Rasilinus virgatus, Mazur, Milosz A., 2016

Mazur, Milosz A., 2016, A new genus and nine new species of Eugnomini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from New Caledonia, ZooKeys 554, pp. 87-118 : 106-107

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Curculionidae

Rasilinus virgatus sp. n. Figs 9, 18, 27, 36, 45, 73 ‒75, 85, 92, 106, 113, 120

Diagnosis.

The following combination of characters allows this species to be distinguished from its congeners: head capsule almost quadrate; rostrum small, shorter than head capsule; elytra with stripe composed of pale scales at apical part of suture; tegmen with membranous parameroid lobes and dorsal part of tegminal ring bearing a pair of short, broadly rounded sclerotised lobes; aedeagus with complex transfer apparatus in endophallus; male pygidium with enlarged ventral lobes, occupying almost half area of inner part of pygidium.

Description.

Body length (lb)ca. 3.00 mm.

Body colour and vestiture (Fig. 9). Pronotum and elytra dark brown to blackish, head and rostrum lighter in colour. Legs uniformly brown with brighter tarsal claws. Rostrum covered with pale, suboval scales. Antennae with light brown scape and darkening funicle and club. Elytra with single line of erect, elongate, dark scale on each interval, additional surface entirely covered with minute, hardly visible, short, piliform, recumbent scales.

Head, rostrum and antennae (Figs 27, 36, 45). Head almost subquadrate (hw/hlca. 1.10). Forehead flat. Eyes distinctly protruding above margin of head in lateral view; more than half as long as head (eyl/hl 0.67). Lateral margin of head slightly broadened to base. Vertex rough dorsally, with distinct punctation laterally. Rostrum short and robust, slightly shorter than head capsule (rl/hlca. 0.90), ca. 1.60 × longer than maximum width (rl/arw), distinctly curved. Scape almost as long as funicle and club combined; first desmomere elongate, as long as 2-4; desmomere 2 broadened apically, longer than 3; desmomeres 3-7 subcircular, wider than long. Club ca. 2.0 × as long as its wide, longer than last six desmomeres.

Pronotum (Figs 18, 27). Wider than long (mpw/plca. 1.35). Strongly narrowed subapically, lateral margin almost entirely distinctly narrowed, broadened only on apical part. Basal margin weakly rounded, apical margin almost straight. Surface with irregular, deep punctures, rough, matt.

Elytra (Figs 18, 27). Elongate (el/mewca. 1.55), widest in basal half; humerus not projecting; lateral margins in basal half subparallel, curving and converging apically, apices separate. Striae with suboval, distinct punctures in basal half, apical half with punctures much smaller. Intervals flat, shining, with minute nodules, each bearing elongate, erected seta.

Legs (Figs 73-75, 85). Front and middle legs slender; front femora with minute teeth beyond middle, middle femora with tooth more elongate, and hind femora with enlarged tooth with sharp edge; hind femora regularly tapering toward base, fusiform. Front and middle tibiae almost straight, slightly narrowed subapically; hind tibiae regularly curved, narrowed near base. Claws regularly curved, distinctly broadened near base; tooth not developed.

Abdomen (Fig. 92). Short, almost as long as its maximum width at base. First suture clearly visible along entire length; sutures 2-4 depressed. Middle area at basal part of first ventrite distinctly depressed. Surface glabrous, shining. Last ventrite subtriangular, almost 2 × wider than long; apical margin regularly rounded. Pygidium of male elongate, ca. 1.30 × longer than wide; apical margin straight with numerous elongate setae; ventral lobes enlarged, subquadrate with few, short setae only at apical angles.

Male terminalia (Figs 106, 113, 120). Aedeagal pedon as long as apodemes; basal part unsclerotised, extended; lateral margins slightly narrowed; apex with short, prominent process, in lateral view regularly curved. Endophallus with complex apparatus and few free sclerites. Tegminal apodeme broadened apically; dorsal part of tegminal ring with pair of short, broadly rounded processes between the parameroid lobes; parameroid lobes shorter than tegminal apodeme, weakly sclerotised with few, sparse setae. Basal part of sternite VIII with pair of broad, short processes; apodeme elongate, laterally flattened with broadened apex and acute, short teeth beyond middle of length connected with short membrane; hemisternites clearly visible, subcircular.

Female. Unknown.

Measurements.

Holotype, male: apw 0.55; arw 0.25; bew 1.30; bpw 0.75; el 2.00; eyl 0.30; frw 0.15; hl 0.45; hw 0.50; lb 3.00; mew 1.30; mith 0.20; mpw 0.75; mth 0.50; pl 0.55; ptbl 0.70; ptbmw 0.15; rl 0.40; scl 0.50.

Type material.

Holotype, ♂- -22.03188/166.46738, Dzumac Mts 900m, Mt Ouin road junction, night beating, 29.10.2008, leg. M. Wanat (MNHN).

Etymology.

The specific epithet is the Latin adjective virgatus (striped) and refers to the stripe of pale scales at the apical part of the suture.

Distribution.

New Caledonia (main island, south province).