Pityogenes spessivtsevi Lebedev, 1926

Buhroo, Abdul Ahad, 2024, A taxonomic monograph of subfamily Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Western Himalaya, Zootaxa 5533 (1), pp. 1-82 : 40-41

30. Pityogenes spessivtsevi Lebedev, 1926

( Figure 39 )

This species is diagnosed by the following characters: ♂ with flat frons, somewhat shiny at the middle with scattered minute granules and small hairs, vertex more densely granulate with micro hairs, hairs denser towards epistomal margin; pronotum slightly longer than wide (1.03×), anterior margin with distinct carina bearing few asperities prominent at the middle, lateral sides feebly outcurved, gradually narrowing into a rounded anterior margin; summit distinct placed almost at middle, anterior slope with 6 or 7 crescentric rows of asperities, asperities gradually becoming larger towards anterior margin; a shining median ridge running from summit to posterior margin; discal half of pronotum shining with fine granules and small punctures; elytra 1.5× as long as pronotum, 1.5× as long as wide, basal margin substraight and devoid of carina, discal surface glabrous, sutural line depressed; striae marked with fine shallow punctures more prominent towards declivity; interstriae much wider than striae, flat with scattered fine punctures and some hairs prominent laterally; declivity commencing on posterior third with three prominent seteferous tubercles of unequal size on both margins, the 1 st tubercle at the level of 2 nd interstria, smallest in size, almost straight; 2 nd one biggest, hooked inward, placed at the level of 3 rd and 4 th interstriae; 3 rd one medium in size and placed at the postero-lateral margin of elytra; body chestnut brown; body length: 2.48–2.54 mm, 2.54× as long as wide.

In females, frons bears a single cavity with a central round operature and declivital margin lined by smaller tubercles; body length: 2.31–2.40 mm.

Material examined: New records: India: 4 ♂ ′s, 2 ♀ ′s. Kashmir , Baramulla , Check post Gulmarg (34° 03.797′ N, 074° 24.948′ E, 7552 ft.), A.A. Buhroo, 25.05.2017 ( KUIC) . Kashmir , Thajwas Sonamarg (34° 18.222′ N, 075° 16.388′ E, 9105 ft.), A.A. Buhroo, 30.08.2018 ( KUIC) . Kashmir , Budgam, Tosamaidan (33° 54′09.89′′ N, 074° 33′12.70′′ E, 8746 ft.), A.A. Buhroo, 31.07.2019 ( KUIC) .

Distribution: India: Himachal Pradesh, Kashmir, Uttarakhand. China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan

Hosts: Picea schrenkiana , P. smithiana , Pinus gerardiana , P. roxburghii , P. wallichiana ( Pinaceae )

Phylogenetic assessment:

A phylogenetic analysis of the Himalayan species Pityogenes scitus and P. spessivtsevi was performed using the COX-1 genes to determine their evolutionary relationship with other similar species of the genus ( Fig. 40 ). The NJ tree showed that the Himalayan species ( P. scitus and P. spessivtsevi ) formed distinct clades and there was a more than 16% interspecific nucleotide difference between the two species. Pityogenes scitus , P. quadridens ( Hartig, 1834) , P. bistridentatus ( Eichhoff, 1878b) , and P. bidentatus ( Herbst, 1784) belonged to the same monophyletic group. However, P. spessivtsevi , was separately monophyletic in the present anylysis. Pityogenes scitus diverged from the European P. quadridens and P. bistridentatus by 12.5–13.5% in interspecific nucleotide divergence. Haplotypes of P. spessivtsevi displayed an intraspecific nucleotide divergence of 1.66%.

Figures

FIGURE 39. Pityogenes spessivtsevi. Male: dorsal view A, lateral view B; female: dorsal view C, frons D.

FIGURE 40. A phylogenetic tree obtained from the NJ for the COX-1 genes of Himalayan Pityogenes (in blue) and related species. Numbers at the branches represent bootstrap values.