Neoxenus globosus, Poinar & Legalov, 2016

Poinar, George & Legalov, Andrei A., 2016, New Anthribidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) in Dominican and Mexican ambers, Palaeontologia Electronica 148 (1), pp. 1-38 : 28-30

Neoxenus globosus sp. nov.

Figure 16

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Holotype. Deposited in the PACO (accession # C-93).

Description. Length body, 2.9 mm; length rostrum, 0.5 mm. Body black with covering of dark dense, decumbent setae. Rostrum wide, 0.6 times longer than wide in middle, 0.4 times as long as pronotum, weakly convex, without dorsal median carina; antennal scrobes foveiform, dorsal; forehead wide, convex, densely punctate; eyes rounded, not emarginate, large, weakly convex, equal in length and width, upper edges not closer than lower edges; vertex weakly convex, densely punctate; temples short, 0.2 times as long as length of eye; antennae inserted dorsally at base of rostrum, elongate, almost reaching base of pronotum; first antennomere (scape) 2.8 times longer than wide; funicle with second to eighth antennomeres elongate-conical; second antennomere 2.0 times longer than wide, 0.7 times as long as and subequal in length to first antennomere; third to fifth antennomeres subequal in width; third antennomere 4.0 times longer than wide, 0.8 times as long as second antennomere; fourth antennomere 2.7 times longer than wide, 0.7 times as long as third antennomere; fifth antennomere 3.3 times longer than wide, 1.3 times as long as wide as fourth antennomere; club not compact, 0.7 times as long as funicle; first antennomere of club 2.0 times longer than wide; second antennomere of club 1.3 times longer than wide, 1.5 times as long as and equal to first antennomere of club; third antennomere of club 2.0 times longer than wide, subequal in length and 0.7 times as narrow as second antennomere of club. Pronotum bell-shaped; 1.3 times longer than wide at apex, 0.9 times longer than wide in middle and at base, without lateral carinae; disk weakly convex, densely punctate, transverse dorsal pronotal carina antebasal; distance between transverse carina and base of pronotum 0.17 times as long as pronotum; scutellum wide-trapezoidal. Elytra convex, 2.0 times longer than wide at base, 1.6 times longer than wide in middle, 2.2 times longer than wide at apical fourth, 2.7 times as long as pronotum; greatest width behind middle; without spots of setae; humeri weakly flattened; striae regular and thin; strial punctures small, rounded, dense; elytral intervals weakly convex, wide, 2.5–3.0 times as wide as striae, sparsely and weakly punctate; apices of elytra not rounded; pygidium not concealed. Thorax punctate; prosternum coarsely punctate; precoxal portion of prosternum 0.5 times as long as procoxal cavities, 0.8 times as long as postcoxal portion; postcoxal portion 0.7 times as long as procoxal cavities; procoxal cavities narrowly separated; mesocoxal cavities widely separated, metanepisternum narrow, 6.4 times longer than wide in middle. Abdomen convex; first ventrite 1.3 times as long as length of metacoxal cavity; second ventrite equal in length to length of first ventrite; third ventrite 0.8 times as long as length of second ventrite; fourth ventrite 0.9 times as long as length of third ventrite; fifth ventrite 0.9 times as long as length of fourth ventrite. Legs long; pro- and mesocoxae round; metacoxae transverse, almost reaching elytral margin; femora clavate, without teeth; trochanters obconical; profemora 3.1 times longer than wide; mesofemora 3.5 times longer than wide; metafemora 3.6 times longer than wide; tibiae almost straight, flattened; protibiae 5.0 times longer than wide in middle; mesotibiae 4.0 times longer than wide in middle; metatibiae 3.9 times longer than wide in middle; tarsi long; first to third tarsomeres conical; second tarsomere embracing third tarsomere laterally; fifth elongate; tarsomeres with pulvilli on underside; tarsal claws free, large, diverging, with basal teeth; protarsi: first tarsomere 1.5 times longer than wide at base; second tarsomere 0.8 longer than wide at base, equal in length and 2.0 times as wide as first tarsomere; third tarsomere 0.8 times longer than wide, 0.4 times as long as and 0.4 times as wide as second tarsomere; fifth tarsomere 2.7 times longer than wide at base, 0.9 times as long as and 0.3 times as wide as second tarsomere; metatarsi: first tarsomere 2.2 times longer than wide at base; second tarsomere 1.1 longer than wide at base, 0.9 times as long as and 1.8 times as wide as first tarsomere; third tarsomere 0.8 times longer than wide, 0.3 times as long as and 0.5 times as wide as second tarsomere.

Type locality. Amber mine in the Cordillera Septentrional of the northern portion of the Dominican Republic.

Etymology. The specific epithet is taken from the Latin “globosus ” equals round, in reference to the round eyes.

Comparison. The new species is close to N. versicolor Valentine, 1999 from southern North America and Central America but differs by the narrower body, black antennae and legs and elytra without setal spots.

Remarks. This and the following two species belong to the tribe Valenfriesiini because of the following features: antebasal transverse pronotal carina, rounded eyes, with upper edges not closer than lower edges, and elongate-transverse metacoxae, almost reaching the elytral margin. The absent lateral pronotal carina is a character of the genus Neoxenus .

Figures

FIGURE 16. Holotype of Neoxenus globosus sp. nov. PACO no. C-93 in Dominican amber. 1, dorsal view, scale bar equals 0.4 mm; 2, ventral view, scale bar equals 0.4 mm; and 3, lateral view, scale bar equals 0.4 mm.