Acicnemis cryptica Lewis & Kojima, 2025

Lewis, Jake H., Kojima, Hiroaki & Campbell, Erin O., 2025, A Japan-focused review of East Asian Acicnemis Fairmaire, 1849 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) reveals cryptic diversity in a well-studied region, ZooKeys 1259, pp. 103-167 : 103-167

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1259.164450
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:EBA5ED95-FD65-42C6-8C7C-EFE17C1CEC77
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17574301
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/183AA775-DE6B-51CB-8245-8DC267CF10C2
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Acicnemis cryptica Lewis & Kojima
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Acicnemis cryptica Lewis & Kojima sp. nov.

Figs 6 C 1–6 View Figure 6 , 2 View Figure 2 , 12 View Figure 12

Type material

( Japan: 72). Holotype. Japan: Nagano Prefecture: • Otari Onsen, Otari-mura , 23. VII. 1990, M. Hasegawa, bears a red holotype label reading “ HOLOTYPE / Acicnemis cryptica / Lewis & Kojima, 2025 ”, JHL_AREV_672 , dissected male, deposited in KUM . Paratypes. Japan: Aomori Prefecture: • Towada , 14. VI. 1957, K. Shimoyama (1 dissected male, KUM), JHL_AREV_498 ; Fukushima Prefecture: • Yunohana, Tateiwa V., Minami-Aizu , 14. VI. 1947, “ Y. K. ” (1 dissected male, NMNS), JHL_AREV_139 ; Fukuoka Prefecture: • Hikosan (Buzen) , 19. V. 1939, H. Hori (1 dissected male, KUM), JHL_AREV_981 ; Gunma Prefecture: • Mt. Buson , 13–15. VII. 1975, H. Irie (2, KUM), JHL_AREV_904 (dissected male), JHL_AREV_905 ; Kochi Prefecture: • Mt. Tebako , 7–10. VIII. 1957, K. Morimoto (13, KUM), JHL_AREV_479 (dissected male), JHL_AREV_823 – JHL_AREV_827 , JHL_AREV_829 – JHL_AREV_831 , JHL_AREV_833 – JHL_AREV_835 , JHL_AREV_837 ; • Mt. Tebako , 18–21. VII. 1955, K. Kojima (2, KUM), JHL_AREV_828 , JHL_AREV_832 ; • Monobe-mura , 26–28. VIII. 1959, K. Morimoto (2, KUM), JHL_AREV_836 , JHL_AREV_845 ; Ibaraki Prefecture: • Mt. Yamizo-san, Daigo-machi , 1. XII. 1995, S. Nomura (1 dissected male, KUM), JHL_AREV_901 ; Iwate Prefecture: • Mt. Hayachine , 2–5. VIII. 1982, H. Makihara (8, KUM), JHL_AREV_594 (dissected male), JHL_AREV_817 , JHL_AREV_818 , JHL_AREV_822 , JHL_AREV_841 – JHL_AREV_844 ; Nagano Prefecture: • Otari Onsen, Otari-mura , 23. VII. 1990, M. Hasegawa (1, TUA), JHL_AREV_819 ; Oita Prefecture: • Mt. Sobo , 29. VII. 1953, T. Matsuda (1 dissected male, KUM), JHL_AREV_544 ; Shizuoka Prefecture: • Amagi-toge, Hacchoike Izu-hanto , 14. V. 1980, J. Okuma (4, TUA), JHL_AREV_947 (dissected male), JHL_AREV_959 ; • Tokyo Metropolis: Nippara , 19. IX, 1971, H. Takizawa, JHL_AREV_118 (1, HUM) ; • Ogawadani, Okutama , “ 1966.8. 6 ”, T. Goh (1 dissected male, HUM), JHL_AREV_140 ; • Mt. Takao , 27. V. 1917, E. Gallois (3, HUM) JHL_AREV_114 (dissected male), JHL_AREV_141 , JHL_AREV_142 ; • Mt. Takao , 10. V. 1914, E. Gallois (1, HUM), JHL_AREV_115 ; • Mt. Takao, Hachioji , 22. VIII. 2024, 35.62972°N, 139.2525°E, R. Anderson, beating in mixed maple / beech / cypress forest, “ 2024-102 ” (2, CMNC), JHL_AREV_2035 , JHL_AREV_2026 GoogleMaps ; • Takao Musashi , V. 1912, H. Takabayashi (1, HUM), JHL_AREV_116 ; Yamanashi Prefecture: • Daibosatsu , 19. V. 1974, M. Tao (1, TUA), JHL_AREV_778 ; • Koganezawa-rindo, Ohtsuki-shi , 30–31. V. 1980, J. Okuma (5, TUA), JHL_AREV_630 (dissected male), JHL_AREV_820 , JHL_AREV_821 ; • Koganezawa-rindo , 23. VI. 1974, S. Miyakawa (8, TUA), JHL_AREV_941 – JHL_AREV_945 .

Diagnosis.

Body length 4.9–7.0 mm. Covered in dark to pale gray and black scales. Pronotum covered in black scales medially, but with white to yellow scales laterally (compare with A. albofasciata which also has white lateral pronotal bands, but bordered by black scales at the lateral-most extreme of the pronotum). Apical 1 / 2 of elytra with a V-shaped patch of white scales. Pronotum evenly punctured across dorsal surface, but often with shiny, impunctate longitudinal midline. Scutellum bare over anterior 1 / 2 of dorsal surface, otherwise covered in pale yellowish scales. Only odd elytral intervals with erect scales (even elytral intervals may possess erect scales at the extreme elytral apex). Sclerolepidia distinct and protruding. Third tarsomeres distinctly emarginate. Pedon with lateral edges approx. parallel in dorsal view, but sinuating into an acute point (Fig. 6 C 1 View Figure 6 – 2 View Figure 2 ). Internal sac without tuberculate or roughened musculature inside the aedeagus (compare with A. albofasciata , which has a tuberculate internal sac visible inside the aedeagus), but with hook-shaped protruding structure surrounded by tuberculate, roughened musculature.

Distribution.

This species is endemic to mainland Japan (excluding Hokkaido), north from Aomori Prefecture and south to Kyushu ( Oita Prefecture, Fukuoka Prefecture).

Etymology.

The specific name cryptica is a reference to the remarkable similarity of this species in external morphology to A. albofasciata and also explains why it was overlooked for decades. We also suggest the Japanese common name ハイイロカレキゾウムシ [Haiiro-kareki-zoumushi], which translates in English to “ Gray-dead-wood-weevil ”.

Remarks.

This cryptic species was previously assumed to be a pale-color morph of A. albofasciata (see Morimoto and Miyakawa 1995: 50, fig. 11), and indeed only differs externally from A. albofasciata in overall color (pale gray in A. cryptica ; black to dark gray in A. albofasciata ) and weakly in scale pattern (entire lateral portion of pronotum white to yellow scaled in A. cryptica ; isolated white to yellow band, bordered by black lateral pronotal band in A. albofasciata ). The male genitalia of A. cryptica (which were apparently not examined previously), however, are completely distinct from A. albofasciata and differ in the shape of the aedeagus as well as in internal sac morphology (Fig. 6 C 1 View Figure 6 – 2 View Figure 2 ).