Lepanomus crinalis crinalis Balfour-Browne, 1945

Wanat, Marek, 2021, New basal taxa of South African Apioninae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea: Brentidae), Zootaxa 5035 (1), pp. 1-60 : 37-38

Lepanomus crinalis crinalis Balfour-Browne, 1945

( Figs. 190, 192, 194 , 213, 214, 228 , 294 )

Material examined. Eastern Cape: Katberg, 11- 18.02.1933, 1 ex., leg. R . E. Turner ( BMNH); Pondoland: Port St. Johns , 15- 31.05.1923, 1 ♂ 1 ♀ —leg. R . E. Turner ( BMNH); Silaka Reserve nr. Port St Johns , - 31.6532S / 29.5068E, 10-20 m alt., 13.11.2013, 1 ex., leg. R . Ruta; nr. bridge on Gxwaleni river , - 31.6527S /29.5064, 12 m alt., 28.11.2019, 1 ex.; main road to beach camp, - 31.6536S / 29.5057E, 15 m alt., 29.11.2019, 20 exs, 1- 2.12.2019, 68 exs; Jongelwandle trail , - 31.6561S / 29.5049E, 15 m alt., 1.12.2019, 7 exs—all beaten from Apodytes dimidiata , leg. MW ( MWC, TMSA, SANC, ISAM, DNSM, CGC) . Western Cape: Wilderness Nat. Park, Serpentine river valley, - 33.9945S / 22.6180E; 5 m alt., riverine fynbos, 29.11.2013, 1 ♂, leg. MW ( MWC) .

Diagnosis. Prorostrum distinctly narrowing apicad, measured in its mid-length in ♂ 0.90 ×, in ♀ 0.80 × as broad as metarostrum ( Figs. 190, 192 ). Third elytral interval between middle and posterior two-thirds raised to form low rib evidently higher than neighbouring intervals ( Fig. 194 ), the rib ending abruptly at small yellowish patch of integument. Spermatheca as in Fig. 228 .

The remaining characters as in the above genus description.

Remarks. Variation. The only specimen from Western Cape (Wilderness) differs from locotypical series in the much larger basal lightening of elytra, fully encompassing humeral calli and elytral base, and extending apicad as a uniform triangular yellowish fleck, narrowly contiguous with the median crescentic mark along the sutural interval. It is not distinct from the series from Port St. Johns in the shape of rostrum, and it shares the presence of an elevated rib on the 3 rd elytral interval. Further material from the most southern part of the area of L. crinalis is necessary to shed more light on the taxonomic relevance of this difference in colour pattern.

Biology. In the locus typicus (Port St Johns: Silaka Reserve) this species was recently collected in numbers from flowering Apodytes dimidiata , while practically absent from non-flowering trees. This suggests its development occurs in generative parts of the plant, but it has not yet been confirmed by direct observations and the preimaginal stages await discovery.

Distribution. South-eastern R.S.A. (Eastern Cape, Western Cape) ( Fig. 294 ).

Figures

FIGURES 187–199. Lepanomus crinalis zuluensis ssp. n. Male: dorsal habitus (187); pronotum in dorso-lateral view (188). Male head and rostrum in dorsal view, L. c. zuluensis ssp. n. (189), L. c. crinalis Balf.-Br. (190). Female head and rostrum in dorsal view, L. c. zuluensis ssp. n. (191), L. c. crinalis Balf.-Br. (192). Elytral intervals in anterodorsal view, L. c. zuluensis ssp. n. (193), L. c. crinalis Balf.-Br. (194). L. c. zuluensis ssp. n. Male protibia and tarsal sole (195). Female metatibia (196). Male rostrum and head, lateral view (197). Female: lateral habitus (198); wing (199).

FIGURES 212–228. Lepanomus crinalis zuluensis ssp. n. Male protarsus (212). L. c. crinalis Balf.-Br., abdominal ventrites, male (213), female (214). L. c. zuluensis ssp. n. Male: pygidium in posterior (215), dorsal (216) and lateral (217) views; penis in dorsal (218) and lateral (219) views; tegmen in dorsal (220) and lateral (221) views; sternite VIII inside pygidium (anterior view) and sternite IX (222). Female: bursa, ventral view (223); tergite VIII and spiculum ventrale (224); tergite VII (225); gonocoxites (226). Spermathecae: L. c. zuluensis ssp. n. (227), L. c. crinalis Balf.-Br. (228).

FIGURES 289–296. Distribution in Africa: Rhynchitapion variiforme sp. n. (289); Rh. pallidum sp. n. (290); Rh. usambarense sp. n. (291); Apodytapion stepniewskii sp. n. (292); Turnerapion pondoense sp. n. (293); Lepanomus crinalis crinalis Balf.-Br. (294, circles); L. crinalis zuluensis ssp. n. (294, triangles); Lepanomidius ruthmuellerae sp. n., males (295, circles); Lepano- midius sp. cf. ruthmuellerae, female (295, triangle); Lepanomidius magdaloides sp. n. (296).