Parallocorynus (Neocorynus) iglesiasi, O’Brien & Tang, 2015

O’Brien, Charles W. & Tang, William, 2015, Revision of the New World cycad weevils of the subtribe Allocorynina, with description of two new genera and three new subgenera (Coleoptera: Belidae: Oxycoryninae), Zootaxa 3970 (1), pp. 1-87 : 51-53

Parallocorynus (Neocorynus) iglesiasi Tang and O’Brien, new species

Figures: habitus: 85 – 88; antennal pockets: 122; male genitalia: 167 – 168, 194, 209 – 210, 234; female genitalia: 261.

DESCRIPTION—Body small to large (range 3.0 – 4.1 mm, mean = 3.6 mm, n = 15), not robust, elongate-oval; distinctly bicolored, orange-brown and black.

Male (holotype). Rostrum: long, 0.85 X as long as pronotum, blackish brown; smooth, nearly impunctate; weakly expanded near apex, distal 1/3 and proximal 1/3 straight, but weakly curved in central 1/ 3 in lateral view. Head: just behind eyes, and forehead between eyes with moderately dense large punctures; forehead with distinct, long, narrow, median sulcus; forehead nearly equal in width between median basal and apical margin of eyes. Antennae: scape 1.20 X longer than eye and 1.26 X longer than desmomeres 1+2, 1 – 4 elongate, 5 – 7 shorter and transverse; scape and desmomere 1 reddish brown, 2 – 7 piceus to black; club with rhopalomeres 1 and 2 piceus to black, apical rhopalomere reddish brown. Prothorax: transverse, 1.08 X wider than long; anterior margin emarginate in dorsal view; apex moderately narrow, evenly roundly expanded to basal 1/4, there strongly rounded to base; lateral margins not denticulate, with large coarse punctures; disc with small, shallow, moderately separated punctures; laterally subrugose; uniform orange-brown. Scutellum: with lateral margins basally subparallel; apically with blunt posterior angles, with dense small punctures, sparse long blond setae present. Elytra: 0.53 X as wide as long; subparallel behind rounded humeri, to very slightly expanded near declivity, there suddenly evenly narrowed to rounded moderately emarginate apices; unevenly coarsely punctured, humeral area with discrete punctures, medially and apically transversely moderately rugosely punctured; with basal 1/4 brown, remainder of disc uniformly brownish black. Legs: very robust, procoxae weakly convex, lacking processes; profemora strongly asymmetrically swollen, with apical pit-like impression receiving base of tibia, ventrodistal surface with pronounced angulation, ventral surface granulate with granules arranged in transverse rows 4 – 6 granules each; protibiae stout in lateral view, with base rounded with strong rounded bend, lacking inner tooth, inner surface weakly medially broadly excavate from base to near apex, subcarinate margins of groove not denticulate, apex with small anterior mucro and subequal posteriorly directed tooth. Length, pronotum and elytron: 3.70 mm.

Female. Same as male except: Rostrum: 1.56 X longer than pronotum. Antennae: with desmomeres 1 – 4 elongate, 5 – 7 transverse, 1 – 3 pale yellowish, 4 – 7 blackish brown; club with rhopalomeres 1 and 2 basally black, rhopalomere 3 transitioning to reddish brown at distal half. Prothorax: 1.13 X wider than long; apex narrow, apical 1/3 strongly rounded, there subparallel to slightly narrowed broad base. Elytra: 0.54 X as wide as long. Length, pronotum and elytron: 3.83 mm.

Genitalia and Associated Structures— Male. Length of penis and apodemes together 1.03 – 1.22 mm (n = 5). Penis: in dorsal view lateral margins subparallel or tapering slightly for most of length, 0.18 – 0.22 mm wide, barely perceptible bulge at gonopore, beyond gonopore apex tapering more or less evenly to rounded point (Figs. 167 – 168, 194). Female. Sternite VIII: 1.09 – 1.12 mm long (n = 2), arms ~ half as long as apodeme, diverging from apodeme with gradually increasing angle between arms (maximum angle reaching 83˚) for ~ 2/5 of length, then curved gently inward without sharp angulate bend, then converging in final half of length (Fig. 261).

Intraspecific Variation— The rostral length relative to the pronotal length of males = 0.85 – 1.13 (mean = 0.96, n = 8) and of females = 1.56 – 1.64 (mean = 1.59, n = 4); the pronotal width relative to the pronotal length of males = 1.08 – 1.16 (mean = 1.10, n = 8) and of females = 1.12 – 1.16 (mean = 1.14, n = 4). In males the angulation on the ventrodistal surface of the profemora is most pronounced in major males and nearly absent in minor males.

Etymological Note.— This species is named in honor of Carlos Iglesias, Manager of the Jardín Botánico Francisco Javier Clavijero in Xalapa , Veracruz, Mexico , and collector of part of the type series, and for his contributions to cycad taxonomy, ecology and conservation in Mexico .

Remarks— This species is closely related to P. (N.) inexpectatus and the two can be distinguished using two morphological characters: 1) The dorsal interocular distance/head width at eyes of P. inexpectatus = 0.45–0.52 (mean = 0.49, n = 19) and of P. iglesiasi = 0.40–0.49 (mean = 0.43, n = 14) and 2) the penis of P. inexpectatus in dorsal view is more robust (Fig. 167) with the width of lateral folds (posterior to junction with apodemes) together> 1/3 total width of penis, while that in P. (N.) iglesiasi is relatively narrower, together ~ 1/4 total width of penis. Parallocorynus (N.) iglesiasi is found together with P. (P.) perezfarrerai in the male cones of Dioon edule . Female individuals of the two species are similar, but can be distinguished by RL/PL, which is smaller (1.36 – 1.52) in P. (P.) perezfarrerai .

Biology— P. (N.) iglesiasi inhabits the male cones of Dioon edule ; cycad pollen grains were detected in the gut of an adult of this species indicating it feeds on the pollen of the host.

Range.— Mexico, in central Veracruz state; adults or larvae, identified by analysis of the 16S rRNA gene ( Tang et al. in press), are known from the two recognized forms of its host: the Chavarillo form of Dioon edule ranging from Monte Oscuro to Actopan and the Palma Sola form ranging from Farallón to Colorado.

Material Examined— Holotype (by designation) male with the following labels: 1) [rectangular; white; printed in black ink] Mexico, Veracruz, Municipio/ Actopan, Rancho del Niño,/ ex Dioon edule cone, 8-X-2002,/ A. Vovides, C. Iglesias & P. Aguilar; 2) [rectangular; red; printed in black ink] HOLOTYPE ♂ / Parallocorynus (Neocorynus) / iglesiasi/ Tang & O’Brien 2015 (CAS). Paratypes: same label data, (26). MEXICO: Veracruz, [Municipio Emiliano Zapata], Monte Oscuro, ex Dioon edule ♂ cone, 2-XI-2012, A.Vovides (3). Paratypes (29) are deposited at CAS, CWOB, FSCA, IEXA, UNAM.

Subgenus Eocorynus Tang and O’Brien, new subgenus

Type species: Parallocorynus (Eocorynus) schiblii Tang and O’Brien, new species

DIAGNOSIS. The subgenus Eocorynus can be distinguished from other Allocorynina by the following diagnostic characters: male profemoral ventral surface with a field of granules that is 3 or more granules in width and ventrodistal surface with a stout spine; female RL/PL is 1.77 – 1.95, larger than in any other subgenus of Parallocorynus or any other Allocorynina , except for Rhopalotria vovidesi which has a female RL/PL range of 1.58 – 1.79.

DESCRIPTION. Body medium-sized to large (BL = 3.2 – 5.1 mm, mean = 4.4 mm, n = 26); moderately robust, elongate-oval; bicolored orange-brown and black, or light brown and black.

Male. Rostrum: 1.34 – 1.48 X longer than pronotum (n = 12). Antennae: scape length = 1.63–1.80 X eye length (n = 7; mean for each species = 1.67–1.72) and 1.07–1.35 X length of desmomeres 1+2 (n = 7; mean for each species = 1.67–1.72); width of pits of antennal club> diameter of socket for club rhopalomere (Figs. 123– 124). Prothorax: pronotal width/pronotal length (PW/PL) = 1.18 – 1.28 (n = 12); notopleural suture short and not reaching anterior margin of prosternum; distance from anterior margin of procoxae to anterior margin of prosternum on average 3.5 – 4.1 X distance from posterior margin of procoxae to posterior margin of prosternum. Legs: profemora asymmetrically swollen, ventral surface with field of granules (Fig. 276), width of field greater than 3 granules, stout spine present on the posterior side of the ventrodistal surface (Figs. 90, 94), spine resting against posterior side of protibiae when protibiae in repose (Fig. 276).

Female. Same as male except: Rostrum: 1.77 – 1.95 X longer than pronotum (n = 12), on average 31 – 34% greater than in males, with no overlap between sexes within species. Prothorax: PW/PL = 1.33 – 1.45 (n = 12), on average 11 – 17% greater than in males, without overlap between sexes within species. Legs:. Profemora not asymmetrically swollen and without granulations or spines on ventral surface.

Genitalia and Associated Structures— Male. Length of penis and apodemes together 1.08 – 1.54 mm (n = 6). Penis: in dorsal view sides subparallel or slightly converging toward apex, length to width ratio 3.2 (Figs. 169 – 172), relatively wide and short compared with the subgenera Parallocorynus and Dysicorynus , bulging near gonopore; apodemes approximately same length as apical section of penis, slightly concave on inner surface, in lateral view widening gradually from base until narrowing at rounded apex. Internal sac: with lateral elongate band of scales, one on each side, sinuate endophallic strut along ventral midline appearing absent (Figs. 169–172, 238A–B), sclerotized endophallic dart (Fig. 238B) also visible within proximal end of retracted sac (Figs. 169, 171). Tegmen: apical plate in lateral view with width <1/4 length of plate, in dorsal view slightly narrowing distad to truncate or slightly rounded apex, apex without dorsal shelf, apical plate rigid except for posterior margin curling ventrally along transverse axis, or not; fringed with setae numbering typically fewer than 25, typically only setae in apical corners visible, those along center of apex pointing ventrally (Figs. 211 – 212, 235 – 236); length of longest setae <width of apical plate in dorsal view. Female. Sternite VIII: 1.07 – 1.42 mm long (n = 4), arms ~ half as long as apodeme, diverging from apodeme with gradually increasing angle between arms for ~ 2/5 of length, then curved inward but without sharp angulate bend, then converging in final half of length, apices not touching; length of band of setae connecting apices of arms <greatest width of arms. Spermathecal tube: uncoiled length <half length of sternite VIII.

Etymological Note— This name of the subgenus is masculine and latinized from the Greek words eos (early or dawn) and koryne (club), referring to its basal position within the genus.

Remarks— Species in this subgenus were unknown to Tang & O’Brien (2012) and do not correspond with any prior species grouping. The structure of the profemora and genitalia and molecular markers of the 16S rRNA gene ( Tang et al. in prep.) indicate that this subgenus is most closely related to the subgenera Neocorynus and Dysicorynus . Adults of the subgenera Parallocorynus and Eocorynus may co-occur within individual dehiscing male cones of Dioon califanoi and the D. holmgrenii - jonesi species complex. The larval stages of the two subgenera appear to feed in different parts of the cone, in a form of niche partitioning. The larvae of Eocorynus are highly mobile and appear to feed within the cone axis ( Tang , pers. obser.) while those of the subgenus Parallocorynus are confined inside sporophyll tissue ( Vovides 1991, Tang , pers. obser.). Furthermore, the larvae of Eocorynus , unlike all other Allocorynina (except the subgenus Neocorynus , do not pupate within male cone sporophylls, but exit the cone to pupate either in another part of the plant or outside the plant entirely. Unlike in the nominate subgenus Parallocorynus , adults of this subgenus have never been reared from cones. These striking differences in larval and pupal behavior of Eocorynus indicate a fundamental shift in their life cycle compared to all other Allocorynina (except Neocorynus ) studied so far.

Host and Geographic Distribution— This lineage currently appears to be restricted to southern Mexico and is known from male cones of Dioon holmgrenii and D. califanoi and likely inhabits the closely related host species D. caputoi , D. argenteum and D. purpusii . An incomplete specimen of this genus has been collected from D. merolae (W. Tang , unpub. data), but its treatment awaits more complete material.