Curculio tarae Pelsue and Zhang, 2002

Pelsue, Frank W. & Zhang, Runzhi, 2002, A Review Of The Genus Curculio From China With Descriptions Of New Taxa. Part III. The Curculio subfenestratus Voss Group (Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Curculionini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 56 (1), pp. 1-39 : 34-36

Curculio tarae Pelsue and Zhang , new species

Figs. 55–56 , 107–110

HOLOTYPE. China. Xiangcheng : male [ China / Sichuan /Xiangcheng/ 2,900–4,000 m / 02 July 1982 / S. Wang] ( IZAS).

PARATYPES (13). China. Xiangcheng : five males [ China / Sichuan /Xiangcheng/2,900– 4,000 m / 02 July 1982 / S. Wang]; two males [ China / Yunnan / Xiaozhongdian / 3,200 m / 06 July 1983 / S. Wang]; one male [ China / Yunnan / Zhongdian / 3,150 m / 02 August 1981 / S. Wang]; one male [ China / Sichuan / Maerkang / 3,230 m / 03 June 1961 / S. Lu]; one female [ China / Sichuan / Xiangcheng / 3,800–4,000 m / 02 July 1982 / S. Wang] ( FWPC); one male [ China / Yunnan / 360 m road Degen­Yanjing / 10 km W Degen /28″28′N, 98″53′E,/21–22 June 1997/Turna] (CWOB); one female [China/Yunnan/360 m road Degen­Yanjing/10 km W Degen/28″28′N, 98″53′E/21–22 June 1997/Turna] (CWOB); one male [Yunnan/ Heishioi / 35 km N Lijiang / 27,13N; 100, 19E 18.6/ 07 April 1993 /Becvar] ( CWOB) .

Description. Male: length: 4.7–5.2 mm (mean = 4.7 mm, n = 12). width: 2.4–2.7 mm (mean = 2.2 mm, n = 12). Head: medium­sized; punctures small clothed with short, narrow, elongate, dirty white scales; ventromedial macula of ochraceous scales; frons, 0.22 as broad as head across eyes, clothed with longer, narrow, elongate, ochroleucus scales; interocular fovea present. Rostrum: length: 2.4–2.7 mm (mean = 2.53 mm, n = 12); 0.57 as long as body, sub­cylindrical; 3 dorsal carinae; vestiture of narrow, elongate, dirty white scales to midway between frons and insertion of antennae; straight to antennal insertion then gradually arced to apex; scrobe ventral; scape inserted in apical half. Antennae: length: scape 1.0 mm, funiculus: segment one 0.35 mm, two 0.3 mm, three 0.175 mm, four 0.175 mm, five 0.175 mm, six 0.15 mm, seven 0.15 mm, club 0.6 mm, funicle 1.4 mm (n = 1); scape 0.86 as long as funicle; funicle clothed with narrow, elongate, dirty white scales; club elongate, compact, acuminate, as long as segments 4– 7. Thorax: length: 1.3–1.5 mm (mean = 1.24 mm, n = 12). width: 1.7–2.0 mm (mean = 1.84 mm, n = 12); 0.75 as long as broad; disc margins broad then rounded to constriction; punctures small densely clothed with narrow, elongate, testaceous, and few dirty white scales, flat in lateral view, with feeble median longitudinal carina; base sinuate; mesosternal intercoxal process prominent clothed with dirty white scales; scutellum large, longer than broad, clothed with ochroleucus, with few fuscous scales; mesepimeron clothed with clavate, ochroleucus scales; mesepisternum clothed with clavate, ochroleucus, with a few fuscous scales; metepisternum clothed with narrow, elongate, dirty white scales; ventral macula of narrow, clavate, ochroleucus scales. Elytra: length: 2.9–3.2 mm (mean = 3.03 mm, n = 12); striae deep with small punctures and short, narrow, fuscous scales; disc flat in lateral view; humeri prominent, rounded; intervals broad, densely clothed with narrow, elongate, cinerous scales, with scattered patches of dirty white scales. Legs: length of hind femur 2.1–2.2 mm (mean = 2.16 mm, n = 12), tooth large, wedge shaped; pro­ and mesofemoral teeth medium; femoral clava medium­sized; all femora, with derm of base piceous, clava fuscorufous and apex piceous; vestiture of narrow, elongate, dirty white scales; tibiae subsinuate, pro­, mesouncus large, metauncus small. Abdomen: sternite 1 longer than 2 behind coxal cavity, shallow median declivity; sternite 2 ascending to 3; sternite 3 longer than 4, combined longer than 5; sternite 5 truncate, with lateral tufts of seta­like scales on apex with median declivity; sternite 2 with lateral macula of narrow, elongate, ochroleucus scales, remaining scales of all sternites narrow, elongate, dirty white. Pygidium : large, with dense tuft of fuscous seta­like scales. Genitalia: median lobe of aedeagus 1.1 mm (n = 1) in length; 0.3 mm (n = 1) in width broad, with thin margins, deflected slightly to squared off apex, in dorsal view, evenly thick with gradual deflection to abruptly deflected apex, in lateral view; apex broadly rounded to truncate point with median ridges; apodeme 1.2 mm (n = 1) in length ( Figs. 107–109 ). Female: length: 4.5 mm (n = 2). width: 2.3 mm (n = 2). Rostrum: length: 3.0 mm (n = 2), 0.66 as long as body. Frons: 0.26 as broad as head across eyes. Antennae: length: scape 0.9 mm, funiculus: segment one 0.35 mm, two 0.3 mm, three 0.175 mm, four 0.175, five 0.15 mm, six 0.15 mm, seven 0.15 mm, club 0.5 mm, funicle 1.3 mm (n = 1); scape 0.69 as long as funicle. Thorax: length: 1.4 mm (n = 2). width: 1.8 mm (n = 2); 0.78 as long as broad. Elytra: length: 2.8 mm (n = 2). Legs: length of hind femur 2.0 mm (n = 2). Pygidium : small. Genitalia: spermatheca ‘‘C’’ shaped with ramus oblique, united with collum; cornu base broad, tapering to turned up rounded apex (n = 1) ( Fig. 110 ).

Remarks. This species closely resembles C. challeti n. sp., but male can be separated by abdominal sternite 1 shorter than 2 behind coxal cavity and genitalia; female rostrum shorter, and spermatheca.

Etymology. Named in honor of the senior author’s granddaughter Tara Ashley Pelsue.

Figures

Figs. 55–56. Curculio tarae n. sp. Male, habitus dorsal and lateral views, holotype. Figs. 57–58. Curculio fordi n. sp. Male, habitus dorsal and lateral views, holotype. Figs. 59–60. Curculio congerae n. sp. Male, habitus dorsal and lateral views, holotype. Various scales.

Figs. 107­110. Curculio tarae n. sp. 107) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 108) median lobe, lateral aspect; 109) median lobe, apex; 110) spermatheca, lateral aspect. Figs. 111­ 113 Curculio fordi n. sp. 111) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 112) median lobe, lateral aspect; 113) median lobe, apex. Figs. 114­116. Curculio congerae n. sp. 114) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 115) median lobe, lateral aspect; 116) median lobe, apex. Various scales.