Euops sedlaceki, 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 : 1214-1217

Euops sedlaceki sp. n.

(®gures 17, 38, 54, 78, 79, 101, 117, 127, 156, 166, 181, 193, 206, 217, 224)

Diagnosis. Elytral humerus with tooth. Length of pronotum plus elytron longer than 3.5 mm. Colouration of elytra metallic red or metallic green. Elytral striae at base very shallow.

Range. Figure 224. Paniai Prov. ( Bilogay ), Jayawijaya Prov. (Baliem Vall.), Chimbu Prov. (Chimbu Vall.). Altitude : c. 1800±2100 m .

Type material. HOLOTYPE: Papua New Guinea, Chimbu Valley , 1800 m, 16 May 1963, leg. J. Sedlacek ( BPBM) . Other material examined (not included in type series): Irian Jaya : one female, Paniai Prov., Bilogay, 2100 ±2200 m, 29 December 1995, leg. A. Riedel ( ARC) ; one female, Paniai Prov. , Bilogay, 2100±2200 m, 22± 24 December 1995, leg. A. Riedel ( ARC) ; Jayawijaya Prov. , Jiwika, trail to Wandanku, 1900±2150 m, 28± 29 November 1996, leg. A. Riedel ( ARC) .

Description

Holotype, male. Length, pronotum 1 elytron: 4.20 mm. Colouration. Elytron metallic red; abdomen greenish-bronze; remainder black with bluish to bronze shine. Head. As in ®gure 78; elongate with gena 1.28 Ö as long as width of head behind eyes; contours of genae in dorsal view moderately converging anteriad; vertex shining, sparsely moderately deeply punctate, with few well-impressed parallel wrinkles curving from posterolaterally mesad to hind margin of eye; eyes evenly rounded, dorsally approximated, separated by c. 0.11 Ö basal width of rostrum; frons smooth except row of punctures along mesal margin of eye, anteriorly without median longitudinal impression, centre without median costa; ventrally in front of gular region shining, longitudinally wrinkled, deeply punctate, with deep median furrow, anteriorly with short median submental carina. Rostrum 1.79 Ö as long as mouthparts, at widest point 1.71 Ö wider than at base; clypeus with median process apically deeply incised; antennal insertion shifted anteriad, at c.one quarter 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 forming angle of c.145 ss with contour of head, weakly 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 101. Prothorax. Sides basally straight, parallel, rounded towards apex; with indistinct preapical constriction; disc shining, smooth except laterally sparsely punctate. Elytron. At humerus with tooth, anterior contour in weakly sinuate line from base of elytron to apex of tooth; 2.10 Ö longer than wide [width measured from apex of tooth]; striae weakly impressed. Thoracic venter. Prepectus c. 2 Ö as long as postpectus. Height of pterothorax 0.75 Ö length of elytron. Legs. Procoxa anteriorly simple. Meso- and metafemur ventrally with erect setae. Profemur elongate, with ventral surface smooth; markedly asymmetrically clavate, anterior contour strongly curved, angulate, posterior contour weakly curved. Protibia (®gure 117) 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. Mesotibia with posterior surface subapically extended dorsoposteriad beyond crenulate dorsal edge into bluntly angulate process. Uncus of metatibia stout, weakly tapering apicad, weakly curved ventroposteriad, at base without accessory tooth. Abdomen. Ventral contour in lateral view strongly concave; venter subglabrous, apically sparsely setose; sternite VII with apex medially pointed; pygidium c. 1.11 Ö wider than long, shining, sparsely punctate with small punctures, subglabrous, base laterally overlapped by elytral apex. Genitalia. Sternite VIII (®gure 166) with apex bilobed, margins sclerotized, centre hyaline, apically densely setose with long setae. Tegminal plate (®gure 193) with sides subparallel before apex; apex rounded, evenly setose. Aedeagus. Apical scoop of pedon (®gure 181) with lateral margins convex, with apex subacute. TA as in ®gure 156.

Female from Bilogay. Same as holotype except: Length, pronotum1 elytron: 3.60 mm. Colouration. Elytron metallic green, remainder black with more or less bluish shine. Head. As in ®gure 79; vertex with shallow punctures, without special sculpture patterns; eyes separated by c. 0.27 Ö basal width of rostrum. Rostrum 1.54 Ö as long as mouthparts, at widest point 1.56 Ö wider than at base; apically more strongly compressed dorsoventrally; in lateral view with dorsal contour sinuate, above antennal insertion convex, weakly concave to apex; ventral contour convex to apex. Elytron 2.07 Ö longer than wide [width measured from apex of tooth]. Thoracic venter. Prepectus c. 0.5 Ö as long as postpectus. Height of pterothorax 0.77 Ö length of elytron. Legs. Profemur shorter. Protibia (®gure 127) in anterior view with dorsal contour straight except before apex and base, ventral contour almost straight, weakly sinuate, weakly concave at apex, middle, and base; dorsal edge of mesotibia subapically without process; apex of protibia and metatibia with uncus and minute premucro (®gure 54), apex of mesotibia with uncus but without premucro; uncus of metatibia curved ventrad. Abdomen. Sternite VII with apex evenly concave; patch of modi®ed setae c. 1.00 Ö as long as wide; sternite VI with simple row of modi®ed setae. Genitalia. Sternite VIII as in ®gure 217. Spermatheca (®gure 206) slender; with membranous spermathecal gland.

Intraspeci W c variation. Length, pronotum1 elytron: 3.60 ±4.20 mm (n 5 3, xÅ 5 3.83 Ô 0.32). Colouration of female from Jiwika with legs reddish-brown, tibiae with bluish lustre. Rostrum slightly less depressed dorsoventrally than in female from Bilogay, dorsal contour of rostrum from level of antennal insertion in straight line to apex. Elytron. 2.07± 2.14 Ö longer than wide (n 5 4, xÅ 5 2.10 Ô 0.03). [width measured from apex of tooth]. Abdomen. Female patch of modi®ed setae c.0.97± 1.00 Ö as long as wide (n 5 3, xÅ 5 0.98 Ô 0.02).

Etymological note

This species is named in honor of the late J. Sedlacek. Many specimens used in my studies on Papuan Euops were collected by him. With his ®eld work in New Guinea, both as a collector for the B. P. Bishop museum and on private expeditions, he has provided a most signi®cant resource for entomological research within this region.

Biological note

The females collected in Jiwika and in Bilogay presumably belonging to this species were found on N. starkenborghi or a similar species of Nothofagus .