Stenocyphus tuberculatus (Hustache, 1938) Hustache, 1938

Guadalupe del Rio, M. & Lanteri, Analia A., 2013, Taxonomic revision of the genus Stenocyphus Marshall (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from Brazil, ZooKeys 357, pp. 29-43 : 36-37

Stenocyphus tuberculatus (Hustache, 1938) comb. n. Figs 3, 6, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22

Compsus tuberculatus Hustache, 1938: 73.

Neoericydeus tuberculatus : Kuschel 1955: 280; O’Brien and Peña 2012 (in key).

Diagnosis.

Stenocyphus tuberculatus is easily distinguished by the presence of three series of conical tubercles along elytral intervals 3, 5 and 7, from base to apex, with the largest tubercles placed near the declivity of interval 3. It also differs from the other two species of Stenocyphus by the following characters: elytral disc with fine, dark, erect setae scattered on posterior 2/3, rostrum almost subparallel-sided; scutellar shield suboval; elytral disc slightly convex and elevated towards declivity, with indistinct punctures of striae; all tibiae with indistinct mucro and denticles; protibiae broad and densely setose; ovipositor with coarse setae along external sides of apical 2/3 of baculi; spermathecae slender, with moderately long nodulus, not curved towards opening of gland.

Redescription.

LB: female (Figs 3, 6) 16 mm long (LS: 13 mm). Vestiture whitish, except on dorsum of rostrum, head and pronotum which are tan coloured. Elytral disc with fine, dark, erect setae scattered on posterior 2/3.

Rostrum (Fig. 3) (LR/WR: 1.00) with sides very slightly convergent toward apex (WF/WR: 1.20). Eyes larger than in the other two species; preocular impression strong; prementum subcircular.

Antennae (Fig. 10) (LB/LA: 2.67) with scape exceeding posterior margin of eyes, almost reaching anterior margin of pronotum; funicular article 2, 1.53 × as long as article 1; club elongate (LC/WC: 2.80).

Pronotum (Figs 3, 6) (WP/LP: 1.16) with irregular impressions on disc and flanks; hind margin strongly bisinuate.

Scutellar shield suboval, covered with subcircular whitish scales.

Elytra (Figs 3, 6) moderately broad (LE/WE: 1.55; LE/LP: 3.25), with three series of conical tubercles along intervals 3, 5 and 7, small on anterior third and large near declivity; humeri strongly prominent; disc slightly convex, elevated towards apical declivity; punctures of striae indistinct; intervals flat, except those having tubercles.

Legs. All tibiae with indistinct mucro and denticles; protibiae broad, densely setose; metatibial apex with broad corbel, covered with brown scales; apical comb more than 2 × longer than dorsal comb.

Abdomen (Fig. 13). Intercoxal portion as wide as cavities of metacoxae.

Female genitalia. Sternite VIII (Fig. 16) with plate about 2.5 × as long as apodeme. Ovipositor (Fig. 19) with coarse setae along external sides of apical 2/3 of baculi; baculi divergent towards base; styli directed backwards. Spermatheca (Fig. 22) with slender subcylindrical body, moderately long nodulus, not curving towards opening of gland, distinct ramus and short cornu (not reaching opening of gland); spermathecal duct and gland not seen.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined.

Type material. Holotype of Compsus tuberculatus Hustache, female, pinned, from Brazil, Espirito Santo, MNHN, labeled as type.

Other material. BRAZIL. Espirito Santo: Santa Teresa, 28/11/1966, C. T. & C. Elias (1♀ DZUP).

Distribution.

Brazil, state of Espirito Santo.

Remarks.

Stenocyphus tuberculatus (Hustache) was originally described in Compsus Schoenherr, 1823 ( Entiminae : Eustylini ) and transferred to Neoericydeus ( Entiminae : Naupactini ) by Kuschel (1955). Based on the characters of the rostrum, this species clearly belongs to Naupactini and not to Eustylini , however, we do not agree with its placement in Neoericydeus , a South American genus with three species that needs revision. The type species Neoericydeus gratiosus Hustache, 1938 lacks elytral tubercles and shows a vestiture of greenish or bluish iridescent scales, interrupted with setose black maculae on the pronotum and elytra, the same as in the genera Ericydeus Pascoe, 1880 and Briarius [Fischer de Waldheim] 1829 (see Lanteri 1995; Lanteri and del Río 2003).

The characters of Neoericydeus tuberculatus are typical of Stenocyphus , thus this species is herein transferred to this genus as Stenocyphus tuberculatus . The other two species of Stenocyphus are more similar to each other in most characters, and they lack the rows of setae on each side of the baculi of the ovipositor. Unfortunately, male genitalia could not be studied due to the absence of material.

The Brazilian species of Naupactini distributed in Espirito Santo state are usually strongly differentiated from other congeners ranging in southern distributions (e.g. Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo states). The pattern of morphological differentiation along the Brazilian Atlantic forests seen in Stenocyphus is also present in species of Briarius , Cyrtomon Schoenherr, 1823, Ericydeus and Teratopactus Heller, 1921 ( Lanteri 1990a, 1995, Lanteri and del Río 2003, del Río et al. 2006).