Ceratophila (Vovidesa) chiapensis Tang, Skelley & Pérez-Farrera, 2018

Tang, William, Skelley, Paul & Pérez-Farrera, Miguel Angel, 2018, Ceratophila, a new genus of erotylid beetles (Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting male cones of the cycad Ceratozamia (Cycadales: Zamiaceae), Zootaxa 4508 (2), pp. 151-178 : 168-171

Ceratophila (Vovidesa) chiapensis Tang, Skelley & Pérez-Farrera , new species

( Figs. 1E , 6 A–I)

Adult diagnosis. Distinguished from other Ceratophila (Vovidesa) spp. by male lacking subapical medial emarginations on tibiae; submentum of both sexes with sparse punctures and setae; female elytra dulled medially and laterally; female abdomen strongly dulled, obscuring punctures; male genitalia with median lobe laterally flattened and curved; and with a known distribution in Mexico, state of Chiapas, on Ceratozamia alvarezii , C. mirandae , C. norstogii , and C. vovidesii .

Adult male description. Length 3.54–4.49 mm, width 1.50–1.79 mm (n = 20). Body in dorsal view elongateoval, greatest width at middle of elytra; in lateral view convex dorsally. General body color brown ( Figs. 6 A–E), head and pronotum concolorous and on some slightly darker than the yellowish-brown elytra; dorsal surface punctate, shining but weakly alutaceous, short procumbent hairs associated with punctation, ventrally shining and appearing glabrous except mesoventrite and abdomen mostly covered with long procumbent setae.

Head in dorsal view conical, gradually narrowed anteriorly, surface flat to slightly convex, finely, moderately punctured ( Figs. 6A, D ), average distance between closest punctures 2× width of puncture; width 0.75–0.91 mm; dorsal interocular distance 0.49–0.60 mm, head width/dorsal interocular distance ratio 1.45–1.56, ventral interocular distance 0.36–0.45 mm, head width/ventral interocular distance ratio 1.96–2.22. Eye with large black facets. Antennal length approximately equal to pronotal width, 1.5× head width; antennomere I (scape) fairly large, slightly elongate, antennomere II subequal to III; IV–VIII small, width equals length; club fairly large, IX and X similar in length, XI slightly longer, globular with acuminate apex. Clypeus truncate anteriorly, moderately punctate, with narrow margin. Mentum and submentum with moderate punctation, distance between nearest punctures ~ 2× own width, each puncture with a long seta ~ 2–3× width of eye facet and reclining anteriad (often abraded). Gular area smooth, without punctation or setae, border with submentum usually with a shallow depression without punctation, but usually with a shallowly impressed circular or semicircular border along anterior margin ( Fig. 6E ).

Thorax with pronotum weakly transverse in dorsal view with marginal beads basally and laterally, anterior margin with weak bead, reduced to absent medially; length/width ratio (PL/PW) = 0.76–0.83, rectangular; anterior and posterior angles present, anterior angles projecting; lateral carinae expanding in basal 1/10 to parallel sides, sometimes slightly emarginated, parallel for 50% of length, then gradually converging to anterior angles; posterior margin slightly projecting medially, projection beginning approximately by pair of small, dark pores located 1/5 length of posterior margin from posterior corners and touching and just anterior to marginal bead, pores mark base of longitudinal furrows onto disc. Prosternum in ventral view convex; anterior margin slightly emarginate, finely denticulate with row of long, anteriorly directed setae, longest setae ~ 1/3 length of eye. Hypomeron laterally apparently lacking punctures, some with minute setae visible; medially with longitudinal striations. Elytra in dorsal view elongate-oval, convex; length/width 1.67–1.74, greatest width near midlength; without marginal line basally; 10 complete striae of moderate puncture size, scutellary striole extending ¼ elytral length, with 9–16 punctures; intervals of striae with shallow punctures similar to those of striae, obscuring striae. All punctures of elytral bearing a single fine, procumbent seta; seta often only visible in profile, extending posteriorly to, over or beyond next puncture (often abraded), interval puncture setae longer than strial puncture setae. Punctation on meso- and metaventrites moderate to dense, distance between nearest punctures 1–2× width of punctures, puncture depth shallow. Metaventrite long, convex laterally, slightly impressed medially, metathoracic discrimen extending slightly over 3/4 metaventrite length. Legs with procoxa oval; mesocoxa globular; metacoxa transversely elongateoval; trochanters obliquely truncate apically; in males all femora swollen, stout, dorso-ventral width greater than eye length; all tibiae lacking shallow medial subapical emargination, obliquely truncate at apex, with complete fringe of fine spinules on anterior and posterior margins; protibia swollen, not flattened in cross section notably larger than other tibiae, triangularly dilated to apex; mesotibia weakly swollen, moderately triangularly dilated to apex; metatibia narrowed, weakly dilating to midlength then nearly parallel to apex; pro- and mesotarsi greatly enlarged, corresponding tarsomere I width ~ 3× own length, metatarsomere I width ~ own length.

Abdomen. Ventrite I with intercoxal process narrow, with triangular point anteromedially, lateral edges slightly projected, lateral and posterior margins arcuate, converging posteriorly; anterior and posterior margins of ventrites more or less straight; ventrite I longer medially than II; II–IV subequal in length; V slightly longer than IV with lateral margins converging posteriorly to a rounded apex; apical margin bearing short, dense setae; all ventrites strongly alutaceous across entire surface, bearing indistinct punctures, distance to nearest puncture ~ 1× width of puncture, punctures bearing mostly reclining setae; ventrites I–V with setae length ~ 2–3× width of puncture; I–V each with 2 or more median pairs of longer, semi-erect sensory hairs (obscured with other setation), V with additional 4–5 pairs of long semi-erect hairs located postero-laterally, but not at submargin. Male genitalia with genital capsule fringed with fine setae; tegmen sclerotized, triangular, laterally compressed; anterior region ring-like, posterior region sheath-like; lateral margins gradually converging posteriorly ( Figs. 6 G–H); apically with 2 elongate, somewhat bar-shaped parameres. Parameres dorso-ventrally compressed, height approximately half its own width, in dorso-ventral view length/width ratio = 2.14–2.67; apically with setae, length of longest setae> width of paramere in dorso-ventral view ( Fig. 6I ); median lobe laterally compressed, sclerotized, in lateral view strongly curved, apex tapering to a point. Ratio of penile strut length to median lobe length 1.93–2.19 (n = 2) ( Fig. 6H ).

Female generally similar to male, except for sexually dimorphisms. Female pronotum slightly more transverse than male, PL/PW = 0.75–0.81; elytra more strongly dulled and alutaceous laterally and over most of disc; legs unmodified, fore and middle legs not swollen, femora dorso-ventral width about equal to eye, all tibia gradually dilating to narrowly triangular apex, all legs with tarsomere I width ~ own length ( Figs. 6 A–C); metaventrite flattened medially, not impressed; abdomen strongly alutaceous, obscuring punctures, less densely punctate and setose.

Type locality. Mexico, Chiapas, Jaltenango , [GPS coord. omitted], 957m.

Range. Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Mexico, inhabiting male cones of four species of Ceratozamia .

Material examined. Holotype (by designation) male of C. chiapensis with the following labels: 1) [rectangular; white; printed in black ink] “ MEXICO, Chiapas, Jaltenango, [GPS coord. omitted], 957m, ex ♂ Ceratozamia vovidesii cone, 21- V-2017, H. Gomez Dominguez & W.Tang”; 2) [rectangular; red; printed in black ink] HOLOTYPE ♂ Ceratophila chiapensis Tang, Skelley & Pérez-Farrera 2018 . Deposited in the FSCA. Allotype (FSCA) same data as holotype and 175 adult paratypes: MEXICO: Chiapas, Ejido La Sombra, Mun. de Villa Flores, Ceratozamia mirandae , 1-V-1994, M. A. Perez-Farrera (3); Mpio. Villa Flores, 2 km. Oeste Ejido: “La Sombra”, 850m, oak forest on Ceratozamia norstogii , 1-V-1995, M. A. Perez, (4); Mpio. Cintalpa, Rancho Cafetal, Ceratozamia alvaresii , 4-III-1996, A. Vovides, 1A, (1); Mpo. Cintalapa, Ejido Flor de Chiapas, ex Ceratozamia norstogii ♂ cone; Feb 2010, M.A. Perez Farrera (1); Mpo. Villa Flores, Ejido La Sombra, Ceratozamia mirandae ♂ cone, XI-2010, M.A. Perez Farrera (25); Champerico, [GPS coord. omitted], Ceratozamia mirandae ♂ cone, 20- V-2017, H. Gomez Dominguez & W.Tang (46); Jaltenango, [GPS coord. omitted], 957m, ex ♂ Ceratozamia vovidesii cone, 21- V-2017, H. Gomez Dominguez & W.Tang (71); La Concordia, Rancho Los Pinos, ex ♂ Ceratozamia vovidesii cone, 1- VI-2017, M.A. Pérez Farrera & H. Gómez Domínguez (22). Paratypes deposited at ANIC, BMNH, FSCA, IEXA, INBio, MNHN, NZAC, UNAM, USNM.

Etymology. This species is named for the Mexican state where it was discovered.

Remarks. This species coinhabits male cones of at least four species of Ceratozamia ( C. alvarezii , C. mirandae , C. norstogii , C. vovidesii ) with Ceratophila (C.) picipennis and an undescribed species of Pharaxonotha . In nine collections from four host species listed above, Ceratophila (Vovidesa) chiapensis accounted for 6% of the adult pharaxonothine beetles present.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Key characters of adults: base of head, pronotum and base of elytra, dorsal view: A) Pharaxonotha sp. collected from Ceratozamia tenuis; B) Ceratophila (C.) chemnicki; pronotal left lateral margins: C) Pharaxonotha sp. from Ceratozamia tenuis; D) Ceratophila (C.) sanchezae; E) Ceratophila (Uovidesa) chiapensis from Ceratozamia vovidesii; right metatibiae of male individuals, posterior view: F) Ceratophila (C.) gregoryi; G) C. (U.) mixeorum; b: basal bead of elytra; s: stridulatory files.

FIGURE 6. Photographs of Ceratophila (Uovidesa) chiapensis collected from Ceratozamia vovidesii (A–F: female allotype): A–C) dorsal, ventral and lateral and habitus; D–F) head, dorsal, ventral and lateral views; G) (left to right) male genital capsule, median lobe and tegmen, ventral views; H) median lobe and tegmen, lateral views; I) close up of parameres of tegmen, ventral view.