Euops platyrostris, 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 : 1209-1214

Euops platyrostris sp. n.

(®gures 8, 76, 77, 102, 118, 126, 129±131, 134, 155, 165, 180, 192, 205, 216, 225)

Diagnosis. Elytral humerus with tooth. Colouration golden-bronze. Length of pronotum plus elytron longer than 3.5 mm. Colouration golden-bronze. Elytral striae deeply impressed.

Range. Figure 225. Jayawijaya Prov. (Baliem Valley). Altitude: c. 2800±2950 m.

Type material. HOLOTYE: Irian Jaya : Jayawijaya Prov., Moss forest between Theila and Lake Habbema, 2800±2950 m, 22 October 1993, leg. A. Riedel ( ARC). PARATYPES: two males, one female (marked as`allotype’) , same data as holotype ( ARC) .

Description

Holotype, male. Length, pronotum 1 elytron: 4.55 mm. Colouration. Goldenbronze; legs except tarsi reddish-brown with golden lustre. Head. As in ®gure 76; elongate, with gena 1.43 Ö as long as width of head behind eyes; contours of genae in dorsal view moderately converging anteriad; vertex shining, with few wellimpressed parallel wrinkles curving from posterolaterally mesad to hind margin of eye; vertex laterally densely deeply punctate, medially sparsely punctate with moderately deep punctures; eyes evenly rounded, dorsally distant, separated by c. 0.40 Ö basal width of rostrum; frons with longitudinal wrinkles and deep punctures, anteriorly without distinct median longitudinal impression, centre of frons without median costa; ventrally in front of gular region shining, longitudinally wrinkled, deeply punctate, with median furrow, anteriorly with short median submental carina. Rostrum 2.12 Ö as long as mouthparts, at widest point 1.86 Ö wider than at base; clypeus with median process apically deeply incised; antennal insertion shifted anteriad, at approximately one third of rostral length from base; in lateral aspect with dorsal contour weakly bisinuate, above antennal insertion and at middle of rostral length weakly convex; ventral contour at base continuous with contour of head, concave to hind level of maxillary cavity, sinuate to apex; dorsal and ventral contour basally subparallel, shortly before apex converging; ventral surface with submentum before hind level of maxillary cavities slightly concave, posteriorly sloping dorsad, continued by median submental carina not clearly de®ning postgenal recesses. Antenna as in ®gure 102. Prothorax. Sides sinuate, converging apicad; without preapical constriction; disc shining, with numerous ®ne transverse wrinkles. Elytron. At humerus with tooth, anterior contour in convex line from base of elytron to apex of tooth; 2.53 Ö longer than wide [width measured from apex of tooth]; striae deeply impressed. Thoracic venter. Prepectus c. 3.0 Ö as long as postpectus. Height of pterothorax 0.62 Ö length of elytron. Legs. Procoxa anteriorly simple. Femora ventrally with erect setae. Profemur elongate, with ventral surface smooth. Protibia (®gure 118) slender, dorsal and ventral contour parallel, in basal half straight, in apical half strongly curved; ventral surface sparsely denticulate, denticles well-projecting, becoming denser apicad; ventral surface sparsely setose, each denticle adorned with seta; anterior distal comb consisting of thin setae, posterior distal comb vestigial. Mesotibia with posterior surface subapically extended dorsoposteriad beyond crenulate dorsal edge into acute process (®gure 131). Uncus of metatibia stout, weakly tapering apicad, curved hook-like posteriad, at base without accessory tooth (®gures 129, 130). Abdomen. Ventral contour in lateral view strongly concave; venter subglabrous, apically sparsely setose; sternite VII with apex medially pointed; pygidium c. 1.15 Ö wider than long, shining, shallowly punctate, weakly rugulose, sparsely setose, base laterally overlapped by elytral apex. Genitalia. Sternite VIII (®gure 165) with apex bilobed, margins sclerotized, centre hyaline, apically densely setose with long setae. Tegminal plate (®gure 192) with sides subparallel before apex; apex rounded, evenly setose. Aedeagus as in ®gure 134. Apical scoop of pedon (®gure 180) with lateral margins convex, with apex subacute. Endophallus in apical part with pair of narrow sclerites. TA as in ®gure 155.

Allotype, female. Same as holotype except: Length, pronotum1 elytron: 3.80 mm. Head. As in ®gure 77; vertex with shallow punctures, without special sculpture patterns; eyes separated by c. 0.38 Ö basal width of rostrum. Rostrum 1.61 Ö as long as mouthparts, at widest point 1.58 Ö wider than at base; apically more strongly compressed dorsoventrally; in lateral view with dorsal contour at antennal articulation angulate, anteriorly weakly concave to apex; ventral contour convex to apex. Elytron 2.39 Ö longer than wide [width measured from apex of tooth]. Thoracic venter. Prepectus c. 0.5 Ö as long as postpectus. Height of pterothorax 0.68 Ö length of elytron. Legs. Profemur shorter. Protibia (®gure 126) in anterior view with dorsal contour straight except at base, ventral contour almost straight, weakly sinuate, weakly concave at apex, middle, and base; apex of protibia transversely truncate; dorsal edge of mesotibia subapically without process; apex of protibia and mesotibia with uncus and premucro, apex of metatibia with uncus but without premucro; uncus of metatibia curved ventrad. Abdomen. Sternite VII with apex evenly concave; patch of modi®ed setae c. 1.09 Ö as long as wide; sternite VI with simple row of modi®ed setae. Genitalia. Sternite VIII as in ®gure 216. Spermatheca (®gure 205) slender, in basal half microreticulate; with membranous spermathecal gland.

Intraspeci W c variation. Length, pronotum1 elytron: 3.60 ±4.55 mm (n 5 4, xÅ 5 4.01 Ô 0.41). Elytron. 2.39± 2.59 Ö longer than wide (n 5 4, xÅ 5 2.51 Ô 0.09) [width measured from apex of tooth]. Thoracic venter. Height of pterothorax in males 0.62± 0.63 Ö length of elytron (n 5 3, xÅ 5 0.62 Ô 0.01).

Etymological note

This epithet is a combination of the Greek adjective platys (wide, ¯attened) and the Latin substantive rostrum (snout) and refers to the apically ¯at and widened rostrum.

Biological note

This species was collected on a Nothofagus sp. with large leaves, presumably N. grandis or N. X aviramea. The young leaves of this species remain folded along the median nerve for a relatively long time and it is these leaves that are selected for preparing nidi by the female weevil. Cutting a marginal section from the leaf, the weevil obtains a double layer of leaf tissue. When leaves used for nidus preparation later unfold, they have symmetric scars on their lateral margins.