Endeochetus rugulithorax, 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 : 401-402

Endeochetus rugulithorax sp. nov.

( Figs 124, 125, 127 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( MCCI), ‘ Socotra ( YE) // wadi Ayhaft // 30.X.2007 - R. Sindaco’ . PARATYPES: 1 J 2 ♀♀, same label data as holotype (1 MCCI, 1 MUPI, 1 ECRI) ; 2JJ, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // wadi Ayhaft // 27.X.2007 - R. Sindaco’ (1 MCCI, 1 ECRI) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // Steroh // 11.X.2007 - R. Sindaco’ ( MUPI) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // Steroh // 10.II.2008 - R. Sindaco’ ( ECRI) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // wadi Thruba // 2.III.2008 - R. Sindaco’ ( MCCI) ; 2 ♀♀, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // Berber spring // 8.X.2007 - R. Sindaco’ (1 MCCI, 1 ECRI) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // Thar // 5.III.2008 - R. Sindaco’ ( MUPI) ; 1 J, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // Dixam // 28.I.2008 - R. Sindaco’ ( MCCI) .

Description. Male holotype. Body length 4.7 mm. Brown, little shining, coarsely punctured, rostrum and legs dark ferruginous. Dorsal vestiture on rostrum composed of rather sparse golden-brownish slightly erect hair-like scales; head minutely squamose; pronotum with sparse slightly erect elongate curved yellowish hair-like scales originating from punctures; elytra with a row of similar almost recumbent longer scales on intervals; striae with lanceolate long barely erect scales starting from punctures; legs with sparse golden setae; basal 3/4 of femora and internal margin of tibiae apicad of tooth with very long erect silvery setae. Ventral side very densely and coarsely punctured with fairly sparse yellowish semierect golden setae more evident on abdomen ( Figs 124–125 ).

Head. Rostrum 0.82 times as long as pronotum, rather strongly curved, more so at antennal insertion, with moderately dense punctures, basal half tricarinate, both lateral carinae converging towards base, punctures coarse on sides of central keel, beyond antennae 5-keeled up to distance from apex less than rostral width, and here surface relatively sparsely punctured; in dorsal view rostrum dilated apicad of basal quarter, then its sides barely converging up to antennal insertion, and beyond this point they are slightly concave up to near apex where rostrum slightly dilated again; obliquely seen rostrum angularly dilated basad of antennal insertion. Antennae inserted at middle of rostrum; scape short, slightly curved and gradually clubbed; funicular antennomere I barely thicker than following ones and a little longer than II; antennomeres II to VII short and progressively diminishing in length, VII excepted, since this last is moderately transverse and annexed to club which is subconical and slightly shorter than two preceding antennomeres. Head convex, minutely punctured, space between eyes as wide as half of rostral width at base; eyes subtriangular, flat and slightly sunken.

Pronotum 1.09 times as long as broad, little constricted near slightly convex apex, base hardly bisinuous, disc barely convex and faintly depressed in front of scutellum, with large dense roundish punctures intervals of which are in part confluent in form of smooth shining irregular oblique lines; sides moderately rounded, maximum width at middle. Scutellum elongate, barely visible.

Elytra 1.72 times longer than wide and 2.12 times as long as pronotum, dorsum flat on basal two thirds, then quite strongly convex on apical declivity, base little concave, sides only slightly curved at basal two thirds, then moderately converging towards apex, maximum width at apical third. Striae formed by large rectangular punctures from which originates an almost recumbent golden elongate scale. Interstriae almost flat, about as wide as striae, with fairly regularly row of round punctures.

Legs quite elongate; femora clubbed and acutely toothed, densely punctured; tibiae little compressed, curved at base and at apical fifth, punctured, outer margin with blunt keel, inner one toothed at basal third, concave and strongly serrate apicad of widening; tarsi narrow, tarsomere III not bilobed.

Ventral side. Tubercles on basal margin of prosternum posteriorly to coxae moderate and rather acutely protruding; abdominal ventrites I and II with large very shallow common impression.

Variability. Other paratypes are very similar to the holotype. Some specimens have a trace of variable faint yellowish dorsal pattern formed by scales on strial punctures which are enlarged on striae III, VII and VIII at base, sometimes obliquely connected with stria V at middle, and forming a more or less visible transverse band at the beginning of apical declivity, plus sometimes another band at apex. The base of rostrum may be more or less clearly tricarinate. Females differ from males only by their ventrites flat instead of slightly impressed. Since all the specimens were collected using pitfall traps, some of them lack part of appendages.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as depicted in Fig. 127 .

Body length 4.7–5.7 mm.

Differential diagnosis. For differences from the similar E. maculifer sp. nov. see above.

Etymology. The name of the new species is a noun in apposition, composed from the Latin adjective rugulosus (meaning rugulose, having little wrinkles) and the Latin noun thorax (meaning chest, bosom, breast), given after the very elongate longitudinal punctures on its pronotum.

Distribution. Endemic to Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs 124–130. 124–125, 127 – Endeochetus rugulithorax sp. nov. 124 – habitus of the holotype; 125 – habitus of the same in side view; 127 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view. 126, 128 – Endeochetus simillimus sp. nov. 126 – habitus of the holotype; 128 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view. 129–130 – Endeochetus simplex sp. nov., holotype. 129 – habitus; 130 – aedeagus in dorsal view.