Larinus (Cryphopus) berti Gueltekin & Alonso-Zarazaga

Gueltekin, Levent & Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A., 2013, Larinus berti sp. n. (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Lixinae) from North Africa, ZooKeys 342, pp. 21-28 : 22-24

Larinus (Cryphopus) berti Gueltekin & Alonso-Zarazaga sp. n.

Diagnosis.

Larinus berti Gültekin & Alonso-Zarazaga, sp. n. can be recognized because of its elongate-ovate large sized body (Figs 1-2), bisulcate sub-quadrangular rostrum, triangularly raised dorsum of rostrum (Fig. 3), flat subgena and submentum, Y-shaped apodeme of sternite VIII of female (Fig. 14) and thin nodulus of spermatheca. The new species is related to Larinus griseus Capiomont, 1874 but the latter clearly differs in the following characters: apodeme of sternite VIII of female is not Y-shaped, the subgena of rostrum is depressed, the submentum is distinctly raised at apex, and the central keel of dorsum is tricarinate.

Description.

Measurements (in mm): Body length: 13.60-14.40. Rostrum: length 2.70-2.80, width 1.50-1.60. Prothorax: length 4.00-4.20, width 5.30-5.50. Elytra: length 9.00-9.20, width 6.30-6.80.

Body elongate-ovate (Figs 1-2).

Vestiture. Ventral and lateral surface of head, dorsum of rostrum, pronotum and elytra with very short sparse greyish piliform scales; on elytra whitish grey pubescence forming small patches especially along striae; submentum, prosternum, medial part of metasternum, legs and abdominal ventrites with somewhat longer, denser and partly suberect hair-like pubescence; coxae, sides of metasternum and ventrite I, metanepisternum, mes- and metepimeron with bifid scales; mesosternum and mesanepisternum with 4- and 5-fid scales; scales on posterior part of metanepisternum and metepimeron very dense. Apical margin of prothorax with short dense piliform scales, longer on prosternum and ocular lobes. Tibial praemucro with a tuft of setae projecting towards uncus.

Head spherical, hind ventral margin with a small notch, vertex weakly visible, frons flat in female, slightly convex in male, frontal pit small, superficial, rounded. Eyes elliptical, weakly convex, ventral half narrower than dorsal. Rostrum (Fig. 3) sub-quadrangular in section, in dorsal view parallel-sided, weakly widened at apical third, with two deep longitudinal sulci reaching apical fourth and convergent caudad, area between sulci distinctly raised, with median keel at apical third, a transversely curved ridge present immediately before epistomal area, dorsolateral margins of rostrum obtuse, rostral pit invisible in female, distinct in male on median keel, minutely and coarsely punctured (as well as forehead); in side view straight. Scrobes with ventral margin partly visible dorsally. Antenna (Fig. 4) inserted about 0.30 × from apex of rostrum in male, 0.40 × in female. Scape slightly shorter than funicle, dorsoventrally depressed, weakly curved at middle, abruptly widened at apex, wider than desmomere 1, desmomeres 1-2 subconical, desmomere 1 about 1.30 × as long as desmomere 2, desmomere 3 short, subisodiametric, about 0.65 × as long as desmomere 2, desmomeres 4-7 gradually widening, desmomere 7 widest; club moderately elongate with acute apex, about 1.70 × as long as wide.

Prothorax in dorsal view sub-trapezoidal, base moderately and triangularly arched towards scutellum, lateral margins of prothorax gradually and gently converging from base to apical half, rather strongly rounded apicad of it and then abruptly constricted in a short collar at apical 1/6; anterior margin very gently emarginate on dorsal part, evenly curved towards slightly developed postocular lobes; prosternum with anterior margin moderately emarginate. Pronotal surface convex, with dense, minute punctures, somewhat larger punctures scattered sparsely and partly confluent on prescutellar area.

Scutellum small and not clearly visible.

Elytra subparallel-sided in basal 2/3, gradually and roundly narrowed towards apex, constricted before mid-length; humeral calli moderately developed, preapical prominences distinct and located at end of intervals 4-7; interstriae flat, subequal in width on disc, narrower caudad, about 5 × as wide as a stria on disc, interstria 10 wider than others in basal third, interstria 11 sinuate, weakly curved towards metanepisternum; striae mostly formed by rounded and separate punctures, these partly confluent along basal part and on posterior declivity, stria 10 sinuate and deeply sulciform.

Abdomen with ventrites 3 and 4 in male, and 3 only in female medially depressed.

Legs. Femora edentate, medially swollen, narrower than rostrum. Outer margin of protibia slightly, inner margin distinctly sinuate, apical part dilated outwards, about twice as wide as base, apex weakly curved, inner margin in male obtusely serrate, in female 3-4 small denticles present at apical half, serrate in basal half, denticles closest to uncus slightly larger than others (Fig. 5). Inner margins of meso- and metatibia nearly straight, outer margin slightly sinuate, mesotibia with 2-3 denticles, metatibia serrate in both sexes. Uncus sharp, moderately sized, gradually smaller from pro- to metatibia. Apical comb of spines short on protibia (longer on meso- and metatibia), bases of spines partly connate. Tarsi (Fig. 6) wide, tarsomere 3 1.40 × as wide as tarsomere 2, 1.25 × as wide as long, solea complete. Onychium stout, curved, gradually widened from base to apex, 0.65 × as long as total length of tarsomeres 1-3; claws connate at basal third, of unequal length, inner claw shorter than outer, moderately divergent in apical half (Fig. 7).

Male terminalia and genitalia. Penis in dorsal view stout, elongate, gradually narrowing from base to apical fourth, constricted in this part and narrowing again towards apex (Figs 8-9), incompletely sclerotized medially from basal third to ostium; apical plate triangular, 0.75 × as long as wide; in lateral view, penis strongly curved at basal third, apical fourth almost straight (Fig. 10). Tegmen forming a ring with short ventral apodeme, parameroid lobes absent. Spiculum gastrale thin, stick-shaped, curved outwards, slightly shorter than penis (Fig. 11). Sternite VIII forming a single plate (Fig. 12), well sclerotized, apical margin with sparse, short setae.

Female terminalia and genitalia. Tergite VIII semicircular (Fig. 13), posterior margin with a dense row of hairs. Sternite VIII with lamina transversely oval, prolonged cephalad in an apodeme bifid at apex (Fig. 14); lateral arms wide, angularly arched outwards; margin angularly emarginate with a small medial triangular notch. Coxite well sclerotized, narrowed to apex, stylar base conical, stylus cylindrical, slightly longer than base (Fig. 15). Spermatheca nearly C-shaped, ramus well developed, distinctly wider than nodulus, the latter thin and cylindrical with a small tubercle at inner apical part, apex of cornu obtuse, gland well developed, subspherical (Fig. 16).

Variation.

Size variation is presented above under the Measurements section. A detailed variation cannot be presented because there are only two specimens available, and no further specimens have been traced in the rich Moroccan collections of the MNHN (Paris) and MNCN (Madrid). The female specimen shows a partly worn out vestiture, especially on elytra.

Type material.

Holotype (male) (Fig. 1), MOROCCO, Mischliffen, Md. Atlas, Marruecos, 2000 m, 5.VII.1988, Fdz-Rubio leg. [MNCN, Madrid]. Paratype (female) (Fig. 2), Afrique varia, “4”, [Chevrolat Coll.] [SMNH, Stockholm].

Etymology.

The new species is named after our good friend Bert Viklund (The Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm).