Macrocopturus richardpackeri Hespenheide, 2017

Hespenheide, Henry A., 2017, A Striking New Species ofMacrocopturusHeller, 1895 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Conoderinae) from Panama: Raising the Question of Coloration, The Coleopterists Bulletin 71 (1), pp. 74-76 : 75-76

Macrocopturus richardpackeri Hespenheide , new species

( Figs. 1, 2 )

Diagnosis. Black, 6.0– 6.5 mm long, pronotum with dense red scales on most of disc except semicircular glabrous area at base, elytra with two oval spots of white scales along suture posterior to scutellum and two pairs of oval spots of red scales at lateral margins; metafemora weakly carinate for entire length, with single small sharply acute tooth on interior margin at apical 2/3; metatibiae flattened, broadened, weakly curved on posterior margin.

Description. Holotype male: Body size 6.20 mm long, 3.40 mm wide. Robust, oval, black throughout except pale reddish brown antennae and reddish brown apex of rostrum, with moderately complex pattern of scales ( Figs. 1 and 2 , dorsal and lateral views): dorsally, scales dense, ovate, and red on most of pronotal disc except semicircular glabrous area at base, sides of pronotum glabrous except for dense, white scales lateral to rostrum, inconspicuous white scales on posterior margin of pronotum anterior to scutellum; pale pink scales on head between eyes; scales on elytra white in oval spots along suture posterior to scutellum on elytral intervals 1–3 and on elytral interval 1 along suture for posterior 2/5, round spots of red scales on elytra on elytral intervals 7–8 at basal 2/5 and in transverse oval spots on elytral intervals 4–8 beyond middle; ventrally, scales white on sides of metasternum, on mesepimera, metepisterna, and sides of abdominal ventrites 2–4; femora with white scales on dorsal portions, protibiae with white scales. Head: Broadly, shallowly rounded in dorsal view, 1.60 mm wide, eyes large, rounded, quadrately angled ventrally, contiguous medially on dorsal 1/3, narrowly separated by 2 rows of scales 76 ventrally; rostrum broadly carinate along midline eximus Pascoe were transferred to Macrocopturus from lower 1/5 of eyes to antennal insertions, very (Wibmer and O’ Brien 1986), the descriptions of weakly arcuate, 2.85 mm long, extending just the species (Pascoe 1880) mention a “pectoral beyond mesocoxae, antennae inserted at basal 1/3. canal” that is more characteristic of the genus Pronotum: 1.70 mm long at middle, 2.45 mm wide, Hoplocopturus , distinguished above. Members of broadest at base with lateral margins narrowing the genus Copturus possess a process on the slightly to apex, weakly convex in lateral view, pronotum that covers the scutellum and have an disc granular-punctate, sides finely punctate. Elytra: excavate mesosternum, among other characters. 2/5 wider than pronotum, elytral intervals much Species of Paramnemyne have long rostra and broader than striae, finely granular-punctate. Meso- strongly carinate elytra that are strongly declivous sternum: Ascending, posterior intercoxal margin on the posterior half. Members of the genus emarginate, with very weak, short transverse ridges Poecilogaster have prosternal tubercles, the mesointerior to mesocoxae; anterior margin of meta- sternum is modified with carinae to receive rossternum unmodified for rostrum. Abdomen: In lateral trum, and the femora are spinose.

view, abdominal ventrite 1 weakly ascending and

slightly depressed along midline on posterior 1/2, ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

ventrites 2–5 more strongly ascending. Legs: Armed

I am indebted to Lynn Kimsey for the photographs ventrally with small, sharply acute tooth on femora

and to Margarethe Brummermann for preparing at apical 2/3, mesofemora weakly carinate for entire

the final plate.

length; metafemora 3.8 mm long, weakly carinate

for entire length, inner apical angle acute; meta-

REFERENCES CITED

tibiae flattened, broadened, slightly curved on pos-

terior margin. Hespenheide, H. A. 1973. A novel mimicry complex:

Specimens Examined. Holotype: Panama: beetles and flies. Journal of Entomology (London) Panamá Pr., Cerro Campana , 850 m, 08°40′N A 48: 49–56.

79°56′W, 13.07.1970, G. Small (USNM). Paratypes: Hespenheide, H. A. 1995. Mimicry in the Zygopinae Same data as holotype, but 30.09.1972, W. Bivin ( Coleoptera : Curculionidae ). Memoirs of the Ento-

mological Society of Washington 14: 145–154.

(probably male, STRI), 14.07.1974, H. A. Hespenheide

Hespenheide, H. A. 1996. The role of plants in structur- (probably female, UCDC). ing communities of mimetic insects [pp. 109–126].

Etymology. Named in honor of Richard Roland In: Neotropical Biodiversity and Conservation Edward Packer, in support of the Bohart Museum (A. Gibson, editor). Mildred Mathias Botanical of the University of California, Davis. Garden, Los Angeles, CA.

Discussion. The holotype was dissected, and Hespenheide, H. A. 2005. Weevils of the genera the two paratypes, which each measure 6.10 mm in Archocopturus Heller and Zygopsella Champion , length, were not; the probable female lacks the sibling species, and mimetic homoplasy (Coleopweak depression along the midline of abdominal tera: Curculionidae : Conoderinae ). Proceedings

of the Entomological Society of Washington ventrite 1, a male character which is shared widely 107: 671–685.

among conoderine weevils. The color pattern of O ’ Brien, C. W., and G. J. Wibmer. 1982. Annotated M. richardpackeri is unique among the described checklist of the weevils ( Curculionidae sensu Central American species of that genus. Other lato) of North America, Central America, and the undescribed species have only white or white and West Indies ( Coleoptera : Curculionoidea). Mempale orange spots on the elytra, none with red oirs of the American Entomological Institute 34.

spots. The characters of the eyes contiguous dor- Pascoe, F. P. 1880. New Neotropical Curculionidae . – sally and the metatibiae flattened, broadened, and Part II. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, slightly curved would place it in the subgenus Series 5 5: 490–498.

Wibmer, G. J., and C. W. O ’ Brien. 1986. Annotated Eucopturus Heller, 1895 . checklist of the weevils ( Curculionidae sensu lato) Although color patterns can be generally simi- of South America ( Coleoptera : Curculionoidea), lar in species of conoderine genera other than Memoirs of the American Entomological Insti- Macrocopturus , few have red spots like tute 39.

M. richardpackeri , and the genera are readily dis-

tinguished. Although the somewhat similar South (Received 7 December 2016; accepted 12 January 2017. American Copturus collaris Pascoe and Copturus Publication date 18 March 2017.)

Figures

Figs. 1–2. Macrocopturus richardpackeri, UCDC paratype. 1) Dorsal view, 2) lateral view.