Euops pygmaeus, Riedel, 2001

Riedel, Alexander, 2001, The pygmaeus-group of Euops Schoenherr (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea, Attelabidae), weevils associated with Nothofagus in New Guinea, Journal of Natural History 35 (8), pp. 1173-1237 : 1229-1231

Euops pygmaeus sp. n.

(®gures 12, 20, 28, 35, 36, 41, 52, 56, 59, 61, 63, 65, 84, 85, 107, 108, 123, 136, 157,171, 199, 200, 211, 222, 225)

Diagnosis. Legs and elytron ¯avescent to ferruginous. Pronotum shining, with apicad concave anastomosing wrinkles (®gure 41). Female: Abdominal sternite VI with simple row of modi®ed setae (®gure 59). Spermatheca rather robust, as in ®gure 211. Male: Uncus of metatibia with accessory tooth (®gure 56). TA large, as in ®gure 157.

Range. Figure 225. Southern Highlands Prov. (Mt. Bosavi), Morobe Prov. ( Mt. Kaindi ), Central Prov. ( Mt. Albert Edward ). Altitude : 1800 ±2350 m .

Type material. HOLOTYPE: Papua New Guinea: Morobe Prov., Mt. Kaindi , 2350 m, 14 April 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi ( BPBM) . PARATYPES: Papua New Guinea: one male, Southern Highlands Prov., Mt. Bosavi , 1800 m, VI.1973, leg. Gaya ( BPBM) ; Morobe Prov., Mt. Kaindi , one male, 2350 m, 11± 19 August 1970, Malaise trap, T-311, leg. Tigner ( BPBM) ; three males, two females, 2350 m, 2 September 1970, on Nothofagu s carri , leg. Tawi ( BPBM) ; seven males, six females, 2350 m, 2 September 1970, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi ( BPBM) ; 12 males, ®ve females, 2350 m, 1± 4 September 1970, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi ( BPBM) ; one female, 12 January 1971, Nothofagu s carri , second growth, leg. Tigner, T-7 ( BPBM) ; one male, 2250 m, 18 January 1971, Nothofagus carri , second growth, leg. Tigner, T-10 ( BPBM) ; one male, 2350 m, 26 January 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. J. L. Gressitt ( BPBM) ; one male, 2350 m, 29 January 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. J. L. Gressitt, K-216 ( BPBM) ; one male, one female, 2350 m, 7 February 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi, K-486 ( BPBM) ; one male, one female, 2350 m, 8 February 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. J. L. Gressitt, K-216 ( BPBM) ; one female, 2350 m, 15 February 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. J. L. Gressitt, K-216 ( BPBM) ; one male, 25 February 1971, on N? pullei, secondary growth, T-139, leg. T.Tigner ( BPBM) ; one male, one female, 2350 m, 23 February 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. J. L. Gressitt, 216 ( BPBM) ; one male, 2350 m, 1 March 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. J. L. Gressitt, K-216 ( BPBM) ; one female, 2350 m, 29 March 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi; one male, one female, 2350 m, 5 April 1971, on Nothofagus carri, Malaise trap, leg. J. L. Gressitt ( BPBM) ; one female, 2350 m, 14 April 1971, on Nothofagu s carri , leg. Tawi ( BPBM) ; one female, 2350 m, 14 April 1971, on Nothofagus carri, Malaise tr., leg. J. L. Gressitt and Tawi ( BPBM) ; one male, 2350 m, 28 April 1971, on Nothofagus carri, Malaise tr., leg. J. L. Gressitt and Tawi, ®ve males, three females, 2350 m, 3 May 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi ( BPBM) ; one male, one female, 2350 m, 17 May 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi ( BPBM) ; one male, 2200 ±2350 m, 12 July 1971, leg. J. Sedlacek ( BPBM) ; one male, one female, 2350 m, 2 August 1971, Nothofagus environment, Malaise trap, leg. J. Tawi ( BPBM) ; one female, 2350 m, 3 August 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi, K-216 ( BPBM) ; one female, 2200 m, 12 July 1971, leg. J. Sedlacek ( BPBM) ; one female (marked as`allotype’), 2350 m, 2 September 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi ( BPBM) ; one male, 2350 m, 22 September 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi, K-426, ( BPBM) ; one male, 2350 m, 20 December 1971, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi ( BPBM) ; one female, 2350 m, 17 January 1972, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi ( BPBM) ; one male, 2350 m, 24 January 1972, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi ( BPBM) ; one female, 2350 m, 7 February 1972, on Nothofagus carri , leg. Tawi, K-486 ( BPBM) ; one male, 2350 m, 18 September 1972, M.V. Light Trap, leg. G. G. E. Scudder ( BPBM) ; one female, 1850±2150 m, 8 October 1992, leg. A. Riedel ( ARC) . Central Prov .: one male, Iongai , 10 km E of Mt.Albert Edward, 1450±1800 m, 8± 10 November 1965, leg. J. Sedlacek ( BPBM) .

Description

Holotype, male. Length, pronotum1 elytron: 2.50 mm. Colouration. Legs and elytron testaceous except elytral intervals 3±5 in apical third darker brown; remainder dark reddish-brown; head, prothorax, metapleurum with bronze shine. Head. As in ®gure 84; short, gena 0.92 Ö as long as width of head behind eyes; contours of genae in dorsal view subparallel to shallow constriction, then weakly rounded towards eye; vertex shining, densely punctate with deep punctures; eyes evenly rounded, dorsally distant, separated by c. 0.30 Ö basal width of rostrum; frons as in ®gures 21±22, smooth except row of punctures along mesal margin of eye, anteriorly with median longitudinal impression, centre with smooth median costa extending posteriad; ventrally in front of gular region shining, laterally sparsely punctate, without median furrow, anteriorly with short median submental carina (®gure 20). Rostrum 1.55 Ö as long as mouthparts, at widest point 1.60 Ö wider than at base; clypeus with median process apically concave; antennal insertion at base, approximatel y within basal ®fth of rostrum; in lateral aspect with dorsal contour weakly bisinuate, above antennal insertion and at middle of rostral length weakly convex; ventral contour sinuate, at base concave, subcontinuous with contour of head, towards apex convex; dorsal and ventral contour converging from base to apex; ventral surface with submentum before hind level of maxillary cavities ¯at, posteriorly towards sides rising to postgenal recesses, margins of ¯at median area converging basad, continued by median submental carina. Antenna as in ®gure 107. Prothorax. Sides weakly rounded, subparallel, weakly converging from base to apex; without preapical constriction; disc shining, with apicad concave anastomosing wrinkles. Elytron. At humerus simple; 2.63 Ö longer than wide; striae moderately deeply impressed. Thoracic venter. Prepectus c. 2.0 Ö as long as postpectus. Height of pterothorax 0.64 Ö length of elytron. Legs. Procoxa anteriorly simple. Profemur with ventral surface smooth. Protibia (®gure 123) with dorsal contour weakly curved, ventral contour subparallel; ventral surface sparsely denticulate with denticules well-projecting, densely setose. Mesotibia with dorsal edge subapically simple, without extension. Uncus of metatibia curved ventrad, at base with posteriad directed accessory tooth (®gure 56). Abdomen. Ventral contour in lateral view weakly concave; venter sparsely setose; sternite VII with apex evenly concave; pygidium c. 1.22 Ö wider than long, dull, densely deeply punctate, setose, base laterally overlapped by elytral apex. Genitalia. Sternite VIII (®gure 171) with apex bilobed, apically setose with moderately long setae, subapically with pair of indistinct, less sclerotized areas. Tegminal plate (®gure 200) with sides subparallel before apex, weakly diverging; apex subtruncate, evenly setose. Aedeagus as in ®gure 136. Apical scoop of pedon (®gure 199) with lateral margins sinuate and converging, with apex markedly extended forward, tongue-like. TA as in ®gures 157, 63, 65.

Allotype, female. Same as holotype except: Length, pronotum1 elytron: 2.16 mm. Head. As in ®gure 85; eyes separated by c. 0.36 Ö basal width of rostrum. Rostrum. Apically more strongly compressed dorsoventrally; in lateral view with dorsal contour sinuate, from antennal insertion weakly concave to apex. Elytron 2.59 Ö longer than wide. Thoracic venter. Prepectus c. 0.5 Ö as long as postpectus. Height of pterothorax 0.68 Ö length of elytron. Legs. Protibia in anterior view with dorsal contour weakly curved, ventral contour weakly sinuate, convex at base, concave at apex; apex of pro-, meso- and metatibia with uncus and premucro; uncus of metatibia without accessory tooth. Abdomen. Patch of modi®ed setae c. 0.87 Ö as long as wide; sternite VI with simple row of modi®ed setae. Genitalia. Sternite VIII as in ®gure 222. Spermatheca (®gure 211) robust; with membranous spermathecal gland.

Intraspeci W c variation. Length , pronotum 1 elytron: specimens from Wau 2.03±2.63 mm, specimen from Mt. Albert Edward 2.78 mm (n 5 50, xÅ 5 2.34 Ô 0.17). Colouration ranging from entirely ¯avescent in teneral specimens to elytron testaceous and head plus prothorax reddish-brown with marked bronze shine. Specimen from Mt. Bosavi exceptionally deeper coloured with elytron deeply reddish-brown and head plus prothorax golden-bronze. Elytron. 2.57± 2.74 Ö longer than wide (n 5 20, xÅ 5 2.64 Ô 0.05). Thoracic venter. Height of pterothorax in males 0.64± 0.68 Ö length of elytron (n 5 12, xÅ 5 0.66 Ô 0.01), in females 0.66± 0.70 Ö length of elytron (n 5 13, xÅ 5 0.68 Ô 0.01). Abdomen. Female patch of modi®ed setae c.0.85± 0.96 Ö as long as wide (n 5 12, xÅ 5 0.91 Ô 0.04).

Etymological note

This epithet is based on the Latin adjective pygmaeus (dwar®sh) and refers to the small body size of the species.

Biological note

According to the data given on the labels, most specimens collected in Wau were found on Nothofagus carri .