Cotithene trigaea Franz

Franz, Nico M., 2008, Revision, phylogeny and natural history of Cotithene Vo s s (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Zootaxa 1782, pp. 1-33 : 20-21

Cotithene trigaea Franz , sp. n.

Diagnosis. Length 4.4–5.1 mm; rostrum in male ( Fig. 7 A) in lateral view angulate and expanded near apical 2/5, anterodorsal region of head rugulose, otherwise sculpture indistinct, setae short, pronotum expanded, yellowish-brown, elytra dark brown, aedeagus ( Fig. 10 B) with subapical constriction, apical region of paired aedeagal sclerites narrowed, acute; rostrum in female ( Fig. 7 B) 1.7x as long as pronotum, narrow, arcuate, scape not reaching eye, rostrum-head transition in lateral view slightly concave, pronotum small, trapezoidal. The males of Cotithene trigaea may be distinguished from those of other similarly sized species by the color pattern and particular combination of head sculpture and setation, as well as the terminalia, whereas the females are readily distinguished from those of C. leptorhamphis by the shorter and narrower rostrum.

Description. Male. Length 5.1 mm, width 2.3 mm, l/w = 2.2 (N = 1). Color yellowish to light brown, rostrum and head darker, reddish-brown, elytra dark brown. Rostrum ( Fig. 7 A) 1.6 mm, r/p = 0.9; dorsally slightly arcuate, angulate and tumescent near apical 2/5, width similar throughout; dorsal impression indistinct, basally rugulose; antennal insertion near apical 2/5. Head ( Fig. 7 A) with slight transverse elevation extending between posterodorsal edges of eyes, anterodorsally rugulose, lacking triangular projections, setation indistinct, more densely arranged near dorsal margin of each eye. Pronotum slightly expanded, anterolaterally not impressed. Prosternum with anterior 1/4 transversely impressed, without anterolateral impressions or tumescences; procoxal cavities separated by slightly less than width of antennal club. Elytra posteriorly not attenuate; additional elevation indistinct; striae slightly narrower than intervals. Spiculum gastrale distinctly shorter than aedeagus. Aedeagus ( Fig. 10 B) l/w = 3.9 (N = 1), widest near basal 2/5, constricted near apical third, narrowing in apical 1/5, apex widely rounded, explanate, slightly reflexed; internally with a symmetrical, irregularly V-shaped pair of explanate sclerites; sclerites in lateral view subrectangular, ventrally more strongly sclerotized, apex with complex, uncinate expansion, apically distinctly deflexed, ventral margins undulate; apodemes distinctly shorter than (i.e., nearly 2/5 as long as) aedeagal body.

Female. Length 4.4 mm, width 2.2 mm, l/w = 2.0 (N = 1). Rostrum ( Fig. 7 B) 2.1 mm, r/p=1.7; dorsally and ventrally arcuate, narrow, width similar throughout, connection with head in lateral view slightly angulate; antennal insertion at middle to basal 2/5; scrobe not reaching eye. Head light reddish-brown. Pronotum small, trapezoidal, not expanded. Procoxal cavities narrowly separated by less than width of antennal club. Elytra widest in middle. Sternum VIII ( Fig. 10 B) with furcal arms straight, posteriorly diverging, apices with 3–5 setae. Spermatheca ( Fig. 10 B) V-shaped, apex narrow, acute to rounded.

Material examined. Holotype male "Ref. Nac. Fauna Silv. Tapanti, 1250 m, Prov. Cart. [Cartago], COSTA RICA. G. Mora, Ago 1991, L-N-1904000, 559800" ( INBC); female paratype, same label data as holotype ( INBC).

Etymology. Named for the three principal earthy colors, derived from the Greek treis (three) and gaia (earth).

Natural history. Cotithene trigaea occurs in the Costa Rican Cordillera Central ( Fig. 13 A), Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Tapantí. Its host association is unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Rostrum and head of Cotithene trigaea, lateral view. A, male; B, female.

FIGURE 10. Genital structures of Cotithene species, from left to right: aedeagus, ventral view; aedeagus, lateral view; posterior region of female sternum VIII, ventral view; spermatheca, lateral view; shaded areas depicting structures of the internal sac; synapomorphic character states 31 (1) labelled. A, C. leptorhamphis; B, C. trigaea.

FIGURE 13. Reported localities of Cotithene in Costa Rica and Panama (A) and Venezuela (B). See text for further detail.