Euops fraterculus, Riedel, 2001

Riedel, Alexander, 2001, The pygmaeus-group of Euops Schoenherr (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea, Attelabidae), weevils associated with Nothofagus in New Guinea, Journal of Natural History 35 (8), pp. 1173-1237 : 1207-1209

Euops fraterculus sp. n.

(®gure 7, 75, 100, 116, 133, 154, 163, 179, 191)

Diagnosis. Colouration of elytra reddish-brown, head and prothorax goldenbronze. Eyes dorsally distant, head as in ®gure 75. Elytral humerus without tooth. Male: TA as in ®gure 154.

Range. Morobe Prov. ( Mt. Por ) [The author was unable to locate`Mt. Por’ on a map; no data on this locality seem to exist at BPBM either]. Altitude: c. 2400 m .

Type material. HOLOTYPE: Papua New Guinea: Morobe Prov., Mt. Por , 2300±2500 m, 2± 3 December 1979, Nothofagus , leg. J. L. Gressitt, Acc. #1979.509 ( BPBM) . PARATYPES: two males, same data as holotype .

Description

Holotype, male. Length, pronotum 1 elytron: 2.34 mm. Colouration. Legs, antenna, elytron, apex of rostrum reddish-brown with slight bronze lustre; head, prothorax golden-bronze; remainder black with metallic shine. Head. As in ®gure 75; gena 0.98 Ö as long as width of head behind eyes; contours of genae in dorsal view subparallel, weakly converging anteriad; vertex shining, with moderately deep punctures, posterolaterally irregularly wrinkled, wrinkles curving dorsad to hind margin of eye; eyes evenly rounded, dorsally distant, separated by c. 0.47 Ö basal width of rostrum; frons deeply punctate, anteriorly with median longitudinal impression, centre without median costa; ventrally in front of gular region microreticulate, irregularly weakly rugose with few interspersed punctures, with shallow median furrow, anteriorly with short median submental carina. Rostrum 1.62 Ö as long as mouthparts, at widest point 1.56 Ö wider than at base; clypeus with median process apically with moderately deep incision; antennal insertion at base, approximately within basal ®fth of rostrum; in lateral aspect with dorsal contour weakly bisinuate, above antennal insertion and at middle of rostral length weakly convex; in lateral aspect ventral contour subangulate with contour of head, in straight line to base of prementum, there bent dorsad; dorsal and ventral contour basally subparallel, shortly before apex converging; ventral surface with submentum before hind level of maxillary cavities ¯at, posteriorly sloping dorsad, continued by median submental carina not clearly de®ning postgenal recesses. Antenna as in ®gure 100. Prothorax. Sides rounded; without preapical constriction; disc microreticulate, with transverse anastomosing wrinkles. Elytron. At humerus simple; 2.67 Ö longer than wide; striae moderately deeply impressed. Thoracic venter. Prepectus c. 1.5 Ö as long as postpectus. Height of pterothorax 0.64 Ö length of elytron. Legs. Procoxa anteriorly simple. Profemur with ventral surface smooth. Protibia (®gure 116) slender, with dorsal contour curved, ventral contour subparallel, weakly sinuate; ventral surface sparsely denticulate with denticles well-projecting, densely setose. Mesotibia with posterior surface subapically extended dorsoposteriad beyond crenulate dorsal edge into weak, broadly rounded extension. Uncus of metatibia curved ventrad, at base with posteriad directed accessory tooth. Abdomen. Ventral contour in lateral view weakly concave; venter sparsely setose; sternite VII with apex evenly concave; pygidium c. 1.56 Ö wider than long, shining, moderately densely and deeply punctate, setose, base laterally overlapped by elytral apex. Genitalia. Sternite VIII (®gure 163) with apex concave, apically sparsely setose with moderately long setae, at middle with round hyaline area. Tegminal plate (®gure 191) with sides converging before apex; apex narrow, rounded, evenly setose. Aedeagus as in ®gure 133. Apical scoop of pedon (®gure 179) basally not distinctly delimited against remainder of pedon, with apex bluntly angulate. TA as in ®gure 154.

Intraspeci W c variation. Length, pronotum1 elytron: 2.34 ±2.63 mm (n 5 3, xÅ 5 2.51 Ô 0.15). Elytron. 2.67± 2.74 Ö longer than wide (n 5 3, xÅ 5 2.70 Ô 0.03). Thoracic venter. Height of pterothora x 0.64± 0.66 Ö length of elytron (n 5 3, xÅ 5 0.65 Ô 0.01).

Etymological note

This epithet is based on the Latin substantive fraterculus (younger brother) which refers to its presumably close phylogenetic relationship to the much larger species E. platyrostris and E. sedlaceki .

Biological note

According to the data on the label the type series was collected on a Nothofagus sp.