Cyclorhipidion nepalense Smith, Beaver & Cognato, 2022

Smith, Sarah M., Beaver, Roger A., Pham, Thai Hong & Cognato, Anthony I., 2022, New species and new records of Xyleborini from the Oriental region, Japan and Papua New Guinea (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Zootaxa 5209 (1), pp. 1-33 : 12-13

Cyclorhipidion nepalense Smith, Beaver & Cognato sp. nov.

( Figs 37–40 )

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:621995C4-9DA1-4B17-8B98-96A776625C56

Type material. Holotype, female: NEPAL, Kathmandu Dist. , Godwari, 5600’, 25.v.1983, M.J.D. Brendell, under bark of dead trees, NHMUK014591823 (NHMUK).

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by moderate size; declivital slope gradual; separation between the smooth shiny elytral disc and shagreened declivity gradual, not sharply distinct; declivital striae weakly impressed, strial punctures small, indistinct; declivital interstriae 1–3 armed with a row of few and sparse seriate granules; and elytral apex and posterolateral margin granulate.

This species is superficially similar to species in the C. pelliculosum species group ( Smith et al. 2020a) which includes C. achlys , C. bodoanum ( Reitter, 1913) , C. inarmatum ( Eggers, 1923) , and C. tenuigraphum ( Schedl, 1953a) among others. C. nepalense can be distinguished by the following combination of characters ( C. nepalense given first): declivital interstriae 2 feebly granulate vs unarmed (rarely granulate in some C. pelliculosum and C. tenuigraphum ); the more gradual slope of the elytral declivity that occupies 1/3 of the elytra vs steep declivity occupying 1/4 of elytra; elytral disc with confused strial and interstrial punctures that are the same size vs strial punctures distinct, seriate and interstrial punctures confused.

Similar species. Cyclorhipidion petrosum Smith, Beaver & Cognato, 2020a

Description (female). 2.7 mm long (n = 1); 3.0 × as long as wide. Body, legs and antennae light brown. Head: epistoma entire, transverse, with a row of hair-like setae. Frons weakly convex to upper level of eyes; surface subshiny, punctate, alutaceous, rugose. Eyes deeply emarginate just above antennal insertion, upper part smaller than lower part. Submentum narrow, triangular, deeply impressed. Antennal scape short and thick, as long as club. Pedicel as wide as scape, shorter than funicle. Funicle 4-segmented, segment 1 shorter than pedicel. Club approximately circular and flat, type 3; segment 1 corneous, transverse on anterior face, occupying basal ~2/5; segment 2 narrow, corneous; segments 1 and 2 present on posterior face. Pronotum 1.22 × as long as wide. In dorsal view long and rounded frontally, type 7, sides parallel in basal 3/4, rounded anteriorly; anterior margin without serrations. In lateral view elongate with disc much longer than anterior slope, type 7, disc flat, summit at apical 2/5. Anterior slope shagreened, with densely spaced, fine, narrow asperities, becoming lower and more strongly transverse towards summit, bearing long, fine, semi-recumbent, hair-like setae. Disc subshiny, alutaceous, densely, finely punctate, finely setose, setae short, erect, hair-like. Lateral margins obliquely costate. Base transverse, posterior angles broadly rounded. Scutellum large, broad, linguiform, shiny, flush with elytra, flat. Elytra: 1.78 × as long as wide, 1.45 × as long as pronotum. Base transverse, edge oblique, humeral angles rounded, parallelsided in basal 3/4, then broadly rounded to apex. Disc flat, shiny, striae and interstriae densely setose, setae long, semi-recumbent, hair-like; striae and interstriae not impressed, minutely punctate, punctures strongly confused, separated by 2‒4 diameters of a puncture. Declivity occupying ~1/3 of elytra, declivital slope gradual, rounded, shagreened, separation between the smooth shiny disc and shagreened declivity gradual, not sharply distinct; three striae present, striae 2 equidistant between 1 and 3, striae weakly impressed, punctures moderate, much larger than on disc; interstriae feebly convex, interstriae setose, setae moderate, long, semi-erect hair-like; interstriae minutely punctate, interstriae 1–3 armed with a row of few and sparse seriate granules. Posterolateral margin rounded, granulate. Legs: procoxae contiguous; prosternal coxal piece tall and pointed. Protibiae semi-circular with evenly rounded outer edge, broadest at apical 1/3; posterior face smooth; apical 1/3 of outer margin with seven moderate socketed denticles, their length approximately as long as basal width. Meso- and metatibiae broad, flattened; outer margin evenly rounded with ten moderate socketed denticles.

Distribution. Nepal.

Host plants. Unknown.

Etymology. In reference to the collection locality, Nepal. An adjective.

Figures

FIGURES 37‒48. Lateral, dorsal, posterior oblique and anterior view of Cyclorhipidion nepalense holotype, 2.7 mm (37–40), Cyclorhipidion taedulum holotype, (41–44), Cyclorhipidion titorum holotype, 2.71 mm (45–48).