Scolytodes peniculus Jordal and Smith, 2020

Jordal, Bjarte H. & Smith, Sarah M., 2020, Scolytodes Ferrari (Coleoptera, Scolytinae) from Ecuador: 40 new species, and a molecular phylogenetic guide to infer species differences, Zootaxa 4813 (1), pp. 1-67 : 45-47

Scolytodes peniculus Jordal and Smith , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DF5609F8-2B29-42EC-81F2-CA11F8CF291F

( Figs 91, 94, 97 )

Type material. Holotype, female: Ecuador: Napo Prov., Tiputini biodiversity station, 220–250 m, October 1998, 00° 37’55’’S, 76° 08’39’’W, T.L. Erwin et al. collectors, indiv#000464 . Holotype temporarily held in trust at USNM for MECN .

Diagnosis. Interstriae 10 sharply elevated to apex. Protibiae with an additional mesal tooth. Pronotum asperate on anterior third. Female frons with a dense tuft of protruding setae. Related to Scolytodes reticulatus , but differs by the much more broadly separated eyes and the different set of erect setae on pronotum (2-0-2 vs. 4-2-2). More closely related to S. circumsetosus Jordal, 1998 but differs by the long interstriae 10, and by the less distinct rim of contiguous asperities near the anterior margin of the pronotum. Possibly the closest relative is S. tristis Jordal and Smith (described below) which has no mesal tooth on the protibiae, the eyes are closely separated, and the tuft of setae in the female frons is smaller.

Description, female. Length 1.6 mm, 2.4 × as long as wide; colour dark brown. Head. Eyes weakly sinuate, separated above by 2.9 × their width. Frons flattened on central four-fifths, lightly punctured and reticulate above, flattened area covered by protruding, incurved setae, an impunctate longitudinal area barely visible on median fifth on lower half. Antennal club pilose with two obliquely procurved sutures. Funiculus 5-segmented. Pronotum strongly reticulate, punctures on basal half spaced by twice their diameter, anterior half with distinct asperities, nearest anterior margin with an obscurely elevated rim. Vestiture consisting of 4 long, erect setae (2-0-2). Elytra smooth, shiny; striae regular, not impressed, punctures moderately large, shallow, spaced by 1.5–2.0 × their diameter; interstrial punctures slightly smaller, slightly more spaced, mainly in rows. Interstriae 10 sharply raised to apex. Vestiture consisting of two erect setae on each interstriae 3 on disc, and 2–3 erect setae on posterior part of interstriae 9. Legs. Procoxae separated by 0.4 × the width of one procoxa. Mesocoxae separated by 0.6 × the width of a procoxa. Protibiae narrow, distal teeth 1 and 2 subequal, with 3–5 lateral spines or rugae decreasing in size towards tibial base; posterior face with a small additional tooth near tarsal insertion; protibial mucro short, straight. Meso- and metatibiae with 6 and 5 socketed teeth on distal half, respectively. Ventral vestiture. Setae on mes- and metanepisternum and metasternum simple.

Male. Unknown.

Key ( Wood 2007). Does not match the first couplet due to the presence of an additional mesal tooth on protibiae and a long, raised interstriae 10. In the key to North American species ( Wood 1982), one may reach to couplet 42, S. reticulatus (not included in Wood 2007), but differs as noted in the diagnosis. Etymology. The Latin name peniculus is originally a diminutive form of penis, but is here used as a proper noun (masculine, nominative), meaning dust brush or painter’s brush, referring to the protruding brush of setae in the female frons.

Biology and distribution. Known only from the lowland type locality in Ecuador. It was collected by canopy fogging .

Figures

FIGURES 91–99. Dorsal, lateral and frontal views of the female holotype of Scolytodes peniculus (91, 94, 97), Scolytodes tristis (92, 95, 98), and Scolytodes chrysifrons (93, 96, 99).