Endeochetus simplex, Colonnelli, 2014

Colonnelli, Enzo, 2014, Apionidae, Nanophyidae, Brachyceridae and Curculionidae except Scolytinae (Coleoptera) from Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 295-422 : 408-409

Endeochetus simplex sp. nov.

( Figs 129–130 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( MCCI), ‘ Socotra ( YE) // Berber spring // 8.X.2007 - R. Sindaco’ . PARATYPES: 1 J, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // wadi Egiya // 8.XI.2007 - R. Sindaco’ ( MCCI) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Zemhon area , 270- 350 m // N 12°30′58″ E 54°06′39″ // L. Purchart & J. Vybíral lgt.’ ( NMPC) ; 1 J, ‘ Yemen, Socotra island // Kazazhan area // shrubland on limestone ; sifting // 10.vi.2012 // 12°33.8′N, 54°19.8′E, 540 m’, ‘ Socotra expedition 2012 // J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, // P. Kment, I. Malenovský, // J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ ( NMPC) ; 1 dead ♀ lacking all its appendages, same label data ( ECRI) .

Description. Male holotype. Body length 4.9 mm. Piceous, opaque, coarsely punctured, dorsum of rostrum and legs dark ferruginous. Dorsal vestiture on rostrum composed of sparse golden-brownish half-recumbent small hair-like scales; pronotum with sparse almost recumbent curved elongate brownish hair-like scales; elytra with row of similar almost recumbent thicker scales on intervals; striae with a poorly visible row of recumbent yellowish hair-like scales, striae III, IV and VI at base with some large recumbent subtriangular concave sulcate scales; legs with sparse golden setae; basal two thirds of femora and internal margin of tibiae apicad of tooth with erect silvery or golden long setae. Ventral side densely and coarsely punctured with sparse curved rather short suberect golden hair-like setae ( Fig. 129 ).

Head. Rostrum 0.82 as long as pronotum, regularly curved, coarsely punctured, 5-carinate, middle keel ending little apicad of antennal insertion and replaced by rather strongly punctured area up to near apex; midway from base to antennae rostrum, obliquely seen, angularly dilated; in dorsal view rostrum slightly dilated at basal quarter, then its sides slightly converging toward antennal insertion and little diverging towards apex. Antennae inserted shortly apicad of middle of rostrum; scape curved downward at base, then almost straight and gradually clubbed; funicular antennomere I barely thicker than following ones and twice as long as II; antennomeres III to VII progressively slightly shorter, seventh moderately transverse and annexed to club which is subconical and as long as two preceding antennomeres. Head convex, rather strongly punctured, space between eyes as wide as half of rostral width at base; eyes subtriangular, flat.

Pronotum 1.04 times as long as broad, rather abruptly even if moderately constricted near truncate apex, base barely advanced toward scutellum, disc slightly convex, with dense round uniform punctures; sides rounded from base to apical third where pronotum reaches its maximum width. Scutellum small, subtriangular.

Elytra 1.42 times longer than wide and 1.76 times as long as pronotum, dorsum almost flat on basal half, then regularly convex towards apex, base little concave, sides slightly curved from base to middle, then moderately converging towards apex, maximum width at middle. Striae formed by large subrectangular punctures from which starts recumbent lanceolate long yellowish scale. Interstriae little convex, about same width as striae, and with nearly regular row of large round deep punctures.

Legs short; femora strongly clubbed and acutely toothed, tooth of profemora truncate at apex, densely and coarsely punctured; tibiae compressed, curved at extreme base then almost straight, punctured, outer margin keeled, inner one toothed at basal 2/5, concave and strongly serrate apicad of tooth; tarsi quite short and rather narrow, tarsomere III not bilobed.

Ventral side. Tubercles on basal margin of prosternum posterior to coxae small, approximate and convex; metaventrite and abdominal ventrites I and II with large shallow common impression.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as depicted in Fig. 130 .

Variability. The other male is almost identical to the holotype, except that the teeth of its anterior femora are acute instead of truncate, and females are smaller and have abdomen uniformly convex.

Body length 3.7–5.1 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Quite uniform roundish punctures of the dorsal surface, short 5-carinate rostrum, and rounded sides of pronotum make it easy to recognise this species.

Etymology. The relatively inornate appearance of the new species caused by its sculpture and vestiture suggested its name, Latin adjective simplex meaning among other things, ‘simple’.

Distribution. Endemic to Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs 124–130. 124–125, 127 – Endeochetus rugulithorax sp. nov. 124 – habitus of the holotype; 125 – habitus of the same in side view; 127 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view. 126, 128 – Endeochetus simillimus sp. nov. 126 – habitus of the holotype; 128 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view. 129–130 – Endeochetus simplex sp. nov., holotype. 129 – habitus; 130 – aedeagus in dorsal view.