Aextoxicola Tello & Tello-Arriagada, 2025
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1254.161754 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0165FF49-18C1-4261-956A-0E5BDD8CE4F6 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17295948 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/E6BFDF5A-6CF6-5AFB-AC02-E07DF84CF857 |
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treatment provided by |
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scientific name |
Aextoxicola Tello & Tello-Arriagada |
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gen. nov. |
Aextoxicola Tello & Tello-Arriagada gen. nov.
Figs 1 A – C View Figure 1 , 2 A – H View Figure 2
Type species.
Aextoxicola pilolcurensis Tello & Tello-Arriagada , by monotypy and present designation.
Etymology.
Aextoxicola derives from the scientific name of the olivillo, Aextoxicon punctatum Ruiz & Pav. ( Aextoxicaceae ), which is the dominant tree species in the type locality of the type species. The gender is feminine.
Diagnosis.
Aextoxicola gen. nov. can be clearly distinguished from the extant genera by the following combination of characters: (1) small body size, less than 2.5 mm; (2) 3 - segmented antennal club; (3) tarsomeres I – IV reduced, with tarsomeres II and III longer than I and IV; (4) first ventrite with two pairs of postmetacoxal lines, lateral lines with slightly separated parallel ridges, forming broad postmetacoxal lateral lines; medial postmetacoxal lines diverging posteriorly from a rounded intercoxal process, forming an inverted “ U ” shape; ridges forming postmetacoxal lateral lines slightly separated; (5) pronotal lateral carina serrate; (6) a single, well-defined longitudinal carina present laterally on each side of pronotum; (7) posterior pronotal angles acute and posterior edge of pronotum bisinuate; (8) body pubescence uniform, with large, yellow setae.
Description.
Male habitus ( n = 1). Measurements: total body length = 2.27 mm; maximum body width = 0.88 mm; head length = 0.33 mm; head width = 0.56 mm; pronotum length = 0.53 mm; pronotum maximum width = 0.83 mm. Body elongate in dorsal view, moderately convex in lateral view; integument reddish to brown; dorsum textured, with moderately sized punctation homogeneously distributed in rows; each puncture with a yellow, long, semierect seta (Fig. 1 A – C View Figure 1 ).
Head. Prognathous, transverse, inserted into prothorax up to posterior extent of eyes; tempora present; setae similar to those on pronotum and elytra. Frontoclypeal suture absent. Genal pockets present. Presence of deep subantennal grooves between the eye and mouth cavity, with well-developed carinae on mouth cavity sides. Eyes. Dark, large, rounded, moderately protruding; interfacetal setae absent; ommatidia moderately large. Antennae. Capitate, with small setae on the integument and a few larger setae along the margins of each segment; scape cylindrical, broader than pedicel; antennal club comprising antennomeres IX – XI, prominently expanded laterally with rounded canthus (Fig. 2 A View Figure 2 ). Antennal segments IX and X truncated at the apex; segment XI entirely rounded. Mouthparts. Mandibles visible dorsally and ventrally, bidentate at the apex, bearing small denticles; molar region on the mesal edge with setiferous margins; molar setae short (Fig. 2 D View Figure 2 ). Maxillary palpi with four palpomeres (Fig. 2 E View Figure 2 ); maxillary segment I longer than wider; segments II and III of similar size, narrower at the base and widened distally; segment IV oblong, longer than wide, apex truncated, uncus absent; galea and lacinia setose at the apex (Fig. 2 E View Figure 2 ). Labial palpi with three palpomeres, bearing small longitudinally grouped setae; segments I and II reduced; segment III widened and truncated; mentum tridentate, the central apex smaller; ligule bilobed and pubescent (Fig. 2 F View Figure 2 ).
Prothorax. Pronotum transverse, wider than the head; pronotal disc convex, with slight median depression along posterior margin; anterior angles subrectangular; posterior angles acute, slightly extended beyond the lateral margins; basal margin of the pronotum bisinuate (Figs 1 A View Figure 1 , 2 A View Figure 2 ); a single, well-defined, longitudinal sublateral carina present on each side of the dorsal surface of the pronotum; edge of lateral pronotal carina serrate (Fig. 2 A View Figure 2 ). Hypomeral area of the pronotum smooth, without apparent modifications (Fig. 1 B View Figure 1 ). Procoxal cavities rectangular and closed. Prosternal process prominent, slightly widened medially.
Pterothorax. Scutellum. Scutellar shield transverse, small, approximately 2.5 times wider than long, with rounded margins. Elytra. Elongate, with punctures arranged in longitudinal, stria-like rows, each puncture with long, yellow seta; interstriae smooth; humeral angles not protruding; elytral scutellary striole absent (Fig. 1 A, C View Figure 1 ). Mesothorax. Mesoventral plate prominent, notched anteriorly, extending posteriorly to metaventrite, forming procoxal rests (Fig. 1 B View Figure 1 ). Mesocoxae rounded, slightly separated, distance between them about equal to that between procoxae. Metathorax. Metaventrite transverse. Metaventral discrimen present but incomplete, restricted to the posterior third. Two pairs of postmesocoxal lines present. Medial postmesocoxal lines starting at medial edge of coxal cavities as continuation of intercoxal process, directed towards outer corners of metacoxae, disappearing in anterior third of metaventrite. Lateral postmesocoxal lines slightly larger than medial postmesocoxal lines, starting from the first mid-section of the mesocoxal ridge and culminating at the lateral edge of the metaventrite. Metacoxae transverse, separated by the process of the first abdominal ventrite (Fig. 1 B View Figure 1 ), not extending laterally to meet elytra.
Legs. Slender with femora relatively narrow. Pro-, meso- and metafemora subequal. Tibiae straight, each bearing at least four small apical spines. Tarsal formula 5-5 - 5; tarsomeres I and IV reduced; tarsomeres II and III each 1.5 times longer than tarsomeres I or IV; tarsomere V elongated, almost equal in length to tarsomeres I – IV combined; tarsomere III with conspicuous lateral lobe-like modifications. Tarsal claws simple (Fig. 2 G View Figure 2 ).
Abdomen. Abdomen with five free ventrites; first ventrite length (as measured at the shortest distance behind the metacoxal cavities) subequal to second ventrite; first ventrite with two pairs of postmetacoxal lines, each pair consisting of slightly separated parallel ridges, forming broad postmetacoxal lines; postmetacoxal medial lines diverging from the edges of a rounded intercoxal process, forming an inverted “ U ” shape; the ridges that form the postmetacoxal lateral lines are distinctly broadened, forming a broad postmetacoxal medial lines. Both medial and lateral lines connected anteriorly and posteriorly to the margins of the ventrite (Fig. 2 C View Figure 2 ). Remaining ventrites without lines on the disc (Fig. 1 B View Figure 1 ).
Genitalia. Male genitalia absent in holotype (presumably broken off and lost. It may have been damaged during collection or subsequent handling of the specimens). Female genitalia with the baculum elongate and well defined; oblique baculum conspicuous, subtriangular; stylus with small, conspicuous punctures, apex rounded and bearing short setae. Vulval lobes elongate and subparallel (Fig. 2 H View Figure 2 ).
Remarks.
The unique combination of characters supports the recognition of Aextoxicola gen. nov. as distinct from the previously described, living and extinct genera within the family. First, in Aextoxicola , the elytral punctation and pubescence are of a single, consistent type in terms of size and shape, with no marked variation. In contrast, most Biphyllidae exhibit non-uniform elytral pubescence, often with a mixture of long and short setae, and punctures of varying sizes or irregular distribution (e. g., Althaesia Pascoe , some Biphyllus Dejean , Euderopus Sharp , Diplocoelus ) ( Makarov and Perkovsky 2020). This trait is shared with the extinct genus Paleobiphyllus Makarov & Perkosvky ; however, in Aextoxicola the integument is smooth. Secondly, the combination of only one pair of longitudinal sublateral carinae on the pronotum and two pairs of postmetacoxal lines on the first abdominal ventrite are unique; most representatives of Biphyllidae have 2–5 pairs of additional carinae on the pronotal disc, and one or two pairs of postmetacoxal lines. The widening of the lateral postmetacoxal lines is noteworthy and represents another distinctive character of this new genus. Third, the pronotal lateral carinae are distinctly serrate, while in most Biphyllidae the lateral carinae are crenulate or smooth. The serrate margins are observed in some species of Biphyllus (e. g., B. marmoratus (Reitter) ; see Park et al. 2012), however, this genus has a 2 - segmented antennal club.
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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