Scolytodes pseudocrassus Jordal and Smith, 2020

Jordal, Bjarte H. & Smith, Sarah M., 2020, Scolytodes Ferrari (Coleoptera, Scolytinae) from Ecuador: 40 new species, and a molecular phylogenetic guide to infer species differences, Zootaxa 4813 (1), pp. 1-67 : 39

Scolytodes pseudocrassus Jordal and Smith , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3F42582C-C827-46D5-92B9-3B457FF00200

( Figs 66, 69, 72 )

Type material. Holotype: Ecuador: Napo Prov., Res. Ethnica Waorani, 1km S Onkone Gare Camp., Trans. Et. , 00°39’10’’S, 76°26’W, 220m elev., July 1995, T.L. Erwin et al. collectors, indiv #000498 . Paratypes: same data as HT (3) ; same data as HT except October 1996 (1); Tiputini biodiversity station, 220–250 m, February 1999, 00° 37’55’’S, 76° 08’39’’W, T.L. Erwin et al collectors (2) . Holotype and 1 paratype temporarily held in trust at USNM for MECN, other paratypes deposited in QCAZ (2), ZMBN (1), and MSUC (2) .

Diagnosis. Interstriae 10 sharply elevated to level of metacoxae. Protibiae with an additional mesal tooth. Elytra with spatulate interstrial and hair-like strial setae. Metanepisternum with coarse, plumose setae. Most closely related to S. crassus Wood, 1971 , S. dissimilis Schedl, 1967 , S. morulus (Schedl, 1952) and S. bipilosus Jordal, 2018 as indicated by the presence of an additional mesal tooth on protibiae, by the regularly spaced spatulate interstrial setae, and by the simple frons with a shiny longitudinal field towards vertex. Differs from S. crassus by the larger spatulate setae present on all interstriae, from S. dissimilis by the presence of strial setae, from S. bipilosus by the shorter interstriae 10 and stouter body shape, and from S. morulus by he longer strial setae and smooth pronotum.

Description, female. Length 0.9–1.1 mm, 2.0–2.2 × as long as wide; colour brown. Head. Eyes entire, separated above by 1.3–1.7 × their width. Frons convex, flattened on epistoma, epistomal lobe large, surface reticulated, subshining, with few coarse punctures from epistoma to vertex, a narrow, shiny longitudinal field towards on vertex; vestiture consisting of scant, short setae. Antennal club pilose, segment 1 subcorneous. Funiculus 5-segmented. Pronotum strongly reticulated, with dense, deep punctures reaching anterior margin, spaced by 1–2 × their diameter. Vestiture consisting of 10 long, erect setae (4-2(-2)-2). Elytra smooth, shiny; striae regular, punctures small, shallow, spaced by 1–2 × their diameter; interstrial punctures tiny, obscure; interstriae 10 sharply elevated to level of metacoxae. Vestiture consisting of fine, short, semirecumbent strial setae, and much longer and thicker spatulate interstrial setae, particularly on posterior half. Legs. Procoxae separated by 0.8 × the width of one procoxa. Mesocoxae separated by 1.0 × the width of a procoxa. Protibiae narrow, distal tooth 1 and 2 of equal size, with 2–3 tiny granules barely visible along the edge towards tibial base; posterior face with an additional mesal tooth; protibial mucro long and curved posteriorly. Meso- and metatibiae with 5 lateral, long, socketed teeth on distal half and third, respectively. Ventral vestiture. Setae on mes- and metanepisternum coarsely bifid or plumose, on metasternum mainly simple except along anterior margin.

Male. Apparently identical to female in all respects. Sex can only be determined by the number of visible tergites.

Key ( Wood 2007). Keys to couplet 74, S. crassus , but differs by the more abundant erect interstrial setae, and more elongated body shape.

Etymology. The combination of the Latin adjective crassus , meaning fat or plump, and the Latin prefix pseudo - (derived from ancient Greek), meaning false, refers to the similarity to Scolytodes crassus .

Biology and distribution. Known from two nearby localities in the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest. Specimens were collected on four different occasions by canopy fogging.

Figures

FIGURES 64–72. Dorsal, lateral and frontal views of the female holotype of Scolytodes virgatus (64, 67, 70), Scolytodes criniger (65, 68, 71), and Scolytodes pseudocrassus (66, 69, 72).