Indophyes yaromi Friedman

Friedman, Ariel-Leib-Leonid, 2012, Indophyes yaromi, a new genus and species of Nanophyidae (Curculionoidea) from southern India, Zootaxa 3219, pp. 54-61 : 56-60

Indophyes yaromi Friedman n. sp.

( Figs. 1–19 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, 3, INDIA: Karnataka, Bilukoppa, 800 m, 40 km W Mudigere, 13o21.6'N 75o30'E, 20.x.2006, A. Freidberg ( TAUI); PARATYPES (9 3, 5Ƥ): INDIA: same as holotype (13; TAUI); Karnataka, 600 m, 16 km W Dandeli, 15o11.15'N 74o31.37'E, 10.xii.2003, I. Yarom (1Ƥ; TAUI). Fraserpet, Coorg./ F. R. I. Sandal/ Insect Survey/ 25.ii.30 // 1599 (13; BMNH), 7.vii.30 //2289 (13; BMNH), 8.vii.30 //2290 (13; BMNH), 24.vii.30 //2291 (31; BMNH), 26.vii.30 //1601 (1Ƥ; BMNH), 28.vii.30 //1600 (1Ƥ; BMNH), 16.viii.30 //Plot 2// 2105 (13; BMNH), 3.ix.30 //Plot 6//2106 (1Ƥ; BMNH), 7.ix.30 //Plot 3//2107 (13; BMNH), 15.ix.30 //Plot 4//1602 (13; BMNH), 26.ix.30 //Plot 1//1603 (13; BMNH), 7.xii.30 //Plot 3// 2108 (13; BMNH). All specimens from "Fraserpet, Coorg" bear an additional label: Pres./ by Comm Inst Ent/ B. M. 1981-315.

The holotype is glued to a triangular cardboard point pinned on an entomological pin, not dissected; with a red paper label " HOLOTYPE: Indophyes yaromi Friedman "; deposited in TAUI; in excellent condition. Most of the paratypes deposited in the BMNH are covered with dust and mold.

Description. Body length 2.0– 2.1 mm, body width at widest point (at humeri) 1.30 mm in male and 1.25 mm in female.

Measurements: Rostrum length 3 0.63 mm, Ƥ 0.65 mm, length of narrow apical part of female rostrum 0.20 mm, rostrum width at apex 3 0.10–0.14 mm, Ƥ 0.09–0.10 mm, rostrum width at antennal insertion 3 0.16 mm, Ƥ 0.15 mm, rostrum width at base 3 0.15–0.16 mm, Ƥ 0.15 mm, frons width 3 0.02 mm, Ƥ 0.03 mm, pronotum length 3 0.60 mm, Ƥ 0.63 mm, pronotum width at anterior margin 3 0.50 mm, Ƥ 0.50 mm, pronotum width at basal margin 3 1.00 mm, Ƥ 1.05 mm, elytra length 3 1.80 mm, Ƥ 1.75 mm, elytra width at humeri 3 1.30 mm, Ƥ 1.25 mm.

Body strongly convex in lateral view and ovoid in dorsal view, tapered posteriorly. Body and appendages dull yellow to light brown with dark brown markings: rostrum, head and pronotum yellow medially and lateroventrally and brown to black laterodorsally. Profemur with subapical brown spot dorsally and larger brown spot ventrally, reaching the largest denticle posteriad. Tibia often with dorsomedian dark brown spot.

Pubescence comprised of white pilliform appressed scales; pubescence of pronotum dorsolaterally even, medially ordered in distinct white longitudinal stripe, lateroventrally more dense, comprised of thicker scales; pubescence of elytra fasciate, particularly dense at base of 2nd and 4th interstriae; pubescence of ventrolateral part of pronotum, mesoventrite and metaventrite thick, comprising lateral white patch; pubescence of abdominal segments and legs sparse; tibia comb setae dark brown. Erect semi-transparent straight scales, referred to as specialized setae by Alonso-Zarazaga (1989): one mediofrontal on head, one apical and one basal on pronotum, four to five on 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th elytral interstriae, one or two on base of 9th elytral interstria.

Rostrum abruptly narrowed apically (subulate), in female cylindrical in basal 2/3 and gradually tapered at apical third, basal part 1.5 times as wide as apical part, in male cylindrical in basal 3/4 and strongly tapered in apical 1/4. Male rostrum slightly bowed, female rostrum slightly angled between narrow and wide parts. Rostrum slightly incrassate at antennal insertion point, more distinctly in male, dorsomedially with longitudinal shallow groove along wide part, particularly in female. Rostrum on the wider part black dorsolaterally, yellow ventrally, occasionally with longitudinal dorsomedial narrow yellow stripe; on the narrowed apical part yellow or testaceous, the extreme apex, including mouthparts, black; black parts rough, granulated, yellow parts glabrous, smooth, in female particularly shiny, dorsomedially often with weak longitudinal stripes. Rostrum on wider part covered by white curved piliform scales, arranged in more or less distinct longitudinal rows, dorsomedially devoid of scales; on narrower part devoid of scales.

Antenna inserted posteriad to apical third of rostrum, yellow to testaceous, covered by straight erect whitish setae, longer on club. Scape elongate, clavate at apex, 2/3 as long as rostrum, slightly longer than funicle. Funicle five-segmented, 1st funicular segment 2.5 times as long as wide, obovate, 2nd funicular segment 4 times as long as wide, cylindrical, funicular segments 3–5 globular. Club three-segmented, as long as funicle, apical club segment slightly longer than two basal club segments combined.

Head globular, covered by white scales dorsally, laterally and under eye, but not producing distinct subocular patch, ventrally entirely devoid of scales, lustrous, basically yellow, with large dorsolateral dark spot posterior to eye. Eye rounded, moderately convex. Frons 0.2 times as wide as base of rostrum, moderately convex, bearing two rows of white setae.

Pronotum trapezoid, 1.7 times as wide as long, laterally straight, posterior margin of pronotum distinctly crenulate.

Elytra ovoid, strongly tapered towards apex, base of elytra distinctly crenulate. Shoulders prominent with distinct dark colored humeral calli. Ground coloration yellow to testaceous, with dark basal triangle produced by dark brown or black color of interstriae on basal 1/4 of elytra, on apical half tessellated, each interstria with two-three dark denudated spots, pubescence interrupted on darker places. Striae shallow; interstriae finely microreticulate, slightly convex, 8th interstria not crenulate.

Abdominal ventrites glabrous, less pubescent than thoracic ones. In male ( Fig. 12 ) ventrites 1 and 2 fused, but suture clearly seen laterally, obsolete medially, laterally marked with dark brown or black stripe, ventrite 2 posterolaterally strongly recurved; ventrites 3–4 narrow; ventrite 5 apically truncate, basally slightly concave transversely. In female ventrites 1–2 fused, suture not seen, entirely yellow; ventrite 3 narrow subrectangular; ventrite 4 narrow medially, posterolaterally strongly drawn backwards, partly enveloping ventrite 5; suture between ventrites 4 and 5 distinct; ventrite 5 apically rounded. Lateral fovea distinct on segments 1, 2 and 4, more distinct in female.

Legs stout, not sexually dimorphic. Femora moderately incrassate, with one large proximal and three small distal spines. Tibiae 1.2 times as long as femora, slightly flattened, proximally slightly bent, distally straight, widened, male tibia not armed. Tarsus slender, 1st tarsomere cylindrical, 2 times as long as wide, 2nd tarsomere conical, flatten dorsoventrally, 3rd tarsomere notched nearly to base, produced apically into oblong rounded lobes, onychium slightly bowed, slender, 6 times as long as wide, claws equal, fused at basal third, apically sharply pointed ( Fig. 11 ).

Male genitalia: Aedeagus ( Figs. 13–14 ) with tube parallel-sided, apically rounded, curved and slightly twisted, in basal 2/5 with rounded projection, seen in lateral view; endophallus with minute denticles and one ungulate sclerite, flagellum slender, twice as long as tube, clavate on proximal end, apodemes sclerotized, articulated to base of tube, 0.7 times as long as tube. Tegmen ( Fig. 16–17 ) oblong, enveloping, parameral lobes divided by deep, narrow notch, apically with fringe of long macrochaetae, prostegium prominent, furcated. Linea arquata and fenestrae present, but unclear. Spiculum gastrale ( Fig. 15 ) slender, furcated distally, with long apodeme and short pointed arms. Female genitalia: Coxites ( Fig. 19 ) oblong, weakly sclerotized, styli apically with tuft of macrochaetae. Spiculum ventrale slender, weakly sclerotized, basal plate not developed. Spermatheca with narrow body, tail (cornu) widely rounded at apex ( Fig. 18 ).

Etymology. Named in honor of my good friend and colleague, the Israeli dipterist, Dr. Ilan Yarom, the collector of the first specimen studied by me.

Comments. Biology unknown. The word "sandal" on the labels refers to the research project and not to the association of this species with the sandal tree. Investigations on spike disease of sandal were undertaken in Fraserpet (Coorg) in 1930–1933 by the Forest Entomology Branch, Forest Research Institute, Dehra Dun, India in fieldopened insectaries ( Roonwal, 1957).

Indophyes yaromi possesses a rare character among the known nanophyids – the subulate rostrum, i. e. rostrum wide basally and abruptly narrowed apically, with great difference between the diameters of these two parts. This character is particularly prominent in the female. Some nanophyid species possess a rostrum more or less distinctly tapering at the apex, but to my knowledge only two species have a comparable form of the rostrum: Kantohia taiwana Kantoh and Kojima (2009) from Taiwan and Nanodactylus obesulus Blatchley ( Kissinger, 1968) from North America. There is probably no close phylogenetic relationship between I. yaromi and the aforementioned species. The subulate rostrum is found among the Apionidae , particularly in those taxa associated with legumes ( Papilionaceae ) and developing in the seeds, e. g. in the genera Oxystoma Dumeril (associated with seeds of Lathyrus L., Lens Miller , Vicia L.), Eutrichapion Reitter (associated mainly with seeds of Vicia L. and Lathyrus L.), some Mesotrichapion Györffy (associated with Astragalus ) ( Alonso-Zarazaga, 1990). The similarity in the form of rostrum might be an indication that the biology of I. yaromi resembles in some aspects that of the aforementioned genera. This is an assumption that needs to be tested.

Distribution. All specimens were collected in southern India, in Karnataka State (known before 1973 as State of Mysore), predominantly in its southern part: in Kushalanagara (previously known as Fraserpet) and Bilukoppa (=Bylakuppe) in Kodagu district (previously known as Coorg); one specimen was collected near Dandeli, Uttara Kannada district, northern Karnataka.

Figures

FIGURE 1 – 6. Indophyes yaromi, n. sp. 1. Male holotype, lateral view, 2. Female paratype, lateral view, 3. Male holotype, head, 4. Female paratype, head, 5. Female paratype, elytra, dorsal view.

FIGURE 6 – 10. Indophyes yaromi, n. sp. 6. Male, lateral view. 7. Female, lateral view. 8. Male, head, pronotum. 9. Female, head, pronotum. 10. Female, elytra. 11. Tarsus, male. 12. Abdominal ventrites, male.

FIGURE 11 – 19. Indophyes yaromi, n. sp. 13. Aedeagus, dorsal view. 14. Aedeagus, lateral view. 15. Spiculum gastrale. 16. Tegmen, dorsal view. 17. Tegmen, lateral view. 18. Spermatheca. 19. Coxites and spiculum ventrale.