cordially dedicated to Robert S. Anderson (Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa), who loaned us interesting material of terricolous entimines for present and also further studies.

Differential diagnosis. This species is morphologically very similar to L. sarkae sp. nov., but is easily distinguishable from it mainly by funicle 7-segments, penis with weakly concave sides, tip laterally shortly elongated, rounded and spermatheca with nodulus curved. Among species with 7-segmented funicles it is most similar to L. zitae sp. nov., from which it can be distinguished by appressed scales on elytra isolated and on pronotum flat, moderately large penis with subtriangular apex and short temones and spermatheca with nodulus curved.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Apex of penis. A—Lalagetes andersoni sp. nov.; B—Lalagetes howdenorum sp. nov.; C—Lalagetes sarkae sp. nov.; D—Lalagetes subfasciatus Boheman, 1842; E—Lalagetes zitae sp.nov. Scales bar: 0.25 mm.

FIGURE 4. Distribution of Lalagetes species in South Africa; Lalagetes andersoni sp. nov. (green round); Lalagetes howdenorum sp. nov. (pink round); Lalagetes sarkae sp. nov. (yellow rounds); Lalagetes seminulum Fåhraeus, 1871 (red round); Lalagetes subfasciatus Boheman, 1842 (blue rounds); Lalagetes zitae sp. nov. (brown rounds).

FIGURE 5. Lalagetes andersoni sp. nov. A—habitus, dorsal view, female; B—rostrum, female, dorsal view; C—rostrum, female, lateral view; D—protibia, female; E—aedeagus; F—spermatheca.Scales bars:1 mm (A), 0.5 mm (E) and 0.3 mm (F).