Endeochetus maculifer, Colonnelli, 2014

Colonnelli, Enzo, 2014, Apionidae, Nanophyidae, Brachyceridae and Curculionidae except Scolytinae (Coleoptera) from Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 295-422 : 399-401

Endeochetus maculifer sp. nov.

( Figs 120, 123 )

Type series. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Al Haghier Mts. // Scant Mt. env. // 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E, 1450 m // Jiří Hájek leg. 12-13.xi.2010 ’. PARATYPES: 1 J, same label data as holotype ( NMPC) ; 2 JJ 3 ♀♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Al Haghier Mts. // Scant Mt. env., 1450 m // 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E // L. Purchart leg. 12-13.xi.2010 ’ (4 NMPC, 1 ECRI) ; 3♀♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra island // Hagher Mts. , Skant, // N 12°34.557′ E 54°01.514′ // V. Hula & J. Niedobová leg. // 7.-8.vi.2010 ’ (2 NMPC, 1 ECRI) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Socotra Is ( YE) // Al Haghier Mts. Scant

Mt. env. // 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E, 1450 m // Jan Batelka leg. 12-13.xi.2010 ’ ( JBPC) ; 2 JJ 4 ♀♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra // Al Haghier Mts. [sifting] // Scant Mt. env. 1450 m // 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E / 12-13.xi.2010, P. Hlaváč’ (4 NMPC, 2 ECRI) ; 3 ♀♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Hagher Mts. , Scand Mt. env. // montane evergreen woodland // 16-18. vi.2012 // 12°34.6′N E 54°01.5′E, 1450 m’, ‘Socotra expedition 2012 // J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, // P. Kment, I. Malenovský, // J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ (2 NMPC, 1 ECRI) .

Additional material examined. ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Zemhon area , 270-300m // N. 12°20′58″, E 54°06′39″ // 16-17.vi.2010 // V. Hula leg.’, 1 ♀ ( NMPC); ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island W // N 12°39′37″, E 53°26′42″ // 240-300 m a.s.l. // 15.vi.2009, L. Purchart leg.’, 1 ♀ ( NMPC) .

Description. Male holotype. Body length 6.1 mm. Dark brown, moderately shining, rather coarsely punctured, rostrum, legs (tarsi, apex of femora and of tibiae excepted), anterior third of pronotum, base and apical declivity of elytra and suture ferruginous. Dorsal vestiture on rostrum composed of rather sparse half-recumbent golden-brownish small hair-like scales; head bare; pronotum with sparse almost recumbent elongate curved brownish hair-like scales; elytra with row of similar suberect slightly longer scales on intervals; sulcate subtriangular and oval yellow recumbent scales form pattern of Fig. 120 ; legs with sparse golden setae; basal two thirds of femora and internal margin of tibiae apicad of dilatation with long erect silvery or golden setae. Ventral side very densely and coarsely punctured with fairly sparse rather short suberect golden setae ( Fig. 120 ).

Head. Rostrum as long as pronotum, rather regularly and strongly curved, very coarsely punctured, basal half tricarinate, both lateral carinae converging towards base, punctures irregularly confluent on sides of thin keel of basal half, just basad of antennal insertion rostrum becomes 5-keeled up to distance from apex about same of rostral width, where surface densely punctured as it is between carinae; in dorsal view rostrum slightly dilated apicad of basal fifth, then subparallel up to near apex, and here slightly dilated again.Antennae inserted at middle of rostrum; scape almost straight and gradually clubbed; funicular antennomere I barely thicker than following ones and little longer than II; antennomeres III to VII progressively slightly shorter, last moderately transverse and annexed to club which is subconical and is as long as two preceding antennomeres. Head convex, minutely punctured, space between eyes as wide as little more than half of rostral width at base; eyes subtriangular, flat and imperceptibly sunken.

Pronotum 1.07 times as long as broad, slightly constricted near truncate apex, base barely convex, disc flat on apical half and depressed in front of scutellar area, with large coarse round punctures intervals of which in part form irregular ridges; sides moderately rounded, maximum width at middle. Scutellum invisible.

Elytra 1.62 times longer than wide and twice as long as pronotum, dorsum flat on basal two thirds, then quite strongly convex on apical declivity, base slightly concave, sides only slightly curved on basal two thirds then moderately converging towards apex, maximum width at apical third. Striae formed by large subquadrate punctures from which originates an almost recumbent golden unapparent seta. Interstriae not wider than striae, rugosely and irregularly punctured, little convex, III, V and VII little more so than others.

Legs moderately elongate; femora strongly clubbed and acutely toothed, densely and coarsely punctured; tibiae compressed, curved at extreme base then almost straight, punctured, outer margin keeled, inner one dilated at basal third, concave and strongly serrate apicad of widening; tarsi rather narrow, tarsomere III not bilobed.

Ventral side. Tubercles on basal margin of prosternum posteriorly to coxae barely visible; metaventrite and abdominal ventrites I and II with large shallow common impression.

Variability. The colour of the integument may be more or less dark, and a moderate variability can be observed in the disposition of pronotal and elytral yellow markings. Females differ from males by their longer rostrum more dilated on basal half and here with five thin keels, whereas apicad of the antennal insertion their rostrum narrows and is not clearly keeled, and then towards apex it widens again so that its sides are a little concave. Tibiae of females are a little less serrate and their setae are less numerous and slightly erect; in addition female ventrites are not impressed.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as depicted in Fig. 123 .

Body length 4.6–6.1 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Among the Socotran Endeochetus this new species is rather similar to E. rugulithorax sp. nov., being however easy to separate from it already by the densely and coarsely instead of rugosely punctured pronotum, the large subquadrate instead of small roundish punctures of elytral striae, the uneven instead of regularly punctured interstriae, and the interstriae III, V and VII more convex instead of as convex as the remaining ones.

Etymology. The yellow elytral patches on elytra suggested its name, Latin adjective maculifer (- a, - um), meaning ‘bearing spots’.

Collection circumstances. This species was sifted from leaf litter in montane evergreen woodland in the highest parts of the Hagher mountains (J. Hájek, pers. comm.).

Distribution. Endemic to Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs 118–123. 118, 121 – Endeochetus saccofrancisci sp. nov., holotype: 118 – habitus; 121 – aedeagus in dorsal view. 119, 122 – Endeochetus pressicornis sp.nov.: 119 – habitus of the holotype; 122 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view. 120, 123 – Endeochetus maculifer sp. nov.: 120 – habitus of the holotype; 123 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view.