Curculio megadens Pelsue and Zhang

Pelsue, Frank W. & Zhang, Runzhi, 2003, A Review of the Genus Curculio from China with Descriptions of Fourteen New Species. Part IV. The Curculio sikkimensis (Heller) Group (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Curculionini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (3), pp. 311-333 : 322

Curculio megadens Pelsue and Zhang , new species

(Figs. 21–22, 48–50)

Holotype. China. Weixi male[ China / Yunnan /Weixi/ 13 August 1984 / 3,200 –3,400

m/ S. Wang] ( IZAS).

Description. Male: length: 6.0 mm (n ¼ 1). width: 2.6 mm (n ¼ 1). Head: moderate-sized; punctures small, clothed with narrow, elongate, clavate, testaceous scales; frons 0.15 as broad as head across eyes, sparsely clothed with narrow, elongate, testaceous scales; somewhat flattened. Rostrum: length: 3.5 mm (n ¼ 1); 0.58 as long as body; cylindrical, broader at base, margins subparallel to apex; median carina from frons to before antennal insertion, flanked by deep oval punctures, glabrous; gradually, evenly deflected to apex; scrobe lateral; scape inserted past midpoint. Antennae: length: scape 1.7 mm. funiculus: segment one 0.5 mm, two 0.4 mm, three 0.3 mm, four 0.25 mm, five 0.2 mm, six 0.2 mm, seven 0.2 mm, club 0.6 mm, funicle 2.05 mm (n ¼ 1); scape 0.83 as long as funicle; club elongate, acuminate, as long as funicular segments 5–7. Thorax: length: 1.5 mm (n ¼ 1). width: 1.7 mm (n ¼ 1); 0.88 as long as broad; disc margins parallel to 3/4 of length then abruptly angled to constriction; base 0.65 as broad as base of elytra, almost straight; flat in lateral view; punctures small almost indistinct, clothed with narrow, elongate, clavate, testaceous scales; mesosternal intercoxal process prominent; scutellum small, longer than broad with few testaceous scales; mesepimeron, mesepisternum, metepisternum, and sternum clothed with clavate testaceous scales; metasternum swollen proximal to coxal cavity. Elytra: length: 3.9 mm (n ¼ 1); striae narrow with testaceous scales; feeble scutellar declivity; humeri prominent, rounded, with feeble inner declivity; intervals broad, feebly convex, clothed with short, narrow, clavate, testaceous scales, mid fuscous fascia on intervals 2–10, then distad shorter fascia on intervals 3–9; crosshatch setae short, testaceous. Legs: length: hind femur 2.6 mm (n ¼ 1); pro-, meso-, metafemoral teeth small; femoral base slender with moderately clava; clothed with narrow, elongate, testaceous scales, with narrow elongate scales forming ventral beard on all femora, longer on the profemur; tibiae sides straight, pro-, mesouncus medium, metauncus small. Abdomen: sternite 2 longer than 1 behind coxal cavity; sternites 1 and 2 with shallow median declivity; sternites 3 and 4 equal in length, combined longer than 5; sternite 5 apex emarginate with lateral tubercles; all sternites with narrow, elongate, testaceous scales. Pygidium : moderatesized; clothed with elongate testaceous seta-like scales. Genitalia: median lobe 1.3 mm in length (n ¼ 1); 0.3 mm in width (n ¼ 1); margins subparallel feebly sclerotized dorsally, abruptly deflected to moderately acute apex; apodeme 1.5 mm (n ¼ 1) in length (Figs. 48–50).

Remarks. This species appears similar to C. sikkimensis , but differs / in the shape of the pronotum, two fuscous fascia at midpoint and in apical 1 3 of elytra, and the scutellum is not white.

Etymology. The specific epithet suggests the diagnostic character of large metafemoral tooth, ‘‘mega’’ Latin adjective for ‘‘large’’ and ‘‘dens’’ Latin noun for ‘‘tooth.’’