Epibrithus Marshall, 1955

Hansen, Steffan P. & Haran, Julien M., 2025, Revision of the South African genus Epibrithus Marshall (Curculionidae, Entiminae) with description of two new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 1012, pp. 201-221 : 204-206

Genus Epibrithus Marshall, 1955

Epibrithus Marshall, 1955: 7 .

Type species

Epibrithus pustulatus Marshall, 1955 , by original description.

Redescription ( ♂ ♀)

MEASUREMENTS. Medium-sized weevils, body length 6.6–9.44 mm.

COLOR END VESTITURE. Integument dark red to black; integument of abdomen red-brown to black, ventrite 5 ( ♂) usually lighter red than 1–4. Dorsal vestiture (head, pronotum, elytra) forming a dense cover of small, round to elliptical (slightly longer than wide) appressed brown to light grey scales, not completely covering the integument; callosities on elytra and tubercles of pronotum with tufts (elytra) or single (pronotum) suberect elongate scales generally darker than surrounding vestiture; base of interstriae 1 with scale cover less dense, revealing integument, scales on legs generally more elongate (approx. twice as long as wide), similar in colour to vestiture on dorsum. Ventral vestiture (head, thorax, coxa, ventrites) similar to dorsum, scales generally 2–3 times as large, and more elongate (longer than wide); ventrites with sparse, stout, elongate, suberect scales, similar colour to surrounding vestiture but without pearly sheen.

HEAD. Rostrum longer than wide (w/l ratio: 0.84–0.9), in dorsal view sides wider at antennal insertions than at base ( ♂ 1.12–1.31 ×; ♀ 1.21–1.27 ×), slightly concave in the basal ½ of length and strongly conveX in apical ½, in lateral view slightly conveX dorsally and concave ventrally ( Figs 1–3 ); epifrons narrower than forehead, widening apicad, with a median longitudinal carina extending from frons to forehead mostly concealed by scales; frons Y-shaped, about ¾ as wide as width of eye in dorsal view, integument punctate, bearing 2 pairs of elongate setae; epistome widest at apex, semi-circular posteriorly with a carinate hind margin not extending backwards beyond the apex of pterygia, bilobate, bare of scales, micropunctate, with or without a pair of setae. Scrobes superficial, directed below middle of eye, densely covered with scales ( Figs 1–3 ); mandibles trisetose, bare of scales; mentum bisetose; forehead flat or somewhat depressed in the middle, with an elongate median fovea. Vestiture of head made of dense appressed imbricate scales (as for elytra) and sparse elongate semi-erect flattened scales; lateral and ventral regions basal to frons with a line of very elongate, 5 × longer than wide flattened scales. Eyes convex, exceeding the lateral margin of the head capsule in dorsal view. Antennae robust; scape 0.73–0.83 × as long as funicle, slightly curved to nearly straight, cylindrical, moderately widening from base to apical ⅔, more so in apical ⅓, eXceeding anterior margin of pronotum in repose; integument densely covered with elongate imbricate scales and stout downcurved scales. Funicle with segments 1–2 elongate, 1 longer than 2 (1.14–1.68 ×), segments 3–6 subequal in length, longer than wide, conical, segment 7 subequal or slightly longer than 6, with elongate scales and stout erect setae; club spindle-shaped, segment 1 longer than 2, margins slightly sinuous, posterior 1/2 of segment 1 with vestiture as for funicle, rest of vestiture of club finely and densely setose.

THORAX. Pronotum slightly wider than long (w/l ratio: ♂ 1.18–1.25, ♀ 1.30–1.32) in dorsal view, widest slightly beyond middle of length, apical margin 0.83–0.87 × as wide as base, sides moderately to strongly convex; in lateral view convex dorsally, highest point at or just before to middle of length; integument closely set with small subcontiguous tubercles, the apex of which is glabrous or more or less covered with scales, and bearing a short, stout, suberect scale, median line with a groove not reaching base and apex of pronotum; noto-sternal suture distinct, sinuous, tubercles reduced or absent at and below the level of this suture. Prosternum and prosternellum forming low obtuse spine-like process on either side of base of procoxae, covered with scales on prosternum and glabrous on prosternellum; mesosternum with raised intercoxal process covered with scales; metasternum with carinate margins around base of mesocoxae, may also be raised into a low ridge between basal half of mesocoxae; mesepimera narrowly triangular posteriorly, mesoventrite reaching elytral margin at apex; metanepisternal suture distinct in apical ⅓–½, superficial in posterior ½–⅔.

SCUTELLUM. Scutellar shield not exposed.

ELYTRA. Broadly ovate in dorsal view, (w/l ratio 0.63–0.73), sides sub-parallel or convex and widest beyond middle of length, apex ovately to broadly rounded; humeral angles obtuse, poorly distinct from lateral conveXity, located at 0.12–0.19 of elytral length; width at humeral angles 1.59–1.79 × ( ♂), 1.99– 2.02 × ( ♀) as wide as base of prothoraX; in lateral view, dorsal line conveX, reaching highest point in basal ⅓ or about apical ⅓ beyond start of declivity; declivity steep in male, almost vertical in female; base of interstriae 1 with integument distinct, sparsely covered with scales or glabrous; each elytron with 10 shallow, hardly distinct striae, punctures partly irregular, almost or entirely concealed with scales; the interstriae with rows of somewhat irregular obtuse callosities which sometimes coalesce longitudinally or laterally with those on adjoining intervals, each callosity with scales more erect on posterior declivity than on base of elytra.

METATHORACIC WINGS. Absent.

LEGS. Robust. ProcoXae contiguous, mesocoXae separated by approXimately 1/5 × the width of a mesocoxa; femora clavate, unarmed, metafemora not reaching apex of elytra; tibiae slightly downcurved to nearly straight, internal margin bisinuate with a row of dark red to black denticles and generally with a row of 1–5 black suberect spines; external margin with dark semi-appressed setiform scales, internal margin with longer, more erect light setae; mucro concealed in a tuft of elongate curved golden-brown setae, distinctly longer and black on metatibiae in male ( Figs 1A , 2A , 3A–B ); metatibiae without corbel, bears comb of black spines. Tarsi with segment 1 slightly wider than 2, 2 approximately ¾ the length of 1, 3 bilobed, slightly wider than 1 and 2; claws simple, strongly curved, weakly divaricate but not mobile, equal or subequal in length.

ABDOMEN. Ventrite 1 with intercoXal process weakly ( ♀) or strongly ( ♂) concave in middle, ♂ 1.37– 1.75 ×; ♀ 1.47–1.81 × the metacoXal width, apical edge bilobate to almost straight; in male ventrites 2 +3 +4 weakly concave in middle of apical ridge, concavities with integument poorly concealed by scales, apical edges slightly bilobate to almost straight in middle; ventrite 5 wide (w/l ratio: ♂ 1.49–1.78; ♀ 1.40–1.44), in female slightly conveX with a very shallow apical depression, rounded apically, with a homogeneous cover of scales, apical margin with thin, brown, elongate setae forming a hook shape at apeX, in males with a shallow cavity in apical ½–¾ of length, bearing a median carina, apical margin slightly to strongly bilobate, apex with two brushes of black setae.

MALE TERMINALIA. Body of penis well sclerotized, 1.58–2.44 mm in length, elongate (w/l ratio: 0.27– 0.37), sides in basal ⅓–½ subparallel or slightly concave in dorsal view, widest in basal ⅓–⅔, converging abruptly or regularly in apical ½–⅓, apeX acuminate; in lateral view strongly downcurved, curvature stronger near middle of length, with tip weakly or strongly downcurved; temones slightly shorter (0.91 ×) to slightly longer (1.04–1.14 ×) than body of penis. Copulatory sclerite with a left arm refleXed slightly outward or strongly inward, setose at apex. Tegmen slender, parameres distinct with fused bases divided by a median notch, manubrium more sclerotized than rest of tegmen, longer than diameter of ring. Spiculum gastrale well sclerotized, posteriorly curved and flattened to form a concave plate.

Figures

Fig. 1. Epibrithus pustulatus Marshall, 1955, ♂, (JHAR03020-01; CBGP). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Penis, dorsal (left) and lateral (right) views. D. Copulatory sclerite (b = body; l = left arm; r = right arm; s = setae at base). E. Abdominal ventrites. F. Head and rostrum, lateral view. Scale bar: A–B = 5 mm; C–F not to scale.

Fig. 2. Epibrithus longicarinatus sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (JHAR05672-01; SAMC). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Penis, dorsal (left) and lateral (right) views. D. Copulatory sclerite (b = body; l = left arm; r = right arm; s = setae at base). E. Male abdominal ventrites. F. Male head and rostrum, lateral view. Scale bar: A–B = 5 mm; C–F not to scale.

Fig. 3. Epibrithus boroveci sp. nov., holotype, ♂ (JHAR06376-01; SAMC). A. Habitus, dorsal view. B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Penis, dorsal (left) and lateral (right) views. D. Copulatory sclerite (b = body; l = left arm; r = right arm; s = setae at base). E. Abdominal ventrites. F. Head and rostrum, lateral view. Scale bar: A–B = 5 mm; C–F not to scale.