Scolytodes samamae Jordal and Smith, 2020

Jordal, Bjarte H. & Smith, Sarah M., 2020, Scolytodes Ferrari (Coleoptera, Scolytinae) from Ecuador: 40 new species, and a molecular phylogenetic guide to infer species differences, Zootaxa 4813 (1), pp. 1-67 : 19

Scolytodes samamae Jordal and Smith , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:226ECD58-93B8-402A-9E4F-9BCD1E5EBCEA

( Figs 10, 13, 16 )

Type material. Holotype, female: Ecuador: Los Ríos, Canton La Clementina, Samama Nature Reserve, S 01°38.852’ W 79°19.867’, 430m, 13–15.V.2015, Cognato, Smith, Osborn, Martinez et al, ex FIT ‘Petrov’ . Holotype is deposited in QCAZ .

Diagnosis. Interstriae 10 sharply elevated to near apex. Protibiae without additional mesal tooth. Elytra glabrous. Distinguished from the closely related species S. otongae Jordal and Smith (described below) by the uniseriate punctures on the elytral interstriae, and the smaller body size, and further from other related species such as S. piceus (Blandford, 1897) and S. chapuisi Wood, 1977 by the distinct asperities on the anterior fourth of the pronotum.

Description female. Length 1.5 mm, 2.2 × as long as wide; colour brown to dark brown. Head. Eyes weakly sinuate, separated above by 2.1 × their width. Frons weakly impressed from vertex to epistoma, surface covered by a dense, long tuft of golden setae from vertex to epistomal lobe, possibly shiny and impunctate in central area. Antennal club pilose, without clear sutures. Funiculus 6-segmented. Pronotum weakly reticulated, subshining, punctures on posterior two-thirds small, shallow, spaced by 1–3 × their diameter, replaced on anterior one-third by fine asperities. Vestiture consisting of 6 erect, very long setae (4-0-2). Elytra smooth, shiny; striae regular, not impressed, punctures small, spaced by 2–3 × their diameter; interstriae 2–3 × wider than striae, punctures similar to those in striae; interstriae 10 sharply elevated to near apex. Glabrous (microscopic setae on declivity). Legs. Procoxae separated by 0.3 × the width of a coxa. Mesocoxae separated by 0.6 × the width of one procoxa. Protibiae narrow, distal tooth 1 and 2 subequal, 2–3 additional tiny, blunt lateral spines towards tibial base; protibial mucro obtuse. Meso- and metatibiae with 7 and 6 lateral socketed teeth on distal two-thirds and half, respectively. Ventral vestiture. Setae on mesanepisternum, metanepisternum and metasternum simple.

Male. Not known.

Key ( Wood 2007). Keys with some hesitation to couplet 58, S. alni Wood, 1969 , but differs by the smaller size and smaller length to width ratio.

Etymology. The species is named after the Samama nature reserve (Los Ríos province).

Biology and distribution. Only known from the type locality in the lowland Ecuadorian rainforest. It was collected by a flight intercept trap baited with ethanol.

Figures

FIGURES 10–18. Dorsal, lateral and frontal views of the female holotype of Scolytodes samamae (10, 13, 16), Scolytodes otongae (11, 14, 17), and Scolytodes chaplini (12, 15, 18).