Augustinus tuberculatus Huang, Yoshitake & Zhang

Huang, Junhao, Yoshitake, Hiraku, Zhang, Runzhi & Ito, Motomi, 2008, A new species of Augustinus Korotyaev from China, with a key to the species groups of the genus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Ceutorhynchinae), Zootaxa 1871, pp. 63-68 : 64-67

Augustinus tuberculatus Huang, Yoshitake & Zhang , sp. n.

( Figs. 1–9 )

Diagnosis. The species is mainly characterized by the following features: rostrum robust, dorsally convex in basal 1/3, with a median slit; prothorax bearing 6 pairs of tubercles in addition to large median prominences; posterior margin of ventrite 2 triangularly produced in middle; anterior and posterior margins of ventrite 4 equidistant along entire length, not approximated medially; female pygidium lacking median carina, laterally strongly depressed.

Description. Female. Dimensions: LB: 3.75 mm, LR: 1.30 mm, LP: 1.25 mm, WP: 1.5 mm, LE: 2.75 mm, WE: 2.85 mm. Habitus as in Figs. 1, 2 ; black in general appearance; antennae and tarsi reddish brown; femora and tibiae tinged with red; integument subopaque. Vestiture: Head moderately densely clothed with brown to dark brown, narrow, truncate scales. Rostrum covered with same scaling on basal half but distally with long, brown, hair-like scales. Prothorax sparsely covered with brown to dark brown narrow scales, lacking white scales; ocular lobes fringed with long vibrissae. Elytra sparsely covered with brown to dark brown, linear, hair-like scales; interval 1 with a longitudinal patch of velvety black, ovate scales in basal 1/3. Legs moderately densely covered with brown to dark brown, narrow scales mingled with white, lanceolate scales; scales replaced with yellowish hairs in apical part of tibiae. Prosternum densely covered with gray, plumose scales in middle, sparsely so with brown narrow scales on sides. Mesosternum densely covered with gray plumose scales in middle; mesepisterna sparsely clothed with brown narrow scales, fringed with light-colored lanceolate scales along margins; mesepimeron nearly bare, with sparse brown narrow scales and dark brown hair-like scales on periphery. Metasternum moderately covered with dark hair-like scales on disc, sparsely covered with brown narrow and white lanceolate scales on sides; metepisterna sparsely covered with brown narrow scales, fringed with white lanceolate scales along upper margin. Venter sparsely covered with dark hair-like scales mingled with brown narrow and white lanceolate scales on sides; ventrites 3 and 4 nearly bare on disc; ventrite 5 more densely covered with scales on disc. Pygidium moderately covered with dark hair-like scales.

Head densely punctured, a median costa extending from vertex to base of forehead and flanked by smooth spots at apex; forehead moderately depressed, slightly narrower than base of rostrum at apex. Eyes small, strongly prominent upward, widely separated, not approximated anteriorly. Rostrum robust, 1.04 times longer than pronotum, abruptly curved in apical 2/3; dorsum densely punctured, strongly convex in basal 1/3, with a median slit between antennal insertions, then indistinctly costate in apical 1/3; convex portion shiny, flanked by narrow costae extending from base to antennal insertions; sides subparallel from base to antennal insertions, then strongly expanded toward apex; antennal scrobes well-separated along entire length. Antennae inserted at middle of rostrum; scape nearly as long as funicular segments 1–4 combined, vertically produced into a long lamina at apex; funicle 7-segmented (segment 1 slightly shorter than 2; 2 slender, 1.5 times longer than 3; 3 slightly longer than 4; 4 nearly as long as 5; 5 slightly longer than 6; 6 slightly longer and narrower than 7; and 7 as long as wide); club lanceolate, finely pubescent except in basal 1/3.

Pronotum 1.2 times wider than long, widest at base, subparallel-sided from base to apical 1/3, then rapidly convergent toward strong subapical constriction; dorsal part densely punctured, with pairs of large median prominences and minute subapical tubercles; median prominences each with three small obtuse tubercles and a glabrous spot on its outer surface; laterodorsal parts each with three small obtuse tubercles in basal, median and apical regions; lateroventral parts each with a small obtuse tubercle before middle; basal margin smooth, not serrate, moderately produced into a right angle and notched in middle to receive scutellum; apical margin moderately produced into an obtuse angle and deeply notched in middle. Scutellum elliptic, polished, evenly convex.

Elytra cordate, 1.04 times wider than long, widest just behind humeri, slightly narrowed to middle, then convergent toward subapical calli; suture evidently bent leftward; interval 1 of left elytron narrower than that of right elytron; humeral calli strongly developed, coarsely granulate; subapical calli strongly developed; each interval more or less strongly tuberculate; odd-numbered intervals wider than even-numbered ones; interval 1 with a row of small tubercles in apical 1/3; 2 with medium tubercle before middle; 3 with very large tubercle in middle and two medium tubercles in subbasal and subapical parts; 4 with medium-sized tubercle in subbasal part; 5 with medium-sized tubercle in middle and two large tubercles in subbasal and subapical parts; 6 with a row of small tubercles; 7 with large tubercle in antemedian part and two medium-sized tubercles in middle and subapical part; interval 8 with row of small tubercles behind humerus; 9 with two large tubercles in basal 2/3 and two medium tubercles in apical 1/3; 10 with row of small tubercles; tubercles more or less granulate; granules acute, each bearing dark hair-like scales; striae sinuate, shallow but well-marked, with a row of minute hair-like scales; each puncture in striae elliptic, separated by a distance greater than its diameter.

Legs slender; femora clavate, prominently toothed; hind femora slightly stouter than others, lacking jumping organ; tibiae gently curved, simple at apex, lacking mucro; corbel long, sinuate, fringed with golden slen- der setae; tarsi simple, lacking projection; claws appendiculate with large tooth, lacking seta.

Sterna sparsely punctured but metasternum densely so on disc. Sternal canal very deep, extending to level between posterior margins of hind coxae; mesosternal portion ridged laterally along entire length; ridges slightly projected over metasternum; metasternal portion terminating in abrupt wall and V-shaped margin. Metasternum prominent ventrally along posterior margin of metasternal portion of canal, lacking median projection. Venter ( Fig. 3 ) coarsely but sparsely punctured; punctures becoming minute and sparser toward sides; ventrite 1 with small inconspicuous depression on disc; 2 with crescent concavity on disc and posterior margin medially produced into obtuse angle; 3 devoid of punctures on disc, anterior margin widely notched; 4 devoid of punctures on disc, anterior and posterior margins equidistant throughout, not approximated medially; 5 with a shallow semicircular concavity on disc, laterally strongly compressed. Pygidium ( Fig. 4 ) transversepentagonal, rugosely punctured, weakly shiny, lacking carina, laterally strongly depressed; upper flange smooth, lacking lateral projection.

Terminalia as in Fig. 5 . Tergite 8 as in Fig 6 , sternite 8 ( Fig. 7 ) with long setae at apex; arms very broad, nearly as long as hemisternite and stylus combined, slightly longer than apodeme, parallel, widely separated, inner margins broadly and shallowly arcuate, outer margins broadly arcuate, widely basally fused; apodeme very short. Ovipositor ( Fig. 8 ) with hemisternites large and robust, nearly as long as body of sternite 8, 4.0 times longer than styli, strongly sclerotized, with several slender setae at apex; styli subconical, slightly longer than wide, apicolaterally inserted, with several minute setae at apex. Spermatheca ( Fig. 9 ) with cornu long, moderately curved, rounded at apex; inner margin of cornu strongly convex at base; collum evenly and strongly convex; ramus weakly convex, not extending past insertion of spermathecal duct, separated from cornu by shallow emargination; insertions of spermathecal duct and gland close to each other.

Type material. Holotype female, "[ CHINA: Guizhou] Leigongshan Mt. / Lianhuaping (1600–2180 m) / 26°23'N 108°14'E / 2 vi. 2005 Junhao Huang"; "female"; "[HOLOTYPE] / Augustinus tuberculatus / Huang, Yoshitake & Zhang, 2007"; "IOZ(E)985736." (in Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing ( IZCAS)).

Distribution. Southwestern China (Guizhou Province).

Etymology. The species is named after its strongly tuberculate body.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Augustinus tuberculatus, sp. n., holotype female. 1, dorsal habitus; 2, lateral habitus; 3, venter; 4, pygidium. Scale: 1.00 mm for 1, 2; 0.50 mm for 3 – 4.

FIGURES 5 – 9. Female terminalia of Augustinus tuberculatus, sp. n., 5, female terminalia; 6, tergite 8; 7, sternite 8; 8, hemisternite and stylus, 9, spermatheca. Scale: 0.25 mm for 5; 0.10 mm for 6 – 9.