Orchestomerus wickhami Dietz 1896

Yoshitake, Hiraku & Anderson, Robert S., 2015, A Review Of The Genus Orchestomerus Dietz (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Ceutorhynchinae: Cnemogonini) Of The Usa, The Coleopterists Bulletin 69 (4), pp. 565-578 : 566-569

Orchestomerus wickhami Dietz 1896 ( Figs. 1, 2 , 9–16 )

Orchestomerus wickhami Dietz 1896: 414 (type locality: “ Hab. –Brownsville, Texas.”). Colonnelli 1991: 276, Colonnelli 2004: 77 (in catalog).

Hypocoeliodes wickhami ; Champion 1907: 139. O’ Brien and Wibmer 1982: 170 (in checklist).

Orchestomerus wickhami ; Salsbury 2000: 246 (misidentification of Parauleutes nebulosus (LeConte)) .

Diagnosis. Orchestomerus wickhami is characterized mainly by the narrow, more strongly impressed forehead, the pronotum with a pair of acutely ridged prominences on the middle, the rostrum widest at portion above antennal insertions, abdominal ventrite 5 with shallower impressions on sides along basal margin, middle of male ventrite 5 with a smaller impression, which is covered with oval to elliptic scales, apical margin of male ventrite 5 shallowly roundly produced in the middle, pygidium sulcate along midline, and aedeagus with apical setae and lacking broad laminate apical projection.

Redescription. Male. LB = 1.91–2.13 mm (mean 2.04 mm). WF = 0.16–0.19 mm (mean 0.17 mm). LR = 0.68–0.73 mm (mean 0.70 mm). WR = 0.20–0.22 mm (mean 0.21 mm). WAR = 0.18–0.20 mm (mean 0.19 mm). LP = 0.69–0.84 mm (mean 0.78 mm). WP = 0.90–1.04 mm (mean 0.98 mm). LE = 1.40–1.55 mm (mean 1.48 mm). WE = 1.43–1.64 mm (mean 1.55 mm). n = 5 for all measurement variables. Habitus as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 . Integument mostly brown to dark brown; apices of rostrum, prothorax, elytra, femora, and tibiae paler; antennae and tarsi much paler. Head, prothorax, and elytra mostly covered with narrow scales. Patches on middle of intervals VII conspicuous. Pygidium mostly covered with brownish hairs, with median stripe of white ovate scales along midline. Head finely, reticulately punctured; forehead between eyes narrow, strongly impressed, carinate along midline. Rostrum relatively slender, LR/WR 3.20–3.44 (mean 3.34), slightly shorter than or as long as prothorax, LR/LP 0.84–1.00 (mean 0.90), slightly wider than forehead, WR/WF 1.13–1.31 (mean 1.21), WAR/WF 1.00–1.23 (mean 1.08), weakly tricarinate along midline; apex subglabrous, slightly narrower than portion above antennal insertion, WR/WAR 1.06–1.17 (mean 1.12); sides widest at level between antennal inser- tions. Antennae inserted just before middle of rostrum. Prothorax slightly wider than long, WP/LP 1.22–1.35 (mean 1.26); disc with pair of ridged, strong prominences; ridges precipitous. Elytra slightly shorter than or nearly as long as wide, LE/WE 0.94–0.98 (mean 0.96), nearly twice as long as prothorax, LE/LP 1.82–2.07 (mean 1.90), much wider than prothorax, WE/WP 1.57–1.60 (mean 1.58); intervals III, V, and VII with moderately developed prominences on subbasal parts; prominences on intervals III and V short; granules on each interval minute. Fore and mid-tibiae not angulate basally on outer margins; mid-tibiae short and stout, mucronate apically; hind tibiae simple apically, not mucronate. Venter moderately shiny but subopaque in impressions; ventrites III and IV weakly concave in middle; ventrite V with strong lateral impressions; apical margin of ventrite V shallowly roundly produced in middle. Pygidium moderately convex, sulcate along midline. Spiculum gastrale ( Fig. 11 ) longer than aedeagal body and its apodemes combined, moderately curved leftward. Tegmen ( Fig. 12 ) with vestigial apodeme. Aedeagal body ( Figs. 9, 10 ) robust, thick, and strongly curved ventrally in profile, with distorted U-shaped prominence on basal part; sides narrowest at base, strongly expanded to basal 1/4, slightly narrowed to middle, slightly widened to subapical part, then rapidly convergent apically; apex subtruncate, setiferous; apodeme nearly as long as body. Endophallus ( Fig. 9 ) nearly as long as aedeagal body and its apodemes combined, basally with the following 4 structures: basal patch of coarse denticles, petrosal sclerite, smaller subbasal patch of smaller denticles, and small patch of acicular spicules; middle of median and apical parts minutely spiculate, respectively.

Female. LB = 1.90–2.19 mm (mean 2.09 mm). WF = 0.16–0.18 mm (mean 0.17 mm). LR = 0.69–0.76 mm (mean 0.74 mm). WR = 0.21– 0.23 mm (mean 0.21 mm). WAR = 0.19–0.21 mm (mean 0.20 mm). LP = 0.75–0.85 mm (mean 0.82 mm). WP = 0.88–1.05 mm (mean 1.00 mm). LE = 1.33–1.56 mm (mean 1.48 mm). WE = 1.43–1.66 mm (mean 1.58 mm). n = 5 for all measurement variables. Rostrum barely more slender, LR/WR 3.33–3.53 (mean 3.44), slightly shorter than prothorax, LR/LP 0.90–0.92 (mean 0.91), slightly wider than forehead, WR/WF 1.18–1.29 (mean 1.24), WAR/WF 1.11–1.21 (mean 1.17); apex slightly narrower than portion above antennal insertion, WR/WAR 1.06–1.07 (mean 1.06). Antennae inserted at middle of rostrum. Prothorax slightly wider than long, WP/LP 1.17–1.25 (mean 1.22). Elytra slightly shorter than or nearly as long as wide, LE/WE 0.93–0.96 (mean 0.94), nearly 1.80 times as long as prothorax, LE/LP 1.77–1.86 (mean 1.82), much wider than prothorax, WE/WP 1.57–1.63 (mean 1.59). Tibiae not mucronate. Metasternum with deeper receptacle for rostrum. Ventrites I and II slightly inflated. Ventrites III and IV faintly impressed on middle. Ventrite V with triangular glabrous portion on middle. Pygidium slightly smaller, with lateral margins more rapidly narrowing to shorter lower margin. Terminalia as illustrated in Figs. 13–16 . Sternite VIII ( Fig. 14 ) robust, with very short apodemes. Oviposi- tor ( Figs. 13, 15 ) with large sclerite on each side of insertion of spermathecal duct; coxites ( Fig. 15 ) nearly 3.0 times as long as styli; styli ( Fig. 15 ) subcylindrical, nearly twice as long as broad, inserted apicolaterally. Spermatheca ( Fig. 16 ) with simple cornu except apex bearing small process; ramus less-marked; collum well-marked, moderately convex; gland moderate in length, nearly twice as long as body. Otherwise, as in males.

Type Material. The holotype ( MCZC) was not examined by us. Identification is based on a series of specimens from the Brownsville area (the type locality) matching the description given by Dietz (1896), as well as images of the holotype ( MCZ 2007).

Material Examined. USA: TEXAS. Cameron County, Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary : 6. vii. 1982 , G. A. P. Gibson (1 male; CMNC); 25.84975, -97.41892, 3–4. xi. 2013 , R. S. and C. Anderson , on Cissus trifoliata , 2013-209 (12 males and 6 females; CMNC, NIAES); 25.85158, -97.42028, 18-20. X.2008, palm forest margin, resaca bank , E. G. Riley-277, 109 (14 males, 11 females, TAMU). 25.84799, -97.41881, 17-30. X.2008, FIT ground palm forest, King & Riley-358 (1 female, TAMU). 25.84799, -9741881, 28. II- 12. III.2009, FIT ground palm forest, King & Riley-578 (1 female, TAMU). 25.85158, -97.42028, 6. XI.2009 , M. Quinn & E. G. Riley-1450, beating palm forest margin, resaca bank (1 male, TAMU) .

Distribution. USA (Texas) (MAP; teal placemarker). O’ Brien and Wibmer (1982) list an Arkansas record but we are quite sure this is an error for O. eisemani . We have also confirmed via examination of specimens that the Salsbury (2000) record of O. wickhami is a misidentification of Parauleutes nebulosus (LeConte) .

Natural History. Numerous adults of this species have been collected on Cissus trifoliata L. ( Vitaceae ) in the Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary near Brownsville in extreme southern Texas.

Figures

Figs. 1–8. Orchestomerus species,habitus.1–2) O. wickhami, male; 3–4) O. eisemani, holotype male; 5–6) O. marionis, male; 7–8) O. whiteheadi, male.

Figs. 9–24. Orchestomerus species, male genitalia and female terminalia. O. wickhami: 9) Aedeagus, dorsal view; 10) Aedeagus, lateral view; 11) Sternite IX; 12) Tegmen; 13) Female terminalia; 14) Sternite VIII; 15) Coxite and stylus; 16) Spermatheca. O. eisemani: 17) Aedeagus, dorsal view; 18) Aedeagus, lateral view; 19) Sternite IX; 20) Tegmen; 21) Female terminalia; 22) Sternite VIII; 23) Coxite and stylus; 24) Spermatheca. Scale bar = 0.1 mm.