Ita chavanoni, Meregalli & Borovec, 2011

Meregalli, Massimo & Borovec, Roman, 2011, Radiation in the halophytic coenoses of the Peri-Tethys: taxonomy and biogeography of the genus Ita (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Journal of Natural History 45 (21 - 22), pp. 1331-1401 : 1347-1350

Ita chavanoni sp. nov.

(Figure 4)

Type locality

Morocco, SW Bouârfa , Mengoud, 32 ◦ 16 ′ N 02 ◦ 24 ′ W .

Material examined

Holotype ♂: MOROCCO. “E Maroc, 52 km SW Bouârfa, 4 km SW El Mengoub , 32 ◦ 15.947 ′ N 02 ◦ 23.671 ′ W, 1000 m, leg. Meregalli & Borovec” ( MER).

Paratypes: same data as the holotype, 184 ex. ( MER, BOR) .

Diagnosis

A species of Ita characterized by the relatively large size; rostrum long and robust, strongly broadened anteriad; antennal scape long, curved; elytra slender, scales dense, oval, three times as long as wide, legs and antennal funicle yellowish, tarsi moderately slender.

Description of the male. Basal half of rostrum, head, pronotum and elytra black; coxae and apex of rostrum dark ferruginous; antennal club, femora, segment 3 of tarsi and onychium ferruginous; antennal scape and funicle, tibiae and segments 1–2 of tarsi yellow (Figures 4A, B). Scales on head, pronotum, elytra and underside oval, about three times as long as wide, greyish, dense, hiding integument; scales on femora sparser and smaller, on tibiae in part narrower, sublinear (Figures 4E, F). Rostrum robust, long, regularly curved in lateral view, sides distinctly concave in basal part, very feebly concave beyond antennal insertion, strongly broadened at apex; dorsum densely punctured in basal half, particularly on sides beyond eyes, punctures usually aligned in shallow dorsal furrows; at mid-length and towards apex punctures smaller and shallower, more widely spaced (Figures 4C, K). Scrobes deep, curved downwards, upper and lower margins shortly keeled. Antennal scape 1.3 times as long as rostrum width at antennal insertion, slightly and regularly curved in apical part, moderately thickened; segment 1 of funicle 2.5 times as long as broad, conical, segment 2 much smaller, barely longer than wide; segments 3–7 progressively shorter, transverse; club oval (Figure 4J). Pronotum in basal part scarcely and linearly broadened, sides slightly angular at point of maximum width, just behind mid-length, and sublinearly slightly convergent at apex. Elytra oblong, scarcely convex, sides weakly broadened, slightly rounded at maximum width, rounded at apex. Segment 1 of tarsi feebly conical, three times as long as wide; segment 2 shortly triangular, segment 3 as long as segment 2, with broadly developed lobes, outer lobe slightly smaller than inner lobe; onychium slender, a little longer than segments 2 + 3 (Figure 4I). Aedeagus curved, dorsal sclerotized margins as wide as median membranous part, sides subparallel on most of median lobe, sub-rectilinearly convergent anteriad; apex weakly folded horizontally (Figures 4G, H).

Description of the female and variation. Size slightly larger; rostrum long, regularly and moderately curved, at apex as thick as at base; basal part concave, apical part beyond antennal insertion scarcely but distinctly concave and strongly broadened at apex (Figures 4D, L). Other characters similar to the male.

The variation in the specimens examined is very limited; the size is between 1.79 and 2.05 mm in the males and between 2.13 and 2.26 mm in the females.

Etymology

We are particularly pleased to name this species after our friend Guy Omar Chavanon, entomologist living in Oujda ( Morocco), who very kindly assisted us during our expedition and suggested exploring the salty habitats south-west of Bouârfa, where this new species was found.

Natural history

All the specimens were found sweeping plants of Salicornia fruticosa L., together with Bagous subruber Reitter, 1890 . The habitat is a perfectly flat salty depression, with a huge population of Salicornia , which is the dominant plant species ( Figures 23 , 24 : habitat and I. chavanoni on the host plant).

Distribution

Ita chavanoni may be exclusive to the Tamlelt plain. Researches in neighbouring halophytic coenoses did not yield any specimens of Ita , whereas Bagous subruber was found also on a Suaeda sp. in other localities.

Remarks

The shape of the male and female rostrum allows an immediate recognition of I. chavanoni with respect to all the other northern African species of the genus, which have a Figure 4. Ita chavanoni , holotype ♂: (A, B) body; (C, K) rostrum. Ita chavanoni , paratype ♂: (G, H) aedeagus; (I) fore tarsus; (J) antenna. Ita chavanoni , paratype ♀: (D, L) rostrum; (E) scales of side and (F) dorsum of elytra. Scale bar: (A, B) 1 mm; (C, D, G–L) 250 µm.

shorter rostrum, with the exception of I. gracilis , whose female has a longer and more slender rostrum and slender scales, four times as long as wide. Ita punica sp. nov. can be differentiated in the shape of the male rostrum, which is much less broadened anteriad beyond the antennal insertion and with larger and deeper punctures in the basal part. Ita berbera sp. nov. has the dorsal margins of the aedeagus broadly sclerotized, nearly touching in the median part; the female has a slightly shorter rostrum with, again, more distinct, deeper punctures on its basal part. Ita chobauti has an distinctly shorter rostrum in both the sexes.

Figures

Figure 23. Habitat of Ita chavanoni, Tamlelt basin, south of Mengoud (Bouârfa) (photo M. Meregalli).

Figure 24. Ita chavanoni sp. nov. crawling on the stem of the host plant, Salicornia fruticosa (photo M. Meregalli).