Hypothenemus ficivorus, Buhroo, 2024

Buhroo, Abdul Ahad, 2024, A taxonomic monograph of subfamily Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Western Himalaya, Zootaxa 5533 (1), pp. 1-82 : 65-66

52. Hypothenemus ficivorus sp. nov.

( Figure 65 )

Diagnosis: The new species is distinct by sculpture of frons with longitudinal rugose reticulations from vertex to below the lower level of eyes, being stronger on sides of the short longitudinal carina between the eyes and by the transversely reticulate elytral surface with small strial punctures. The interstrial scales are about 2–3× as long as wide and nearly equal in length to the distance between the rows.

Hypothenemus ficivorus sp. nov. is closely related to H. eruditus ( Westwood, 1834) and H. crudiae but can be distinguished by a short longitudinal carina between eyes in H. ficivorus sp. nov. versus a median tubercle between the eyes in H. crudiae ( Panzer, 1791) and absence of median tubercle or longitudinal carina in H. eruditus . The new species also differs in having longitudinal rugose reticulations from vertex to below the lower level of eyes, stronger on the sides of short longitudinal carina versus surface rugose-reticulate from vertex to upper level of eyes, more finely rugose below the upper level of eyes in H. eruditus and surface rugose-reticulate above median tubercle with reticulate area below the tubercle in H. crudiae . The interstriae are more than twice as wide as striae in H. ficivorus sp. nov. versus twice as wide as striae in H. eruditus and as wide as striae in H. crudiae . The declivital interstrial scales are about 3× as long as wide in H. ficivorus sp. nov. versus scales varying from about 3–8× as long as wide in H. eruditus and scales about 4–5× as long as wide in H. crudiae .

Description: This species is new by the following morphological characters: ♀ frons broadly convex; surface with distinct longitudinal rugosities extending up to vertex; a weak, longitudinal short carina between eyes (visible on fronto-lateral view), with strong rugose-reticulations on either side of carina; narrow impunctate area below the carina up to epistoma; vestiture of rather short, sparse hair on frons, moderately abundant below eyes, longer and more abundant on epistoma; eyes large with weak emargination; antennal funicle with four segments, club oval, somewhat flattened with three weakly procurved sutures marked by hair, suture 1 with an indistinct septum; pronotum 1.17× as wide as long, widest at middle, sides feebly arcuate on basal half, rather broadly rounded towards apex; anterior margin armed by six serrations, median pair somewhat closely placed; anterior slope with approximately thirty large, chisel-like asperities, areas between asperities smooth, shining; summit at middle, posterior and lateral areas shinning, reticulate punctate; vestiture of ground cover of short hair, intermixed with a few longer dagger like setae on anterior slope; sparse, short, flattened, blunt scales with micro hair posteriorly and on lateral sides; scutellum somewhat triangular; elytra 1.72× as long as wide and 1.98× as long as pronotum; lateral sides subparallel upto basal two-thirds, narrowing posteriorly with rounded apex; elytral surface weakly reticulate, strial punctures small on disc and declivity; interstriae more than twice as wide as striae, shining on disc and declivity, interstriae 1 and 2 somewhat narrowed towards apex; erect interstrial setae scale-like, blunt and wider apically, about 2–3× as long as wide and about equal in length to distance between rows, uniseriate but with a few out-of-line setae; strial setae small, semi-recumbent, hair-like; declivity evenly convex; sculpture as on disc; erect interstrial setae slightly longer than on disc; strial setae similar to those on disc; body color dark-brown to black; body length: 1.23–1.26 mm, 2.57× as long as wide.

Male similar to female but much smaller than female with smaller eyes; body length: 0.92 mm.

Material examined: Holotype: ♀ India: Kashmir , Srinagar, Hazratbal (University Campus), (34° 07′51.10 ′′ N, 074° 50′ 01.09′′ E, 5220 ft.), A.A. Buhroo, 10.08.2017 ( KUIC) ; Allotype, ♂: the same site and date as HT; Paratypes: the same data as HT (1 ♀); HT, AT and 1 PT deposited at KUIC; 2 PTs NHMW .

Type locality: India: Kashmir : Hazratbal Srinagar (University Campus)

Hosts: Ficus palmata ( Moraceae )

Etymology: The species epithet ficivorus refers to the Ficus eating.

Phylogenetic assessment:

A phylogenetic analysis of the temperate Himalayan Hypothenemus species and several similar species, most of which are found in the tropics and subtropics was performed using the COX-1 gene to detemine their monophyly and evolutionary relations ( Fig. 66 ). The NJ tree showed that Hypothenemus sp. of Panama (MK769333) and Himalayan H. ficivorus sp. nov. were monophyletic with low-supported bootstrap values and with an interspecific nucleotide difference of 13.84% between the two clades. The tree further demonstrated the monophyly of H. birmanus and H. hampei ( Ferrari, 1867) , with an interspecific nucleotide difference of 16.53%. The interspecific nucleotide difference between H. birmanus and H. eruditus was 17.23%.

Figures

FIGURE 65. Hypothenemus ficivorus sp. nov. Holotype female: dorsal view A, lateral view B, frons C; Allotype male: dorsal view D, lateral view E.

FIGURE 66. A phylogenetic tree obtained from the NJ for the COX-1 genes of Himalayan Hypothenemus (in blue) and related species. Numbers at the branches represent bootstrap values.