Endeochetus minimus, 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 : 410-411

Endeochetus minimus sp. nov.

( Figs 132, 133, 135 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( MCCI), ‘ Socotra ( YE) // wadi Ayhaft // 30.X.2007 - R. Sindaco’ . PARATYPES: 2 JJ, same label data as holotype (1 MUPI, 1 ECRI) ; 1J, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // wadi Thruba // 2.III.2008 - R. Sindaco’ ( MUPI) .

Description. Male holotype. Body length 3.3 mm. Brown, shining, rather densely and finely punctured, rostrum, head and legs rusty-brown. Dorsal vestiture composed of sparse golden- -brownish recumbent small hair-like scales arranged in a row on striae and on intervals; base of rostrum and anterior margin of pronotum on sides and beneath with long suberect golden setae; basal 3/4 of femora with few moderately erect rather short silvery setae, whereas internal margin of tibiae apicad of widening is set with long erect silvery or golden setae. Ventral side densely punctured with sparse curved rather short slightly erect suberect golden hair-like setae, some of which, longer and raised, are on ventrites ( Figs 132–133 ).

Head. Rostrum as long as pronotum, regularly and strongly curved, rather finely punctured, with weak carina on basal half, beyond antennal insertion with two lateral fine grooves ending just basad of sides of epistome; little basad of antennae rostrum (obliquely seen) weakly dilated; in dorsal view basal half of rostrum subparallel sided; at antennal insertion rostrum narrows and then its sides are slightly diverging towards apex.Antennae inserted at middle of rostrum; scape almost straight and gradually clubbed; funicular antennomere I barely thicker than following ones and about as long as II; antennomeres II to VII short and progressively slightly diminishing in length, VII transverse and annexed to club which is subconical and as long as two preceding antennomeres. Head convex, very finely punctured, space between eyes slightly wider than half of rostral width at base; eyes subtriangular, flat.

Pronotum 1.11 times as long as broad, apex truncate, base barely advanced toward scutellum, disc quite flat, with rather dense roundish to oval not very large punctures intervals of which are rugosely longitudinally confluent on sides; sides gently rounded, maximum width at middle. Scutellum invisible.

Elytra Twice as long as wide and 2.13 times as long as pronotum, dorsum almost flat along basal 3/4, then moderately convex towards apex, base weakly notched around scutellum, sides very weakly curved, maximum width at apical two thirds. Striae sulciform, catenulate. Interstriae almost flat, slightly wider than striae, with nearly regular row of round punctures.

Legs relatively elongate; femora rather strongly clubbed and acutely toothed, moderately densely punctured; tibiae compressed, curved at base and at apical 4/5, punctured, outer margin keeled, inner one strongly dilated at basal 2/5, concave and minutely serrate apicad of widening, more so on protibiae; tarsi rather narrow, tarsomere III not bilobed.

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

Variability. Paratypes are almost identical to the holotype.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as depicted in Fig. 135 .

Body length 2.8–3.9 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Endeochetus minimus sp. nov. is unmistakable because of its small size, shiny integument and sparse, scarcely apparent vestiture. See also the key below.

Etymology. The new species takes its name, Latin superlative adjective minimus (- a, - um) meaning ‘the smallest’, from its very small size.

Distribution. Endemic to Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs 131–138. 131, 134 – Endeochetus parvus sp. nov., holotype: 131 – habitus; 134 – broken aedeagus in dorsal view. 132–133, 135 – Endeochetus minimus sp. nov.: 132 – habitus of the holotype; 133 – habitus of the holotype in side view; 135 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view. 136–138 – Hagherius sculptus sp. nov.: 136 – habitus of a female paratype; 137 – aedeagus of the holotype in dorsal view; 138 – spermatheca of a paratype.