Lepanomidius magdaloides, Wanat, 2021

Wanat, Marek, 2021, New basal taxa of South African Apioninae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea: Brentidae), Zootaxa 5035 (1), pp. 1-60 : 48-52

Lepanomidius magdaloides sp. n.

( Figs. 268–288 , 296 )

Type material. Holotype ♀ (labels as in Fig. 288 ): a) Malvern / Natal 7.97/8441., b) beating/ Umhlatuzane R. [both handwritten], c) Captured /by G. A. K. Marshall , d) Brit. Mus./1946-272 [both printed], e) type label by M. Wanat ( BMNH) [KwaZulu-Natal: Durban, collected in 1897; original mounting, not dissected] . Paratypes (5 ♀): Kwa- Zulu-Natal: a) S . Africa. / R . E . Turner. / Brit. Mus. /1926–277, b) Zululand:/ Gingindhlovu / 9. VI .1926. (1 ♀, BMNH); a) Umtentveni / Natal 7.7.53 [handwritten], b) Museum Frey / München (2 ♀, NMB). Eastern Cape: Silaka Reserve , beach & sea shore, -31.6552 / 29.5065, 0-5 m, 1.12.2019, leg. M . Wanat (1 ♀, MWC). Western Cape: Tsitsikamma N . P ., Bloukrans Indig. Forest , - 33.9484S / 23.6018E, 260 m, 23.11.2013, leg. M . Wanat (1 ♀, MWC) .

Remark. Unluckily, only six females were known hitherto in this undoubtedly sexually reproducing species, hence its placement in Lepanomidius is provisional, based primarily on the nature of dorsal vestiture, short and stout rostrum, structure of prothorax and arrangement of elytral striae, all characters shared with L. ruthmuellerae sp. n. However, considering several other external characters and, specifically, significant differences in female terminalia, L. magdaloides sp. n. may well represent a distinct new genus.

Diagnosis. Characteristic bi-colored, compact, medium-sized species, with intensely red elytra contrasting with piceous-black remaining parts of body ( Fig. 269 ). Erect setation as in L. ruthmuellerae sp. n. but present also on femora and the most outer elytral intervals, in both cases not accompanied or replaced with recumbent clothing. Rostrum much shorter than pronotum and 1.8– 2.1 × as long as wide, in dorsal view gently narrowing from base to apex, in profile subparallel-sided, not flattened apically nor chisel-like. Head transversely rectangular in dorsal outline due to small, prominent eyes and short temples; epifrons at most with indefinite, simple median fovea; gular sector between eyes entirely rough, with irregularly transverse elongate asperities, impunctate. Antennae 0.50–0.55 × as long as elytra, thin. Pronotum trilobate, with anterior constriction much deeper than posterior one; basal fourth of pronotum parallel-sided, with barely prominent corners and 2–3 setae protruding perpendicularly to body axis. Scutellar shield very small, not prominent. Elytral intervals gently convex and smooth; punctures hosting setae small, not larger than single ommatidium. Tarsi narrow, with tarsomere 1 subtrunctate and tarsomere 3 at least 1.5 × as broad as shallowly emarginate tarsomere 2.

Description (female). Body length 3.2–3.5 mm. Erect setae short and thin, on elytral intervals exclusively light, arranged in a regular row, spread in distances longer than their length and shorter than the interval’s breadth; on pronotum and head setae shorter, semi-erect and forward-directed; femora and outer side of tibiae with sparse semi-erect setae as long as on elytra. Elytra with darker red sutural and two outer intervals.

Morphological indices (♀, n=4): rl/pl: 0.68–0.71; rl/mxrw: 1.81–2.11; scl/msrw: 0.63–0.70; msrw/mtrw: 0.98–1.07; msrw/arw: 1.05–1.15; msrw/minrw: 1.08–1.15; msrw/eyl: 0.92–1.00; brl/eyl: 0.71–0.80; eyl/hl: 0.61–0.73; frw/mtrw: 0.84–0.98; hl/hw: 0.61–0.71; mpw/hw: 1.34–1.50; bpw/apw: 1.15–1.22; pl/mpw: 1.01– 1.07; mew/mpw: 1.69–1.81; el/pl: 2.49–2.76; el/mew: 1.51–1.57; mew/bew: 1.15–1.21; bew/mpw: 1.45–1.49; pft/msrw: 1.04–1.14; ptbl/pl: 0.90–0.98; ptbl/ptbmw: 5.76–6.36.

Rostrum inserted slightly above middle of head profile ( Fig. 276 ), widened at base, dorsally shiny and finely punctate except on extreme base ( Fig. 274 ); punctures on underside of prorostrum and septum of scrobes largest, bearing some ruffled setae ( Fig. 275 ); punctures on sides of metarostrum vanishing and partly replaced with asperities; scrobes impressed only near antennal pits, then superficial and vanishing on front part of head, their septum gently convex, in profile visible at most as obsolescent swelling.

Head strongly transverse; eyes small and markedly convex; epifrons weakly elevating posterad, flat, only slightly narrower than metarostrum, with punctures larger than single ommatidium, in middle usually with variably expressed and shaped superficial fovea; vertex gently convex, with coarse punctures less than half diameter apart, punctuation sharply bordered very shortly behind eyes; temples with a single row of setiferous punctures along eye margin, setae curved anterad, covering eye with their apical parts; ventral outline often slightly angulate in profile due to markedly convex gular sector between eyes.

Antennae 1.25–1.45 × as long as pronotum ( Fig. 273 ), inserted at basal 0.32–0.36 length; scape and funicle slender; finely protrudingly setose, as all club segments; length/width ratio: scape 3.0–3.2, fun1 2.5–2.6, fun2 1.9–2.1, fun3 1.8–1.9, fun6 1.15–1.25, fun7 1.10–1.25, club 3.8–4.2; length of scape/fun1 1.35–1.40, fun1/fun2 1.25–1.30, fun3 0.65–0.70 × as long as fun1, fun5 slightly shorter than fun4, 6, 7; club elongate fusiform, distinctly pseudotetramerous, about as long as 5 distal funicular segments combined.

Pronotum barely longer than broad, with subapical and sub-basal constrictions in 0.25–0.30 of length, between them distinctly rounded and convex ( Fig. 271 ); disc flattened subapically and sub-basally, densely punctate, punctures as large as ca. 3 combined ommatidia, the interspaces between them as broad as half a punctures diameter or narrower, convex, microreticulate; prescutellar fovea indistinct, long but shallower than punctures and often irregular, occasionally almost completely reduced; transverse sub-basal line discernible, partially vanishing on disc, extended to pronotal sides; basal corners rectangular or slightly widening outwards, with short protruding setae; prosternum at least 3 × shorter than hypomeron, convex; posterior rim of procoxae complete; prosternellum prominent; hypomeron flat behind coxal rim, with no trace of median suture.

Elytra broadly rounded apically; markedly convex ( Figs. 269, 270 ); striae with blunt margins, catenulate punctate, with small setiferous punctures separated by longer, impressed interspaces and surrounded by round cuticular chambers, in oblique view visible through integument as joining darker circles; setae in striae hardly discernible, well separated from each other; no trace of subhumeral remnant of stria 10 ( Fig. 278 ); apical strial junctions as in Fig. 279 , inner striae 4–7 varying apically and expressing nearly all possible patterns of apical connections/disconnections; intervals on elytral disc 3–4 × as broad as striae, convex, with regular row of small punctures bearing erect setae, even, irregularly finely scratched.

Wing as in Fig. 277 ; radial window vestigial; cubito-anal vein remnant single, simple and poorly sclerotized; subsequent anal vein (3A) obsolescent.

Mesoventrite almost straight-angled in profile, largely impunctate, with several setae at base of intercoxal process; anapleural sutures discernible; mesepimeral sulcus shallow, without sharp margins, as a row of setiferous punctures confusedly multiplied in upper part. Septum of mesocoxae broader than in L. ruthmuellerae sp. n. Metaventrite 1.4 × as long as mesocoxal cavity, distinctly convex, entirely punctate and shortly setose ( Fig. 280 ), setae semi-erect in middle, semi-recumbent on sides; base of raised intermesocoxal process impressed; intermetacoxal process with large and deep pit. Abdomen as long as wide ( Fig. 281 ); ventrites 1+2 about 1.8 × as long as ventrites 3+4+5; ventrites 3–4 flat, with punctures smaller than on ventrites 1–2, in two or three confused rows; ventrite 5 sub-truncate apically, ca. 3 × as broad as long, flattened in middle, with punctuation in middle finer and sparser than on sides; punctures on first two ventrites about 2–3 combined puncture diameters apart, interspaces finely microreticulate; ventrite 1 in middle with some raised wrinkles broken and obscured by punctuation; setae on abdominal ventrites evenly disposed, fine and sparse, semi-recumbent.

Femora clavate, with elongate narrowed base, clothed with sparse erect setae on ventral side; profemur 2.5–2.7 × as long as high, smooth and not evidently punctate. Tibiae with obtuse outer margin, finely punctate, with sparse semi-recumbent setae along inner margin and inconspicuous apical tuft. Tarsi short but narrow; protarsus 2.5–2.7 × as long as wide ( Fig. 272 ), first tarsomere, 1.6–1.7 ×, second tarsomere 0.9 × as long as wide, both weakly widening distad, the first one barely emarginate; third tarsomere 1.5–1.7 × broader than second one; onychium exceeding tarsomere 3 by 0.4–0.5 × length; claws as in Fig. 268 .

Tergite VII softly sclerotized, strongly transverse and broadly rounded ( Fig. 282 ). Tergite VIII about twice as broad as long, rectangular in shape, with continuous weak sclerotization on half length ( Fig. 283 ). Spiculum ventrale with large, transverse, anchor-shaped sternal plate, as broad as about 1.3 × length of short apodeme ( Fig. 284 ). Genital sheath of ovipositor composed of fine, transparent membrane. Coxite sub-rectangular, only 2.2 × as long as wide, truncate apically and with short basal prominence, evenly sclerotized and punctate throughout ( Fig. 285 ). Styli attached obliquely to coxites, narrow and cylindrical, 2.5 × as long as wide, shortly setose apically. Bursa simply membranous, unilobed. Spermatheca shaped as in Fig. 286 (in Fig. 287 more slender after its intact contents had been released to water through the hole in corpus appeared during preparation), without prominences on corpus, spermathecal duct short and thin; spermathecal gland variably shaped depending on its osmotic state.

Biology. Unknown. Collected by the author from in a tall wet forest (Tsitsikamma) and from the coastal beach shrubby vegetation (Silaka).

Distribution. Eastern R.S.A. (KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Western Cape) ( Fig. 296 ).

Etymology. The name reflects the overall similarity in body and rostrum shape to the curculionid genus Mag- dalis Germar, in particular to its subgenus Edo Germar.

Figures

FIGURES 263–279. Lepanomidius ruthmuellerae sp. n., female (263–267). Antenna (263); abdominal ventrites (264); tergite VII (265); tergite VIII (266); spiculum ventrale (267). L. magdaloides sp. n., female (268–279). Tarsal claws (268). Habitus, dorsal (269) and lateral (270). Pronotum, dorsal view (271). Protarsus (272). Antenna (273). Rostrum and head in dorsal (274), ventral (275) and lateral (276) views. Hind wing (277). Subhumeral (278) and apical (279) course of outer elytral striae.

FIGURES 280–288. Lepanomidius magdaloides sp. n., female. Thorax, ventral view (280). Abdominal ventrites (281). Tergite VII (282). Tergite VIII (283). Spiculum ventrale (284). Gonocoxites (285). Spermatheca, intact (286), with a “ghost” contents released through cracked corpus and enlarged due to diffusion in distilled water (287). Holotype labels (288).

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).