Curculio bullabrevis Pelsue and Zhang

Pelsue, Frank W. & Zhang, Runzhi, 2003, A Review of the Genus Curculio from China with Descriptions of Fourteen New Species. Part IV. The Curculio sikkimensis (Heller) Group (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Curculionini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (3), pp. 311-333 : 325

Curculio bullabrevis Pelsue and Zhang , new species

(Figs. 27–28, 57–59)

Holotype. China. Motuo female[ China / Xizang /Motuo/ 2,000–2,400 m / 14–17 October 1952 / Y. Han] ( IZAS).

Description. Female: length: 5.5 mm (n ¼ 1). width: 2.2 mm (n ¼ 1). Head: Moderate-sized; punctures small, clothed with short, narrow, cinerous scales; frons 0.15 (n ¼ 1) as broad as head across eyes, clothed with longer, narrow, cinerous scales; small interocular fovea. Rostrum: length: 4.6 mm (n ¼ 1); 0.84 as long as body; cylindrical; almost straight to abruptly deflected apex; glabrous, apuncatate except for base with few small punctures; scrobe lateral; scape inserted in basal half. Antennae: length: scape 1.2 mm. funiculus: segment one 0.4 mm, two 0.4 mm, three 0.3 mm, four 0.25 mm, five 0.25 mm, six 0.2 mm, seven 0.2 mm, club 0.5 mm (n ¼ 1); funicle 2.0 mm; scape 0.6 as long as funicle; club small-sized, not as long as funicular segments 5–7; scape not longer than funicular segments 1–4. Thorax: length: 1.3 mm (n ¼ 1). width: 1.6 mm (n ¼ 1); 0.81 as long as broad; significantly narrower than base of elytra; disc margins parallel to abrupt rounding to constriction, clothed with narrow, elongate, cinerous scales, flat in lateral view; pleuron clothed with clavate white and testaceous scales mixed; mesosternal intercoxal process not visible; scutellum small, longer than broad, clothed with cinerous scales; mesepimeron clothed with clavate testaceous scales; mesepisternum clothed with clavate cinerous with a few testaceous scales mixed; metepisternum clothed with narrow, clavate, cinerous scales; metasternum clothed with clavate cinerous scales anteriorly and testaceous scales posteriorly; procoxae clothed with cinerous scales. Elytra: length: 3.6 mm (n ¼ 1). striae moderately deep with short, narrow, elongate, cinerous scales; humeri prominent, acutely rounded; intervals somewhat rounded, clothed with narrow, clavate cinerous and fuscous scales; testaceous fascia past midpoint and before apex; moderately convex in lateral view; crosshatched setae not prominent. Legs: length hind femur 2.4 mm (n ¼ 1); pro-, meso-, and metafemoral teeth small; femora base margins narrow, moderately clavate, clothed with narrow, elongate, cinerous scales; tibiae straight, all unci small. Abdomen: sternite 2 longer than 1 behind coxal cavity; sternite 3 and 4 equal in length, combined longer than 5; sternite 5 with acute apex and mid apical declivity, tuft of several long, apical, seta-like scales; sternite 1 and 2 clothed with clavate testaceous scales laterally, cinerous scales medially; sternites 3–5 clothed with narrow, elongate, cinerous scales. Pygidium: Small ; clothed with long, narrow, seta-like, testaceous scales. Genitalia: median lobe 1.8 mm (n ¼ 1) in length, 0.4 mm (n ¼ 1) in width; margins evenly sclerotized, base as broad to before apex, apex tapered to extended rounded process (Fig. 57); laterally flat, thin, to deflected apex (Fig. 58); apodeme 2.2 mm (n ¼ 1) in length.

Remarks. This species appears similar to C. songi n. sp., but can be distinguished by funicular segment 2 as long as 1 and small metafemoral tooth.

Etymology. The specific epithet is based on the diagnostic character, mesosternal intercoxal process not prominent, ‘‘bulla’’ Latin noun for ‘‘knob’’ and ‘‘brevis’’ Latin adjective for ‘‘small.’’