Pseudoculio confusicoxis Pelsue & O’Brien, 2011

Pelsue, Frank W. & O’Brien, Charles W., 2011, A redefinition of the Curculionini of the world, with a key to subtribes and genera, and two new genera: Pseudoculio and Megaoculis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae), Zootaxa 3102, pp. 27-49 : 37-38

Pseudoculio confusicoxis Pelsue & O’Brien sp. n.

Material examined: Holotype—Malaysia Borneo 3 Malaysia /Sabah/Crocker Range/Mt. TrusMadi/ 3-26-2001 / native coll. ( CWOB). Paratypes (2) Malaysia 1 Ƥ Malaysia /Sabah/Crocker Range/Mt. Trus Madi/ 3-26-2001 /native coll.1 ( CWOB) 1 Ƥ Malaysia /Sabah/Crocker Range/Mt. Trus Madi/ 2-26-2001 /native coll.1 ( FWPC).

Description: Habitus (Figs. 27–28) 3 2.5 mm (n=1) in length; 1.5 mm (n=1) in width. Head: Wide in frontal view, 0.53 as wide as thorax; punctures moderately large; glabrous; gena glabrous; eyes large, subrounded, finely faceted. Frons 0.20 as wide as head across eyes; punctures along margin of eye slit-like, with interocular fovea; glabrous. Rostrum: 2.0 mm in length; 0.77 as long as body; derm fuscorufous; wide at base, tapering to narrower apex, subcylindrical; gradually emerging from frons; medially with lateral carinae with punctures between, extending past insertion of scape; punctures slit-like, but similar to apex; almost straight to insertion of scape then slightly deflexed to apex; scape inserted at midpoint; scrobe ventral. Antennae: Scape 0.9 mm, funicle 0.9 mm, club 0.35 mm in length; scape as long as funicle; antennomere 1 as long as 2, 3 longer than 4, 4–6 subequal, 6 shorter than 7; club oval-acuminate slightly tumid; as long as funicular antennomeres 4–7. Thorax: 1.1 mm in length; 1.0 mm in width. 0.90 as wide as long; lateral margins parallel to apical 1/4 rounded to constriction; disc with large punctures, glabrous except for median vittae of clavate, apically acute, recumbent, luteous scales; vittae broadest at base, then tapering to acute apex near anterior margin; with basolateral patch of 2–3 luteous scales; pleuron glabrous; mesosternal intercoxal process not visible in lateral view; scutellum as long as wide, moderately large, clothed with broad clavate luteous scales; mesepimeron densely clothed with broad, apically truncate, sculptured, clavate, luteous scales; mesepisternum clothed with similar luteous scales dorsally, and narrow, dirty white scales ventrally; anterior half of metepisternum with large punctures and narrow dirty white scales, posterior half with macula of similar luteous scales; metasternum with large punctures and small, narrow, dirty white scales. Elytra: Derm fuscorufous laterally, fuscopiceous medially from base to apical 2/3, then fuscorufous to apex; striae deep, narrow, with deep punctures; humeri slightly convex; postscutellar impression shallow; intervals narrow, with large punctures, with few very small, narrow, fuscous scales; interval 1 with three scale wide vittae extending to midpoint, of similar luteous scales; intervals 2 and 3 with small patch of 3–4 scales at apical 2/3; crosshatched seta suberect, moderately long, piceous. Legs: Pro-, meso-, and metafemoral teeth small; metafemur exceeding apex of elytra by almost 1/2 length of femur; derm fuscorufous except for fuscopiceous clava; clothed with small, narrow, elongate, recumbent, white scales; tibiae straight to sinuate base, pro-, and mesouncus as long as tarsal claw, metauncus blade-like (Fig. 30), apically acute; metatibia with ventral comb of stout bristles; tarsomeres clothed with long, stiff, piceous scales. Abdomen: Derm fuscorufous; sternum I longer than II behind coxal cavity, posterior lateral margin covering anterior lateral margin of III; III longer than II; V longer than IV; sternum II with lateral macula of similar luteous scales. Pygidium: Large, clothed with short fuscous seta-like scales. Genitalia: Median lobe 0.8 mm long, lateral margins parallel to acute apex in dorsal view (Fig. 49), in lateral view 0.1 mm in width, lightly sclerotized; apodeme 0.55 mm in length (Fig. 50). Female: 2.8–3.0 mm (mean=2.9, n=2) in length; 1.6–1.7 mm (mean=1.65, n=2) in width. Rostrum: Almost as long as body, straight to apical 3/4, there deflexed to apex. Genitalia: Spermatheca ramus and collum united, with duct openings sclerotized, corpus margins basally wide, from ramus and collum evenly margined, cornu becoming narrower to evenly rounded apex (Fig. 58).

Differential diagnosis: The scale pattern of this species is almost identical to that of P. discreticoxis , but the differences are in the metatibial inner hook-like process and the male and female genitalia, as explained in the differential diagnosis of P. discreticoxis .

Specific epithet: The name of this species P. confusicoxis is based on its confusing similarities to P. di s c re t icoxis.