Narberdia sarukhani Soto-Hernández, 2017

Soto-Hernández, Macotulio, 2017, New species of Narberdia Burke from México and Central America (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Zootaxa 4263 (1), pp. 139-152 : 146-151

Narberdia sarukhani Soto-Hernández , new species

Figures 5 , 6, 18, 19, 20

Diagnosis. This species can be easily recognized by its subequal elytral intervals; antennal scape shorter than length of funicular segments and club combined funicular segment 1 longer than 2; profemoral tooth acute, slightly curved toward the tibiae.

6 Description. Male. Body oblong—oval, length 3.6—3.8 mm, width 2.0— 2.2 mm. Rostrum moderately curved; about 1.6x longer than length pronotum along dorsal midline; clothed with oval and elongate ochreous scales, narrower and more slender toward apex. Antennal scape shorter than funicular segments and club combined, apex strongly enlarged; funicular segment 1 longer than segment 2, segment 2 as long as segments 3 and 4 combined, segments 3—6 longer than wide and progressively shorter toward club, segment 7 strongly clavate. Club elongateoval, as long as preceding five funicular segments, clothed with hair—like scales. Head clothed with decumbent oval and truncate brown scales; ventral scales ochreous. Eyes small, convex with upper edge moderately separated from head. Prothorax about 1.2 x wider than long, sides rounded in dorsal view, strongly narrowed in front, anterolateral margin slightly sinuate; clothed with admixture of broad, oval, elongate, decumbent, semierect scales; dorsal scales usually brown, intermixed with some ochreous scales, scales broader and striate laterally. Scutellum convex, elongate—oval, clothed with imbricated ochreous scales. Elytra convex in lateral view, wider than prothorax, subparallel—sided to past middle then progressively rounded to apices; clothed with dense brown scales intermixed with ochreous scales; intervals subequal in width; humeri rounded. Ventrites clothed with evenly ochreous scales, broader and more striate than those on elytra. Mesocoxae moderately separated by distance ½ width of coxa. Abdomen clothed with narrow and elongate scales, gradually narrower toward the ventrite 5, ventrite 4 as long as 5. Legs clothed with narrow scales, narrower and more elongate toward apex, profemoral tooth small and triangular, slightly curved toward tibia, tibiae without tooth near mucro, metatibal mucro strongly curved. Tarsal claws with basal tooth distinctly shorter than claw. Male median lobe as in figures 18 and 19.

Female. Body length 3.2—3.9 mm, width about 2.0— 2.2 mm. Rostrum slightly more slender than in male; antennal scape attached just at the midpoint of rostrum; tibiae with a tooth near mucro. Spermatheca as in figure 20.

Host plant. A total of 37 adult weevils were collected on Bernardia mexicana from Jalcomulco and Emiliano Zapata, Veracruz. México, and 18 specimens were reared from B. nicaraguensis Standl. & L.O. Williams in Costa Rica. Both plant species are closely related ( Cervantes 2006). B. mexicana is native and widely distributed in México and B. nicaraguensis is distributed in southern Central America (Webster 2001; Cervantes 2006).

Material examined. 26 females, 30 males. Holotype male ( CNIN), labelled México : Veracruz, Emiliano Zapata , 887 m, 19°27‵29‵‵N ; 096°46‵03‵‵W. 19.III.2011, M. Soto, on Bernardia mexicana .

Paratypes. Data as for holotype (7 females, 6 males; UAQE): Veracruz . Jalcomulco, 576 m, 19°21‵15‵‵N, 096°46‵05‵‵W, 09.IV.2011. L. Jiménez—Ferbans & P. Reyes—Castillo (11 females, 13 males; TAMUIC, CMNC); COSTA RICA: Guanacaste . Guanacaste Conservation Area Santa Rosa NP., near HQ, 300 m, 4.V.1995. Dry forest . R. Anderson (2 females, 1 male; CMNC) . Guanacaste . Guanacaste National Park. Sendero natural, sector Santa Rosa Conservation Area , 250m, 16.VI.1989, D. H. Janzen and W. Hallwachs, voucher 89—SRNP—200, from fruits/ seeds of Bernardia nicaraguensis (6 females, 9 males; TAMUIC).

Etymology. This species in named in honor to Dr. José Sarukhán Kermez as partial recognition of his life—long support of CONABIO

Remarks. Costa Rican and Mexican specimens of N. sarukhani resemble the holotype from Jalcomulco, Veracruz. Narberdia sarukhani appears to be most closely related to N. aridulus , another small species and is similar on several morphological characters but can be distinguished by having the profemoral tooth slightly curved toward tibia, elytral intervals each subequal in width, ventrite 5 as long as 4, funicular segment 1 longer than segment 2, male median lobe with sides slightly narrowed before at apex.

Figures

FIGURES 5 — ϭ. Narberdia species, habitus, lateral views, scale bars 0.5 mm. 5) N. sarukhani, male; 6) N. sarukhani, female.