Styphlidius pelops, Christoph Germann, 2015

Christoph Germann, 2015, On the genus Styphlidius Penecke, 1936 with description of S. pelops sp. nov. from Greece (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 122 (2), pp. 399-405 : 400-404

Styphlidius pelops sp. nov.

Figs 5-6, 13-20

Holotype: 1 ♂, 242_14.6 [collection number] GREECE, Peloponnese, E Tripoli, W Agias Sofia , Pass , 800 m [a.s.l.], 24.9.2014, leg. C. Germann. Red label: Holotype Styphlidius pelops sp. nov. des. C. Germann 2014 ( NMBE) .

Paratypes: 8 ♂, 4 ♀, same data as for holotype . – 1 ♂, 242_14.10 [collection number] GREECE, Peloponnese, S Pilos, Mesohori , GS [sifted in] Buschwald [low forest, bushes], 25.9.2014, leg. C. Germann. All with additional red labels: Paratype Styphlidius pelops sp. nov. des. C. Germann 2014 (cCG, cHW, NMBE, MHNG, NHML) .

Description

Size: males: 1.7-1.8 mm; females: 1.7-2.0 mm

Colour: auburn, tip of rostrum and partly antennal club darkened.

Head, rostrum and antennae: head globular, rostrum well separated from frons by a transverse impression, therefore base of rostrum angular. Rostrum in lateral view strongly curved, in dorsal view weakly converging to insertion of antennae, from there diverging towards tip. Rostrum about 4 times longer than wide, surface striated. Eyes below level of rostral dorsum, oval, weakly bulged. Antennae inserted before last fourth of rostrum, scrobes lateral, well pronounced, diverging towards the eyes. Antennal scape clubbed, nearly 3 times as long as breadth of rostral dorsum at antennal insertion. Antennal funiculus consisting of 7 segments with following measurements (length/width): 1st: 1.77; 2nd: 1.23; 3rd to 5th: globular, as long as wide; 6th and 7th: transverse: 0.51 and 0.53. Club twice as wide as last segment, short oval. Integument: Frons and rostrum with thin, strong, bowed light brown bristles; similar but smaller bristles on antennal scape and funiculus.

Pronotum: transverse (length/width: 0.78-0.87), widest just behind its middle, constricted towards fore and hind margins, irregularly and very coarsely punctuate. Integument consisting of thin, strong, bowed light brown bristles. Scutellum hardly visible, punctiform.

Elytra: rhomboidal (length/width: 1.2-1.3), diverging from base to last third, then strongly rounded to the apex. No shoulders, apterous. In lateral view regularly rounded at decline. Striae coarsely and deeply, regularly punctuate. Intervals thin and elevated, uneven intervals 3, 5 and 7 more elevated. Intervals set with short bowed bristles, and long (almost reaching from one uneven interval to another) raised, light brown bristles.

Legs: femora edentate, strong, tibiae strong, flattened, all with thorn at inner angle of apex. Three visible strong tarsal segments; first one twice as long as second; third bilobed, about equal as first. Claw segment gracile, claws simple. Integument consisting of thin, strong, bowed light brown bristles.

Male genitalia: Figs 13-15. Penis broad, in dorsal or ventral view laterally parallel or slightly diverging towards apex, internal sac with one fishhook-shaped sclerite.

Female genitalia: Figs 16-18. Gonocoxite very simple, with one sclerotized pair of segments, without styli, apex lateral with a tiny tuft of sensillae ( Fig. 16). Spiculum with short apodeme and a broad and bilobed plate ( Fig. 17). Spermatheca with long, inverted J-shaped cornu, straight nodulus and short ramus ( Fig. 18).

Etymology: The species name is a noun in apposition and refers to the hero Pelops , son of Tantalus in the ancient Greek mythology. The Peloponnese, where Styphlidius pelops sp. nov. was discovered, is named in honour of Pelops .

Ecology: Styphlidius pelops sp. nov. was sifted from leaf litter and mosses on limestone rocks between sparsely standing evergreen oaks ( Quercus ilex ) and Phrygana vegetation (mainly Phlomis , Thymus ) at 800 m a.s.l. (E Tripoli) ( Fig. 19) and once at 200 m a.s.l. (Mesochori). S. pelops sp. nov. was sifted together with the following species of Curculionidae : Acallocrates denticollis (Germar, 1824) , Echinodera brachati Wolf, 2002 , and Stomodes letzneri Reitter, 1889 .

Remarks: The gonocoxite is remarkably simple. But the comparison with one of Orthochaetes setiger (Beck, 1817) , a widespread and quite common species in Central Europe, showed that they look very similar, apart from the tuft of sensillae which is bigger and the generally longer and more numerous sensillae in this latter species.