Endeochetus saccofrancisci, Colonnelli, 2014

Colonnelli, Enzo, 2014, Apionidae, Nanophyidae, Brachyceridae and Curculionidae except Scolytinae (Coleoptera) from Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 295-422 : 396-398

Endeochetus saccofrancisci sp. nov.

( Figs 118, 121 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Diksam plateau, 850-920 m // N 12°31′24″, E 53°58′29″ // 5.ii.2010 // L. Purchart & J. Vybíral lgt.’. PARATYPES: 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra // Al Haghier Mts. [sifting] // Scant Mt. env. 1450 m // 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E // 12-13.x.2010, P. Hlaváč’ ( NMPC); 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Is., Hadiboh // env., 21.xi-12.xii.2003, N 12° // 35′02″ E 54°02.04′, ca. 10- // 100 m [GPS], leg. P. Kabátek’, ‘ Yemen - Soqotra 2003 // Expedition; Jan Farkač, // Petr Kabátek & David Král’ ( ECRI); 1♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Dixam plateau 14-15.vi.2012 // Firmihin, Dracaena woodland // 12°28.6′N, 54°01.1′E, 490 m’, ‘Socotra expedition 2012 // J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, // P. Kment, I. Malenovský, // J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ ( NMPC).

Description. Male holotype. Body length 7.4 mm. Piceous, opaque, strongly punctured, antennal funiculus and tarsi dark brown. Dorsal vestiture on rostrum of barely visible rather sparse golden-brownish slightly erect small hair-like scales; head bare; pronotum with sparse semierect elongate curved yellowish scales originating from punctures and with recumbent large slightly concave embricate scales arranged in short line in front of scutellum and in two lateral confuse spots; elytra with irregular row of suberect yellow relatively short scales on intervals, which bear also large sulcate roundish scales forming pattern of Fig. 118 ; legs with sparse yellowish to silvery setae; basal two thirds of femora and internal margin of tibiae with few long erect silvery or golden setae. Ventral side with sparse recumbent yellow scales except for prosternum apicad of procoxae where scales form somewhat transverse stripe, and with erect hair-like golden ones particularly on abdomen ( Fig. 118 ).

Head. Rostrum about as long as pronotum, rather regularly and strongly curved, little thicker on basal half than on apical one, quite coarsely punctured, convex along midline but not keeled although faint trace of carina is visible between antennal insertion; in dorsal view sides of rostrum subparallel from base to antennal insertion where rostrum narrows little, then its sides are slightly concave on apical half because rostrum widens little towards apex. Antennae inserted at middle of rostrum; scape barely curved inwards at extreme base, then almost straight and gradually clubbed; funicular antennomere I not thicker than following ones and about as long as II; antennomeres III to VII progressively slightly shorter, last clearly transverse and annexed to club which is subconical and about as long as two preceding antennomeres. Head convex, coarsely punctured, space between eyes as wide as slightly more than half of rostral width at base; eyes subtriangular and not protruding from head convexity.

Pronotum 1.03 times longer than wide, almost not constricted near a little convex apex, base feebly bisinuous, disc moderately convex, without median furrow and with large coarse round punctures from each of which starts erect yellow elongate scale; sides rather uniformly rounded, maximum width about at middle. Scutellum invisible.

Elytra 1.48 times longer than wide and 1.81 times as long as pronotum, dorsum depressed on basal half between intervals I–III, then moderately convex towards apex, base moderately concave, sides almost straight on basal half, then quite strongly curved and next moderately curved towards apex, maximum width at middle. Striae formed by very large subquadrate punctures. Interstriae convex and punctate, III, V and VII more convex than others, all not wider than striae.

Legs moderately elongate; femora strongly clubbed and acutely toothed, fairly densely punctured; tibiae compressed, curved at extreme base then almost straight, punctured, outer margin keeled, inner one with very obtuse tooth at basal third, larger on protibiae, all tibiae moderately serrate on apical half, protibiae more so; tarsi rather robust, tarsomere III not bilobed.

Ventral side very strongly and coarsely punctured; tubercles on basal margin of prosternum wanting; metaventrite and abdominal ventrites I and II with moderately deep large common depression.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as depicted in Fig. 121 .

Variability. Females are almost identical to the holotype, apart from their rostrum slightly thinner on apical half, and their convex abdomen.

Body length 7.1–7.4 mm.

Differential diagnosis. See above for differences from the close E. helenae sp. nov. and E. crassirostris sp. nov. Very probably this is the species illustrated by WRANIK (2003: pl. 178, fig. b) as ‘ Endeochetus sp. ’

Etymology. The new species is named after my good friend Francesco Sacco, who was so kind to take fine pictures of most of the species here described, pictures which notably improved the quality of this paper.

Distribution. Endemic to Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs 118–123. 118, 121 – Endeochetus saccofrancisci sp. nov., holotype: 118 – habitus; 121 – aedeagus in dorsal view. 119, 122 – Endeochetus pressicornis sp.nov.: 119 – habitus of the holotype; 122 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view. 120, 123 – Endeochetus maculifer sp. nov.: 120 – habitus of the holotype; 123 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view.