Lalagetes zitae, Borovec & Skuhrovec, 2018

Borovec, Roman & Skuhrovec, Jiří, 2018, Revision of the species related to Lalagetes subfasciatus Boheman and transfer of remaining Lalagetes species to other genera of Embrithini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Zootaxa 4374 (1), pp. 71-90 : 87

Lalagetes zitae sp. nov.

( Figs 3E , 10A–F )

Type locality. South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Indaleni , Dist. Richmond.

Type material. Holotype: ♂, [ South Africa] Natal [KwaZulu-Natal], Indaleni, Dist. Richmond, X-XII-[19]54, Coll. Mus. Congo, ex coll. Breuning ( RMCA) . Paratypes: 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀, the same data as holotype ( RMCA) ; 1 ♂, [ South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal], Pietermaritzburg, NP [ National Park ], March 1949, H. K. Munro [lgt.], ( SANC) ; 1 ♀, [ South Africa, Western Cape], Worcester, CP [ Cape Province ], April 1949, H. K. Munro [lgt.], ( SANC).

Description ( Figs 3D , 9A–F ). Body length males 1.81–2.06 mm, females 2.31–2.50 mm, holotype 1.89 mm. Body ( Fig. 10A ) brownish to dark brownish, elytra sometimes paler than pronotum and head with rostrum; antennae and legs reddish brown, only antennal clubs blackish. Elytra with large, rounded appressed scales, imbricate, in males 3, in females 4 across width of one interval; pronotum and head with rostrum with similar, slightly smaller scales, depressed in the middle. Perpendicularly erect elytral setae slender, lancet-shaped, pointed apicad, at midlength distinctly narrower than diameter of one appressed scale, distance between two setae slightly shorter than length of one seta, in males distinctly, in females slightly longer width of one interval; inner side of scapes and outer side of tibiae with long, semierect, subspatulate whitish setae. Body vestiture greyish white or weakly light brownish, elytra with two light brownish, weakly V-shaped transverse stripe on elytra, at midlength seized inner 5–6 intervals, at posterior declivity seized inner 7 intervals; pronotum with two indistinct, large light brownish longitudinal stripes.

Rostrum ( Figs 10A–C ) in males 1.22–1.25, in females 1.32–1.34 × as wide as long, widest at base, in both sexes at base 1.06–1.08 × as wide as at apex, with straight sides. Epifrons wide, widest at base, tapered anteriad with weakly concave sides; when cleared of scales matt, rough, with slender longitudinal carinas at lateral edges and at middle, median carina interrupted by long, shallow fovea. Vertex densely finely longitudinally striate from anterior border of pronotum to transverse sulcus. Antennal scrobes dorsally narrowly pit-shaped at anterior half.

Antennae ( Fig. 10A ). Antennal scape distinctly enlarged apicad, at apex 1.2–1.3 × as wide as club. Segments 1 and 2 very slender, long and conical; segment 1 1.8–2.0 × as long as wide and 1.1 × as long as segment 2, which is 2.0–2.3 × as long as wide; segments 3–7 1.3–1.4 × as long as wide; club 2.1 × as long as wide.

Pronotum in males 1.57–1.67, in females 1.63–1.75 × as wide as long.

Elytra in males 1.14–1.22, in females 1.12–1.18 × as long as wide; when cleared of scales with striae creating deep lines.

Legs ( Figs 10A, D ). Tarsal segment 2 isodiametric; segment 3 1.2–1.3 × as wide as long and 1.5–1.6 × as wide as segment 2; onychium equally long as segment 3.

Male genitalia ( Figs 3E , 10E ). Penis small, distinctly shorter than metatarsus, in ventral view widest at base, at basal three quarters weakly evenly tapered apicad with almost straight sides, apical part tapered with concave sides, tip rounded. Penis in lateral view with ventral side amost straight and dorsal side curved, apex lengthened at apical quarter. Temones 2.4–2.6 × as long as penis.

Female genitalia. Gonocoxites with styli weakly longer than wide, clearly visible. Sternite VIII with apodeme 4.2–4.8 × as long as plate, plate subtriangular, as long as wide or slightly longer than wide. Spermatheca ( Fig. 10F ) with slender corpus, ramus long, slender, tube-shaped, about 3 × as long as wide and weakly longer than nodulus; nodulus slender, slightly more than twice as long as wide.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape ( Fig. 4 ). This species is native to the eastern part of South Africa, the specimen from Western Cape is apparently introduced.

Derivation of name. The first author dedicates this new species to his wife Zita, who does not clear up his desk and who tolerates his prolonged absences while studying weevils. Without her understanding he is not able to finish examination of extensive South African entimine material.

Differential diagnosis. Lalagetes zitae sp. nov. is the most similar to L. andersoni sp. nov., from which it is distinguished mainly by the brownish appressed scales imbricate on elytra and depressed on pronotum, very small penis with long temones and spermatheca with nodulus straight.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Apex of penis. A—Lalagetes andersoni sp. nov.; B—Lalagetes howdenorum sp. nov.; C—Lalagetes sarkae sp. nov.; D—Lalagetes subfasciatus Boheman, 1842; E—Lalagetes zitae sp.nov. Scales bar: 0.25 mm.

FIGURE 4. Distribution of Lalagetes species in South Africa; Lalagetes andersoni sp. nov. (green round); Lalagetes howdenorum sp. nov. (pink round); Lalagetes sarkae sp. nov. (yellow rounds); Lalagetes seminulum Fåhraeus, 1871 (red round); Lalagetes subfasciatus Boheman, 1842 (blue rounds); Lalagetes zitae sp. nov. (brown rounds).

FIGURE 9. Lalagetes subfasciatus Boheman, 1842. A—habitus, dorsal view, female; B—rostrum, female, dorsal view; C— rostrum, female, lateral view; D—protibia, female; E—aedeagus; F—spermatheca.Scales bars:1 mm (A), 0.5 mm (E) and 0.3 mm (F).

FIGURE 10. Lalagetes zitae sp. nov. A—habitus, dorsal view, female; B—rostrum, female, dorsal view; C—rostrum, female, lateral view; D—protibia, female; E—aedeagus; F—spermatheca.Scales bars: 1 mm(A), 0.5 mm (E) and 0.3 mm (F).