Pseudolanurgus mystax Jordal, 2021

Jordal, Bjarte H., 2021, New species and records of Pseudolanurgus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) from Tanzania and Madagascar, Zootaxa 5072 (6), pp. 592-598 : 597

Pseudolanurgus mystax Jordal , sp. nov.

( Figs 12, 14, 16, 17 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:104043CC-E383-421A-9FA6-21A080B15F0A

Type material. Holotype female: Tanzania, Morogoro prov. [Udzungwa Mountains], Sanje trail, GIS: -7.783, 36.892 [900 m alt.], ex Parinari excelsa , 1.VII.2010, B. Jordal, leg. Allotype male and paratypes (5): same data as HT. Holotype, allotype and three paratypes in ZMUB , two paratypes in NHMW .

Diagnosis. Epistoma with long triangular tuft of setae reaching tips of mandibles; a vertical row of long, straight, fine setae between antennal insertion and mandible base; antennal club with apical suture strongly procurved and bisinuate; elytral apex lip-shaped.

Description, female. Length 1.3–1.5 mm, 2.4–2.6 × as long as wide. Frons flattened with a weak central callus; vestiture consisting of scattered, fine, short setae, on epistoma with a long triangular tuft of setae reaching near tip of mandibles; between mandible base and antennal insertion a vertical row of long straight setae. Antennal scapus short, somewhat triangular, with a short brush of dense setae slightly shorter than length of club; the club with two pairs of distinctly marked bisinuate sutures, the apical suture more procurved than basal suture. Eyes separated above by 2.9–3.1 × the width of an eye. Pronotum asperate on anterior half, asperities well separated, not reaching anterior margin; vestiture consisting mainly of fine, spatulate setae. Scutellum broad, with short setae. Elytral interstriae with uniseriate rows of spatulate setae separated within rows by their length; striae not impressed, with fine and partly raised setae about half the size of interstrial setae. Protibiae with one lateral and two apical small denticles.

Male similar to female except frons more distinctly impressed just above epistoma, and scapus much smaller and rounded, with only scant setae.

Etymology. From the ancient Greek noun mystax , meaning moustache, referring to the voluminous and long tuft of setae on the epistoma covering most of the dorsal side of the mandibles. Noun in apposition.

Distribution and biology. United Republic of Tanzania. Only known from the type locality in the Udzungwa mountains. Old broods were dissected from the bark of Parinari excelsa (Chrysobalanaceae) on a branch 5 cm in diameter. Tunnels were made in inner bark and not in phloem.

Remarks. Molecular data revealed a monophyletic but somewhat distant relationship between this species and P. harunganae (see Jordal 2021b). Both are clearly separate from Diplotrichus and Pseudomicracis , on both molecular data and morphological characters. Together with P. bugekeae these species are found in similar montane forests in eastern parts of Africa and they are likely remains of a past recolonisation of the mainland from Madagascar. This pattern is seen in several genera of scolytine bark and ambrosia beetles ( Eliassen & Jordal 2021; Jordal 2013, 2021a).

Figures

FIGURES 11–17. Dorsal, lateral and front view of Pseudolanurgus bugekeae female paratype (11, 13, 15); Pseudolanurgus mystax sp. nov. female holotype (12, 14, 16) and male allotype (17).