Lanurgus beaveri Jordal, 2021

Jordal, Bjarte H., 2021, The mainly South African genus Lanurgus revised (Coleoptera, Scolytinae), Zootaxa 5027 (1), pp. 87-106 : 96

Lanurgus beaveri Jordal , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:46F3B29B-1415-49BF-8503-2EC7E5782E53

( Figs 23, 25, 27, 28 )

Type material. Holotype female: South Africa, Western Cape, Tsitsikamma National Park, Ratel Walk GIS: -33.964, 23.898, 13.Nov.2006, B. Jordal, leg. Allotype male and one female paratype: same data as HT . Holotype in SAMC, allotype and paratype in ZMUB.

Diagnosis. Female frons distinctly concave; setae on elytral interstriae mixed bristle- and scale-like, mainly in slightly irregular rows, on interstriae 9–10 setae are longer, thinner and confused; strial setae rather coarse, almost dagger-shaped, in irregular rows; antennal club setose, suture 1 obscurely and suture 2 lightly indicated.

Description, female. Length 1.9–2.0 mm, 2.3–2.5 × as long as wide. Colour dark brown. Frons lightly but distinctly concave, outer margin marked by a low carina from epistoma to eyes near antennal insertion; impressed area smooth, vestiture consisting of very short setae spaced by less than setae length, on upper margin and on epistoma setae longer and denser, about half the length of antennal club. Eyes separated above by 3.0–3.3 × their width. Antennal scapus dorsally triangularly extended, with dense tuft of long setae on its inner anterior face, slightly longer than club; funiculus 6-segmented; club almost twice as long as wide, setose with two vaguely indicated and lightly procurved sutures. Pronotum lightly constricted on anterior third, anterior half with sharp and separated asperities, along anterior margin with two small tubercles; posterior half lightly rugose, smooth towards lateral margins; vestiture consisting of mixed hair-like and bristle-like setae which are much shorter on basal fourth. Scutellum with narrow scale-like setae. Elytral interstriae with slightly irregular rows of mixed bristle- and scalelike setae which becomes hair-like and longer on interstriae 9 and 10; strial setae hair-like or coarser and daggerlike, recumbent, in fairly irregular rows. Legs. Protibiae with one lateral and two apical denticles.

Male. Similar to female except frons impressed only on lower half, vestiture denser, consisting of short, coarse setae; antennal scapus short, as long as broad with few setae which are not longer than scapus; anterior margin of pronotum with four closely placed small tubercles.

Etymology. Named after Roger A. Beaver, a long-time driving force in scolytine taxonomy. Roger pointed out the differences in this species from L. pubescens . He has been an inspiring mentor in bark beetle taxonomy, particularly in the early stage of my taxonomic career.

Distribution South Africa. Only known from the type locality in Tsitsikamma National Park, dissected from bark of an unidentified old branch 4 cm in diameter.

Remarks. Distinguished from L. pubescens and L. barbatus by the shorter interstrial setae which are in more regular rows, and from L. jubatus by the triangular dorsal extension of the female scapus, the shorter projecting tuft of setae from the dorsal margin of the impressed frons, and by the rounded dorsal shape of the male scapus.

DNA sequences from this species are quite deviant from the core clade of Lanurgus species ( Fig. 1) but nevertheless forms monophyly with the other species in the genus when using the matrix from Jordal (2021). Long branches are not due to potential idiosyncrasies in individual genes as multiple gene trees shows similar deviant patterns. Judged by morphology it seems like a typical Lanurgus such as L. jubatus , except for the slightly less pronounced sutures in the antennal club.

Figures

FIGURES 23–29. Dorsal, lateral and frontal view of Lanurgus beaveri sp. nov. female holotype (23, 25, 27) and male allotype (28), Lanurgus capensis male paratype (24, 26, 29).