Alcidodes shoreaphilus Lyal, 2000

Lyal, C. H. C. & Curran, L. M., 2000, Seed-feeding beetles of the weevil tribe Mecysolobini (Insecta: Coleoptera: Curculionidae) developing in seeds of trees in the Dipterocarpaceae, Journal of Natural History 34 (9), pp. 1743-1847 : 1828-1831

Alcidodes shoreaphilus Lyal , n.sp.

Length 6.25±8.75 mm (xÅ5 6.82 mm), PW 5 2.88±4.13 mm (xÅ5 3.31 mm), HW 5 3.63±5.25 mm (xÅ5 4.31 mm) (n 5 73) (®gures 35, 67, 86).

Head. Rostrum evenly curved, longer in female (RL 5 2.69±3.63 mm, xÅ5 3.28 mm; RL/PW5 0.80±0.98, xÅ5 0.90; RB/RD 5 0.78±0.93, xÅ5 0.86; n 5 38) (®gure 211) than in male (RL 5 2.47±3.06 mm, xÅ5 2.87 mm; RL/PW 5 0.69± 0.89, xÅ5 0.82; RB/RD 5 0.87±1.19, xÅ5 1.05; n 5 35) (®gure 212).

Thorax. PL/PW, m, 0.66±0.72 (xÅ5 0.69, n 5 38),, l0.65±0.73 (xÅ5 0.68, n 5 35); prothorax lacking tubercle posterior to coxa. Elytra with interstria wrinkled or with numerous small granules, especially proximally; strial punctures more or less shallow, narrower than interstriae, humeri with interstria 9 projecting strongly beyond 8 but concealed posterior to humerus in dorsal view (®gures 35, 45); EL/HW, m, 1.03±1.16 (xÅ5 1.10, n 5 38),, l1.07±1.18 (xÅ5 1.12, n 5 35). Elytra with darker pigmentation on humeri and as scattered markings elsewhere on interstriae, particularly 4, 5 and 6; elytral scales ®ne, hair-like. Fore femur with ventral tooth longer than high, with large proximal inclined lobe, and central upright lobe with serrate distal margin produced into weak lobe (®gures 142, 176, 177); fore tibia with ventral tooth, mid and hind tibiae lacking ventral tooth. Ventral margin of metasternum convex, not strongly divergent from elytral margin.

Abdomen. Male ventrite 5 with broad depression occupying at least half of maximum width of ventrite and four-®fths of length, without pronounced tufts of scales on either side but with scales in depression setiform, others branched (®gure 118). Female ventrite 5 with weak broad median depression (®gure 119).

Male terminalia. Tergite 7 (®gure 398) with posterior margin sinuate, 6±8 plectral tubercles on or very near posterior margin. Segment 8 as ®gure 399. Genitalia as in ®gures 400±405. Tegmen with parameres separate, shorter than width of tegminal ring (®gure 401). Pair of membranous lobes between tegmen and aedeagus present, very small and insigni®cant (®gures 403, 405). Aedeagus longer than wide, sides convex, apex truncate; patch of long setae on either side of mid-line beyond ostium; dorsal surface sclerotized proximally; ostiolar sclerites elongate; endophallus with a pair of large membranous lobes extending beyond apex of aedeagus.

Female terminalia. (®gures 406±408) Tergite 7 with two pairs of plectral tubercles, obscure, near wing-binding patches (®gure 406). Tergite 8 with broadly rounded posterior margin, very weak crenulations on posterior margin entirely covered by dense fringe of long setae; disc and anterior margin more weakly sclerotized than rest of tergite (®gure 407). Spiculum ventrale (®gure 408) with broad apical part quadrate, subequal in length to apodeme. Female genitalia as in ®gures 409±410; hemisternites short, styli long, broad, with 2±4 subapical setae on small projection. Spermathecal duct arising on bursa away from its junction with common oviduct; spermatheca with ¯exed, bulbous, tubular gland lobe and variously developed projection near junction with spermathecal duct (®gure 409).

Distinguishing features. A. shoreaphilus can be distinguished from other species in the dipterocarpi group by the form of its fore femoral tooth, which is large and with the proximal lobe meeting the central lobe near its apex, the distinct depression on the male ventrite 5 which, though large (occupying more than half the total width of the ventrite), has the scales in the depression similar to those elsewhere on the ventrite (®gure 116) unlike those of A. caviventris , where the depression is virtually glabrous (®gure 120), although otherwise similar. In the case of these two species, the female of shoreaphilus has a weak median depression on ventrite 5 (®gure 117), whilst that of caviventris is more distinct (®gure 118), and interstria 9 on the humerus is much more developed (®gure 45) than that of caviventris (®gure 46). The form of the spermatheca diOEers between caviventris and shore - aphilus, that of caviventris having a straight gland lobe (®gure 424), not ¯exed as in shoreaphilus (®gure 409), and lacking the projection near the junction of with the spermathecal duct found in shoreaphilus .

Comments. Specimens have so far been reared only from seeds of Shorea species. The single specimen purportedly reared from Dipterocarpus grandi X orus seed almost certainly represents a labelling or host identi®cation error.

Etymology. The species is named for its preference for Shorea species as hosts.

Specimens examined

HOLOTYPE, l Malaysia, with labels:`Holo- / type’ and` MALAYSIA / Selangor, / FRIM, Kepong / xi.1986.#136’ and`Reared from seed / of Shorea / longisperma ’ and`’ l and` R.Toy Coll. / B.M.1992±170’ and` HOLOTYPE / Alcidodes / shoreaphilus / Lyal 1997’. ( BMNH).

PARATYPES: Malaysia: Peninsular Malaysia: 9 ll, 6mm, same locality and host as holotype ; 1m, same locality, reared from seed of Shorea acuminata ; 1m, 2 ll, Negri Sembalan , Pasoh Forest reserve, 1987 (Toy), sugar-water trap in canopy of Shorea multi X ora. ( BMNH) .

Borneo: Kalimantan, Gunung Palung Nat. Res.; Cabang Panti Research Station, i-iv.1991 (Curran), reared from seeds of: S. brunnescens (1m) S. gibbosa (57 ll, 53mm); Shorea hopeifolia (37 ll, 42mm), S. leprosula (2mm), S. longisperma (52 ll, 89mm), S. multi X ora (10 ll, 8mm), S. pauci X ora (1m), S. rubra (1m). (BMNH, MZB, UMMZ).

Malaysia: Borneo: Sabah, Sandakan, Sepilok Laut , 28 November 1989 (S. Lantoh) ex seed of Dipterocarpu s grandi X orus (1m) ( FRCS) .

Range. Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo.

Hosts. Shorea acuminata Dyer , Shorea brunnescens Ashton , Shorea gibbosa Brandis , Shorea hopeifolia (Heim.) Sym. , Shorea leprosula Miq. , Shorea longisperma Roxb. , Shorea multi X ora (Burck) Sym., Shorea pauci X ora King, Shorea rubra Ashton.