Scolytodes minutissimus Schedl

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 minutissimus Schedl Figs 55, 56, 57

Scolytodes minutissimus Schedl, 1952: 355.

Material examined.

Holotype, female: Costa Rica, Limón, Hamburgfarm on Reventazón. [NHMW]. New records: Costa Rica, Heredia, Est. Biol. La Selva, 50-150 m, 10°26'N, 84°01'W, May 2000, INBio-OET; 09 May 2000, Goethalsia meiantha FOT/47/29 (INBIOCRI002730681), FOT/49/26 (INBIOCRI002731590), FOT/49/23 (INBIOCRI002731568).

Diagnosis.

Interstriae 10 elevated to near apex; protibiae without an additional mesal tooth. Recognized by the presence of exactly two erect setae on the median anterior margin of the pronotum, and one erect setae on each interstriae 3 on the elytral disc, and by the broad longitudinal callus in a sparsely setose female frons.

Description female.

Length 1.3 mm, 2.0 × as long as wide; color brown. Head. Eyes entire, separated above by 1.6 × their width. Frons impressed in a hoof-shaped fashion, from broadly impressed on epistoma to more narrowly impressed near upper level of eyes, a longitudinal, broad callus in the middle of impressed area; surface shiny, punctured in impressed area only; vestiture consisting of fine, short setae in impressed area. Antennal club densely pubescent, without sutures, posterior face partly corneous on basal median half. Funiculus 5-segmented. Pronotum shiny, small punctures spaced by 3-4 × their diameter. Vestiture consisting of two erect setae at the middle of frontal margin (2 –0– 0). Elytra smooth, striae generally not impressed, punctures minute and barely visible, close to each other in irregular rows; interstriae approximately 4-6 × as wide as striae, punctures as small as in striae, in rows, separated by 5-10 × their diameter. Interstriae 10 carinate to near apex. Vestiture consisting of two erect setae on disc, one on each interstriae 3. Legs. Procoxae separated by 0.8 × and mesocoxae 1.0 × the width of one procoxa. Protibiae narrow, teeth 1 and 2 equal, with 3-4 additional tiny granules along the edge towards base; protibial mucro tiny, curved posteriorly. Mesotibiae with 6 socketed lateral teeth on distal half, metatibiae with 4 small socketed teeth on distal fourth. Ventral vestiture. Setae on metasternum and metanepisternum simple.

Male.

Similar to female except frons convex, slightly impressed just above epistoma having scant setae; surface shiny, with few punctures.

Biology and distribution.

This species is only known from two nearby sites in the lowland of eastern Costa Rica. Three specimens were collected by fogging of a Goethalsia meiantha tree ( Malvaceae ).

Note.

The holotype is a light-colored teneral specimen. The mature color is very dark brown. Wood (1982) did not note the peculiar pattern of setae with two erect frontal setae on pronotum, and two erect setae on the elytral disc (one each on interstriae 3).