Trigonopterus albidosparsus (Lea)

Riedel, Alexander & Taenzler, Rene, 2016, Revision of the Australian species of the weevil genus Trigonopterus Fauvel, ZooKeys 556, pp. 97-162 : 100-103

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Curculionidae

2. Trigonopterus albidosparsus (Lea)

Idotasia albidosparsa Lea, 1913: 611.

Trigonopterus albidosparsa (Lea), incorrect subsequent spelling: Zimmerman 1992: 376.

Trigonopterus albidosparsus (Lea): Pullen et al. 2014: 271.

Diagnostic description.

Male (ARC3695; Fig. 2e). Length 2.73 mm. Color black. Body subovate, almost without constriction between pronotum and elytron; in profile evenly convex. Rostrum with median costa and pair of submedian costae; intervening furrows with rows of partly abraded scales; apical 1/3 rugose-punctate. Eyes with dorsal margin bordered by furrow. Forehead sparsely punctate. Pronotum with disk subglabrous, with minute punctures; sides foveate; interspaces not microreticulate; base medially hardly extended towards elytral suture. Elytra subglabrous, striae marked by very shallow lines, without punctures; along base and humeri with row of large punctures; apex with scattered shallow punctures. Legs. Femora microreticulate, punctate. Metafemur dorsally with elongate patch of dense silvery scales; posterior surface with pair of longitudinal furrows containing rows of scales parallel to ventral and dorsal edge; dorsoposterior edge distinct. Mesotibia apically with widened uncus only, premucro absent. Metatibia apically with uncus only, premucro not visible in lateral aspect, possibly transformed into small process on posterior tibial face near tarsal insertion. Abdominal ventrite 2 swollen, posterior edge projecting and with submedian pair of denticles, medially forming shallow cavity with ventrite 1; ventrite 5 dull, microreticulate, punctate, with transversely ovate cavity. Penis (Fig. 2f) with sides of body subparallel; apex with distinct median triangular extension; transfer apparatus long, spiniform, apically bordered by pair of L-shaped sclerites; ductus ejaculatorius without bulbus. Female lectotype (Fig. 2 a–d). As male except: length 2.63 mm. Rostrum dorsally subglabrous, densely punctate with small punctures. Abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 medially flat; posterior edge of ventrite 2 simple, without pair of denticles; abdominal ventrite 5 flat. Intraspecific variation. Length 2.26-2.73 mm. Mesotibia apically with large uncus and much smaller premucro.

Material examined.

Type specimens. Female, lectotype by present designation (SAMA): Queensland, Endeavour River (labels Fig. 2d), ARC4033 (PCR failed). Other specimens (ANIC, QMBA, SMNK): 36 exx, ARC3695 (EMBL # LN888180), ARC3696 (EMBL # LN888181), ARC3697 (EMBL # LN888182), Cooktown, Mt. Cook N.P., S15°28.648', E145°15.793', to S15°29.252', E145°15.992', 63-324 m, 24-IV-2014; 31 exx, Cooktown, Mt. Cook N.P., S15°28.648', E145°15.793', to S15°29.252', E145°15.992', 63-245 m, 23-IV-2014; 10 exx, Mt. Cook N.P., S15°29', E145°16', 11-12-X-1980; 1 ex, 1 km SE Mt. Cook, S15°30', E145°16', 13-X-1980.

Distribution.

Queensland: Cooktown.

Biology.

Beaten from foliage in rainforest.

Notes.

Lea (1913) did not designate a holotype in the original description, which is based on three syntypes. One syntype labelled “type” could be examined and is here designated as lectotype. The species appears to be confined to the Cooktown area. Numerous specimens from other localities of coastal Queensland, including some identified as Trigonopterus albidosparsa by Lea, belong to different, closely related species.