Afrosmicronyx mirei Haran, 2017

Haran, Julien & Perrin, Hélène, 2017, Revision of the genus Afrosmicronyx Hustache (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Curculioninae), Zootaxa 4365 (2), pp. 132-148 : 141-142

Afrosmicronyx mirei Haran , sp. n.

Figs 1C, 1E , 2G , 3G , 5G , 6G

Material examined. Holotype ♂: ‘ Holotype [ Red label]’ ‘ Cameroon. Maroua. VIII.1977. P.B. de Miré leg. “ Champ de mil” ’ ‘ Coll. Cirad. JHAR _00108’ ‘ Afrosmicronyx mirei Haran’, (specimen deposited in MNHN, Gene. coll) . Paratypes: data as for holotype (1♂, 2♀, CBGP) .

Description. (♂) Body length 3.2–3.7 mm. Colour. Body integument black; vestiture consisting of recumbent scales, rounded or slightly elliptical, forming a brownish-gray area roughly located along interstriae 1 to 4, widened at base and apex of elytra; sides of elytra covered with whitish or grayish scales. Head. Rostrum longer than head plus prothorax, thin, regularly downcurved, covered by scales and coarsely punctate in basal ¼, punctures and vestiture less dense at antennal insertion, smooth at apex, transversal furrow at base of rostrum shiny, concealed with scales at edges, head short with a dense cover of scales; antennae reddish, segment 1 elongate, as long as 2+3, 4–5 square, 6–7 wider than long. Prothorax. Wider than long, widest slightly behind middle, narrowed at apex, sides rounded; integument densely punctuate, integument between punctures smooth and shiny; scales dark brown or grayish-brown, paler on sides and along a narrow longitudinal strip, mostly visible near scutellum, vestiture with a mix of dark broadly ovate scales and pale arcuate setiform scales. Elytra. Sides moderately convex, subparallel in basal half, rounded in apical half, widest near middle (ratio w/l: 0.65); humeri raised; striae narrow, interstriae flat wide and shiny, apex of interstria 5 with moderate declivital callosity, usually covered with paler scales, followed by depression; scutellum small but visible, squamose. Abdomen. Underside covered with whitish scales, ventrites 1–2 elongate, 1 as long as 2+3, and as 3–5. Legs. Reddish, femora clavate, armed with one ventral tooth; pro- and mesotibiae straight, fore-tibiae slightly bisinuate, all tibiae armed with one strong acute ventral tooth, located behind middle in protibiae, in middle in meso- and protibiae. Genitalia. Penis elongate (ratio w/l: 0.38), sides sub-parallel in basal two thirds, converging apex in apical 1/3, apex rounded, regular curvature in lateral view ( Fig.6G ). Females are distinguished from males by their slightly longer and more pointed ventral tooth on tibiae, and by their rostrum, which is less coarsely punctate and slightly thinner in apical third.

Life history. Unknown. Adults were collected in millet plantations in August.

Distribution. Cameroon.

Discussion. Afrosmicronyx mirei is most similar to A. madagascariensis but can be distinguished from it by the presence of pale stripes of scales on the sides of the elytra (the colour of scales is homogeneous in A. madagascariensis ) and by the location of the orifice of the penis (apically in A. mirei , nearer to the middle in A. madagascariensis ). This species is also similar to A. dorsomaculatus , which has a close elytral pattern, but it can be differentiated by its larger prothorax, larger protibial tooth and less contrasting elytral pattern. Afrosmicronyx mirei also has a much longer penis (ratio w/l: 0.38) than A. dorsomaculatus (ratio w/l: 0.63).

Name derivation. This species is dedicated to P. B. de Miré, a great entomologist who contributed substantially to the knowledge of the Afrotropical entomological fauna and who collected this species during his stay in Cameroon.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Ventral aspects of head (A–C) and protibiae (D–F) in Smicronychini. A. Afrosmicronyx sopubiae (Marshall), eyes distinctly separated from each other. B. Afrosmicronyx giganteus (Hustache), eyes subcontiguous. C. Afrosmicronyx mirei sp. n., eyes contiguous. D. Smicronyx revelieri Tournier, tibia straight, without tooth or thickening. E. Afrosmicronyx mirei sp. n., tibia with an acute ventral tooth. F. Afrosmicronyx maerens (Marshall), tibia bisinuate ventrally, thickened near middle.

FIGURE 2. Habitus of species of Afrosmicronyx. A. Afrosmicronyx giganteus (Hustache), neotype ♀. B. A. quadrituberculatus (Hustache),lectotype ♂.C.A.sopubiae(Marshall),lectotype ♂.D.A.angolanus (Hustache),holotype ♂.E.A.maerens (Marshall), lectotype ♂. F. A. dorsomaculatus(Cox), specimen from Sudan (♀). G. A. mirei sp.n., holotype ♂. H. A. armipes (Voss), holotype ♂.I. A. madagascariensissp.n., holotype♂. J. A.umbrinus(Hustache) lectotype ♀.Scale bars (A to J): 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 3. Head and prothorax in lateral view of species of Afrosmicronyx. A. Afrosmicronyx giganteus (Hustache), neotype ♀. B. A. quadrituberculatus (Hustache), lectotype ♂. C. A. sopubiae (Marshall), lectotype ♂. D. A. angolanus (Hustache), holotype ♂. E. A. maerens (Marshall), lectotype ♂. F. A. dorsomaculatus (Cox), specimen from Sudan (♀). G. A. mirei sp. n., holotype ♂. H. A. armipes (Voss), holotype ♂.

FIGURE 5. Ventrites of Afrosmicronyx spp.. A. Afrosmicronyx giganteus (Hustache), neotype ♀. B. A. quadrituberculatus (Hustache), lectotype ♂. C. A. sopubiae (Marshall), lectotype ♂. D. A. angolanus (Hustache), holotype ♂. E. A. maerens (Marshall), lectotype ♂. F. A. dorsomaculatus (Cox), specimen from Sudan (♀). G. A. mirei sp. n., holotype ♂. H. A. armipes (Voss), holotype ♂. I. A. madagascariensis sp. n., holotype ♂. J. A. umbrinus (Hustache), lectotype ♀. Scale bar = 1 mm.

FIGURE 6. Penis of Afrosmicronyx species, dorsal (left) and lateral (right) view. A. Afrosmicronyx giganteus (Hustache), specimen from Cameroon. B. A. quadrituberculatus (Hustache), lectotype. C. A. sopubiae (Marshall), lectotype. D. A. angolanus (Hustache), holotype. E. A. maerens (Marshall), lectotype. F. A. dorsomaculatus (Cox), specimen from Mauritania. G. A.mirei sp.n., holotype.H.A.armipes (Voss),holotype.I. A.madagascariensis sp. n., holotype.J.A.umbrinus (Hustache), specimen from Cameroon.Scale bar = 200 µm.