Piezonotus ternatensis (Guérin-Méneville) Riedel, 2024

Riedel, Alexander, 2024, Taxonomic review of weevils of the tribe Celeuthetini, mainly from Sundaland, Sulawesi and the Lesser Sunda Islands (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae), Zootaxa 5464 (1), pp. 1-75 : 57

Piezonotus ternatensis (Guérin-Méneville) , comb.n.

Coptorhynchus ternatensis Guérin-Méneville, 1841: 191 .

Male. ( Fig. 31a ). Length. Pronotum plus elytron 7.85 mm. Black, sparsely covered with grey scales. Head with angulate transverse sulcus separating rostral base, joined by deep fovea on anterior forehead. Eyes convex; separated from apex of prothorax by ca. 0.7 X length of eye. Rostrum 1.16 X as long as wide, slightly diverging from base to level of antennal insertion; apical declivity distinct, with sunk-in scales; dorsal profile convex in apical half, behind antennal insertion with constriction, above level of forehead. Antenna. Scape slender; in cross-section subrotund; subapically weakly clavate; with sparse ovate scales and subrecumbent setae. Funicle with article 2 slightly shorter (0.96 X) than article 1. Pronotum as long as wide (1.01 X); disk with coarse, irregular, subglabrous granules; each granules with one subrecumbent bristle; between granules with scattered grey scales. Metanepisternum anteriorly nude, posteriorly squamose. Elytra subovate, 1.37 X as long as wide; intervals with coarse granules, some transversely corrugate, with rows of suberect, lanceolate bristles; with scattered grey scales. Legs. Protibia ventrally simple, with few indistinct granules. Venter. Procoxae subcontiguous; distance to apex 0.8 X distance to base of prothorax. Mesoventral process subtriangular, 3.0 X as long as posterior width. Abdomen. Ventrites 1–2 ca. 1.86 X longer than ventrites 3–5; ventrites 3–5 exposed, without modifications, punctate, microreticulate, sparsely setose. Genitalia. Penis ( Fig. 31b ) slightly diverging to subtruncate apex; in oblique view outline of right side with weak angulation. In basal half body containing large, J-shaped endophallic sclerite. In apical half near ostium with subtriangular sclerite on right side. Apodeme ca. 1.6 X as long as body of penis. Transfer apparatus spiniform, curved, ca. 0.3 X as long as body of penis; with indistinct accessory sclerites forming sheath. Intraspecific variation. Length. Pronotum plus elytron 7.85–9.50 mm. Female abdominal ventrites 1–2 ca. 2.5 X longer than ventrites 3–5; ventrite 3 apically densely setose; ventrites 4–5 internalized, fully concealed by elytra, as in figs 41a–c.

Material examined. Type specimen. Coptorhynchus ternatensis Guérin-Méneville , female, holotype ( Fig. 31c–d ): INDONESIA, “Ternate”, labels ( Fig. 31e ); condition: fair, pinned through right elytron; ( MNHN, EC20537 ). Other material examined: INDONESIA, N-Maluku: 1 ex, ARC6710 (GenBank # OR557454) , Ternate Isl., Marikurubu, Gn. Gamalama, N00° 47.888´E127° 21.133´to N00° 47.917´E127° 20.902´, 724–956 m, 24-V-2013 ( SMNK); 1 ex, ARC7407 (GenBank # OR557459) , Ternate, ex coll. J. Faust, accession 1900 ( SMTD) .

Notes. Piezonotus guerini Faust from Morotai Island was examined and found closely related to this species. No significant differences were found in the morphology of the male genitalia, and the cox1 sequences differ only by 3.59 % p-distance. However, both species can be distinguished by their color, P. ternatensis Guérin-Méneville having grey scaling, P. guerini Faust green scaling. A detailed study should investigate if the latter is a valid species or only a local population of P. ternatensis (Guérin-Méneville) .

Figures

FIGURE 31. Piezonotus ternatensis (Guérin-Méneville). (a) Habitus (b) Penis; c-e, holotype: (c) Habitus (d) Profile (e) Labels; images by courtesy of MNHN / Christophe Rivier.