Afromicracis crinita Jordal, 2021

Jordal, Bjarte, 2021, Small, uniform, and rarely collected-an integrated taxonomic revision of Afromicracis bark beetles (Coleoptera, Scolytinae), Zootaxa 4981 (1), pp. 70-88 : 73-74

Afromicracis crinita Jordal , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EDC30BC3-6338-40BD-A7F8-6D1BA6ACBDC7

( Figs 3, 6, 9 )

Type material. Holotype, sex? South Africa, West Cape, Wilderness NP, Ebbe Flow [GIS: -33.980, 22.613], ex thorny liana, 2.Nov.2006, B. Jordal leg. Paratypes (12): same data as holotype . Holotype and five paratypes in SAMC, five paratypes in ZMUB, two in NHMW.

Diagnosis. This is the only species in the genus with mixed shorter and longer hair-like to bristle-like interstrial setae and hair-like pronotal setae.

Description, female. Length 1.2–1.5 mm, 2.2–2.5 × as long as wide; colour brown. Frons flattened, smooth on central half, finely granulated above, vestiture of scant recumbent setae. Eyes separated above by 2.5–2.7 × their width; antennal scapus with scant dorsal setae; club finely pilose, a fine procurved suture on apical third. Pronotum distinctly hunchbacked, anterior two-thirds with asperities, concentric rows in central area, asperities increasingly separated toward anterior margin, surface shiny; vestiture consisting of hair-like setae. Elytral striae not impressed, interstriae finely granulated on posterior half; vestiture consisting of erect hair-like or bristle-like setae in uniseriate rows, setae near lateral margins longer; strial setae fine, short, recumbent. Ventrites. Vestiture on meso- and metaventrites consisting of long, unifid setae, each longer than scapus. Legs. Protibiae with three socketed denticles at lateral and apical margins.

Male. Externally similar to female in all aspects.

Etymology. The name is a Latin feminine nominal adjective, meaning long-haired, referring to the rather long and thin interstrial setae, particularly near lateral margin, compared to other species in the genus.

Distribution and biology. South Africa. Only known from the type locality in the Western Cape province where it was dissected from a dry thorny liana and from a twig of Scolopia (Salicaceae) . One male and one female at the early stage of colonization cut transverse tunnels under bark. Three early broods were located, consisting of 5, 8, and 11 eggs.

Figures

FIGURES 2–11. Dorsal lateral and front view of Afromicracis robusta paratype, from the holotype locality (2, 5, 8), Afromicracis crinita holotype (3, 6, 9), and Afromicracis crassa male allotype (4, 7, 10) and female holotype (11).