Pseudolechriops janeae Hespenheide & LaPierre

Hespenheide, Henry A. & Lapierre, Louis M., 2006, A review of Pseudolechriops Champion (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Conoderinae), Zootaxa 1384, pp. 1-39 : 22-24

7. Pseudolechriops janeae Hespenheide & LaPierre , new species

Fig. 7 , a–e

Diagnosis: Largely reddish brown, except head (excluding rostrum), disc of pronotum and elytra, and posterior tibiae and apical ½ of posterior femora black; posterior tibiae slender, subcylindrical, not conspicuously flattened; from above slender, subcylindrical, with elytra not conspicuously wider than base of pronotum; setae on sides of pronotum dense, forming a well-defined oblique white stripe from base of eyes to anterior to elytral humeri; elytra with conspicuous transverse white fascia at base; male with eyes more widely separated, males densely white setose at base of rostrum above antennal insertions, females glabrous; Costa Rica and Panamá.

Description: Holotype male: Dark reddish brown, except distal half of hind femora and most of hind tibiae black, tarsi, anterior and middle tibiae and femora, and antennae paler reddish brown; from above ( Fig. 7 a), setae relatively dense mostly hair like, yellowish and inconspicuous, except band of white setae at bases of elytral intervals 1–5, setae extending slightly farther along intervals 1–3, separate short patches of white setae at middle on elytral interval 2, transverse fascia of white setae on outer three intervals of lateral margins behind humeri; pronotum with setae relatively dense mostly hair like, yellowish and inconspicuous from above, except sides ( Fig. 7 b) with oblique stripe of dense white setae extending from apical margin behind basal 1/2 of eyes to dorsal posterior angles; head glabrous above, front with white setae between eyes on lower half and extending on rostrum to antennal insertions; beneath moderately densely and uniformly covered with white setae on anterior margin and sides of metasternum and metepimera and abdominal sternites 1–2, setae sparser on abdominal sternites 3–5; external faces of anterior and middle femora rather densely covered with fine white setae, setae on anterior and middle tibiae and posterior femora sparser, setae on posterior tibiae inconspicuous, appearing glabrous; 3.0 mm long.

Head prominent, about 3/4 as long as pronotum, dorsally finely punctate, with fine medial carina, eyes arcuately rounded, as wide as pronotum at apex; from front ( Fig. 7 c), eyes rather widely separated for almost their entire length with shallow depression along midline, rostrum with antennae inserted at middle, narrow and polished distal to antennal insertions, expanding basally and sparsely, finely punctate, vaguely carinate along midline, from side nearly straight. Pronotum from above nearly conical, base only slightly wider than apex, from lateral view nearly flat, disc finely punctate, with fine medial carina. Elytra together about 1/2 broader than pronotum, widest behind humeri, 1/4 longer than wide, lateral margins very weakly arcuate, narrowing only slightly to near apices, apices broadly, separately rounded. Mesosternum with well-defined groove with low ridges to receive rostrum continuing to excavate and carinate anterior margin of metasternum; metasternum narrowly incised along midline to abdomen. Abdomen with first ventral sternite weakly, broadly depressed along midline on posterior 1/2, second sternite also weakly, narrowly depressed on anterior 1/2. Femora unarmed, posterior femora with very fine carina; posterior tibiae only slightly flattened, almost terete ( Fig. 7 b). Aedeagus pale transparent brown ( Fig. 7 e).

Allotype female: As male, but band of white setae on base of elytra narrower and much less conspicuous, front and rostrum ( Fig. 7 d) with only small, inconspicuous yellowish setae; anterior and middle femora with setae conspicuous only on distal 1/2; 3.1 mm long.

Holotype male: Costa Rica: Puntarenas Pr., upper San Luis Vly 1100m, 10o 15’ N 84o 45’ W, 24.09.1999, L.M. LaPierre, Host: Cecropia obtusifolia ID# 99.1111 (INBC).

Allotype female: Costa Rica: same data as holotype (INBC).

Paratypes: Puntarenas Pr., same data as holotype (9, INBC, LMLC).San Luis de Monteverde & vicinity, 900–1200 m, 11, 12.1997, L.M. LaPierre, SAN97.131-1, -2 (1, CHAH), San Luis de Monteverde & vic., 1000–1200 m, 10o 17’ N 84o 49’ W, 0 8.1997, L.M. LaPierre (3, CHAH), 1000–1200 m, 26.06.1998, L.M. LaPierre, Cecropia obtusifolia (1, CHAH), San Luis Vly 1100–1400m, 21– 25.07.1996, L.M. LaPierre, Cecropia (1, CHAH); San Luis de Monteverde, 1100 m, 10o 15’ N 84o 48’ W, 03–07,09, 11– 14.06 .2003, L.M. LaPierre, on leaf undersides of juvenile Cecropia obtusifolia (11, BMNH, CHAH, CMNC, CWOB).

Other specimens examined: Costa Rica: San Jose P., 4 km N San Isidro del General, 870 m, 23, 24.02.1984, H.& A. Howden (CMNC). Panamá: Panamá Pr., Cerro Campana, 850 m, 0 8o 40’ N 79o 56’ W, 28.03.1972, W. Bivin (USNM).

Etymology: Named in honor of Dr. Jane E. Horlings of Saddleback College, CA who encouraged LaPierre to continue his interests with graduate work in biology.

Discussion: Males measure 2.5–3.05 mm long (mean = 2.86 mm for 13 specimens); females measure 2.7–3.2 mm long (mean = 2.99 mm for 16 specimens). The specimen from San Isidro has the pronotum, the central portions of the elytra, distal half of the posterior femora and posterior tibiae black, but is other wise similar to other Costa Rican material. The specimen from Panamá is very close to the Costa Rican material, including genitalia, but differs in that it lacks the post-humeral and mid-sutural spots of setae on the elytra, has a less extensive stripe of condensed setae dorsally on the sides of the pronotum, and has more slender, black hind tibiae. This species has been reared from live petioles of juvenile Cecropia (see Table 1 and the Discussion section for more detailed information).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Pseudolechriops janeae, new species: a. dorsal habitus, b. lateral habitus and hind leg, c. front of head of male, d. front of head of female (a – d, line = 1.0 mm), e. dorsal (left) and lateral (right) views of entire male aedeagus and apex (above; line = 0.5 mm).