Temnocerus pusillus ( Sharp 1889 )

Hamilton, R. W., 2010, Central American Temnocerus Thunberg, 1815 (Coleoptera: Rhynchitidae), Insecta Mundi 2010 (128), pp. 1-42 : 32-33

Temnocerus pusillus ( Sharp 1889)

( Fig. 43, 44 , 79 , 93 )

Type locality. Panama, Bugaba

Type depository. The Natural History Museum, London, England ( BMNH)

Specimens examined. Holotype [male?] with the following data: Bugaba, Champion, Rhynchites pusillus D. S., Type [on card with specimen]; TYPE [circular label with red margin]; Bugaba , Panama , Champion ; B. C. A., col.iv.3, Rhynchites pusillus Sharp ; Sharp coll. 1905-313 [upside down on pin]. MEXICO: 2 males and 2 females, Oaxaca, 7.7 mi. s. Ejutla , July 20, 1974, Clark , Murray , Ashe , Schaffner ; 2 males and 1 female, Oaxaca, 16.1 mi. nw. Totolapan , July 21, 1974, Clark , Murray , Ashe , Schaffner ; 2 females, Oaxaca, 2.7 mi. nw. El Camaron , July 21-22, 1974, Clark , Murray , Ashe , Schaffner ; 1 female, Oaxaca, 3.2 mi. s. Ocotlan , July 20, 1974, Clark , Murray , Ashe , Schaffner ; 1 female, Oaxaca, 2.8 mi. e. Matalan [?], July 24, 1974, Clark , Murray , Ashe , Schaffner ; 1 male, Oaxaca, 11.3 mi. se. Totolapan , July 21, 1974, Clark , Murray , Ashe , Schaffner ; 2 females, Mexico, Puebla, 4.4 mi. SW Acatepec, July 26, 1974, Clark , Murray , Ashe , Schaffner ; 1 male and 6 females, Chiapas, 34 mi. SW Cintalapa, July 7, 1971, Clark , Murray , Hart , Schaffner ; 16 males and 11 females, Chiapas, 35 mi SW Cintalapa, July 11, 1971, Clark , Murray , Hart , Schaffner ; 1 male, Mex. Oax. La Ventosa , 72 mi. E., vii-21-63, J. Doyen collector ( TAMU). 1 female, Puebla, 2 km S Acatepec, 19 Aug. 1982, Clark and Cave ; 1 female, 16 km S Ejutla, 21 August 1982, Clark & Cave; 1 female, Chiapas, 11 km S. Sumidero, 25 August 1982, Clark & Cave ( CWOB). 2 females, BahaCal. Sur, 57 km SW. Loreto (jct. Rd. To Agua Verde , 12.viii. 1992, 360m, H & A Howden ( CMNC). GUATEMALA: 1 female, Guat., Baja Verapaz, 16 km N. Salama on Pantin Rd., 31-v-1991, 1550 m, H & A Howden ( CMNC). 1 female, El Progreso, 15 o 1’ N, 89 o 55’W, 12 km N Est. La Virgin, 1400m, 7-vi-1991, H. & A. Howden. HONDURAS: 1 male, Com., 19 km NE. Siguatepeque, Ch. 5 Rd., Aug. 1, 1977, O’Briens & Marshall; 1 male, Fra. 23 mi. NE Talanga, 1700’, vi-16-1974, CW & L O’Brien & Marshall ( CWOB). PANAMA: 1 male, fort Sherman , 9 o 17’N 79 o 59’W, 16 May 2001, on Vochysia ferruginea , leg. F. Odegaard ( RWHC).

Description. Color and pubescence: Body brownish-black throughout with paler extremities. Pubescence composed of short brownish-white reclinate setae. Setae on thoracic pleura longer and more whitish. Size: Male (n = 23) 1.4 × 0.5 mm to 2.1 × 0.9 mm; Female (n = 29) 1.8 × 0.8 mm to 2.4 × 1.0 mm. Head quadrate, as long as wide, moderately punctured; punctures small, round; interspaces minutely granulose; granulations silky under light; frons only slightly wider than width of rostrum at base; eyes large sub-circular, strongly protuberant. Rostrum weakly arcuate, about 1/3 longer than head, parallelsided, only slightly widened at apex, moderately punctured; dorso-apical 1/4 smooth, shiny; dorso-basal 1/ 2 minutely granulose, with weak mid-dorsal channel from base to antennal insertions. Antenna inserted near basal 1/4 of rostrum; scape and funicular segment 1 ovoglobose; funicular segment 1 slightly more robust; funicular segments 2-4 narrow, oval, subequal; segments 5 and 6 like 2-4 but slightly shorter; segment 7 shorter than 5 and 6, bead-like; club abrupt; basal and middle segment subequal in length; basal segment narrowed at base; terminal segment slightly narrower than basal and middle segment, acuminate. Pronotum slightly longer than wide, widest just behind middle, very densely punctured; interspaces narrow, weakly granulose. Scutellum small, about as long as wide. Elytra about twice as long as pronotum, widest just behind middle; humeri simple; striae deeply impressed, subquadrate, similar in size throughout; intervals weakly raised, with single row setigerous punctures; interspaces between striae with single setigerous puncture. Thoracic pleura and sterna with moderate to dense, coarse setigerous punctures. Abdominal ventrites sparsely to moderately set with small round setigerous punctures.

Distribution. Specimens are recorded from Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and the Mexican states of Puebla, Oaxaca and Chiapas ( Fig. 93 ).

Comments. The adults of this species are very closely related to T. quatemalenus but differ from that species in the dense punctation of the pronotum and the shorter rostrum in each sex. The aedeagus ( Fig. 79 ) has the median lobe evenly tapered apically with the pedon apex roundly and narrowly truncated. The tectum is spearhead-shaped. The tegminal cap piece is widely finger-like with the pigmented apex bearing a cluster of very small setae. Endophallic bands are long, linear and distinctly pigmented.

Plant association. A single male specimen was collected on Vochysia ferruginea Mart. (Vochysiaceae) in Panama.

Figures

Figure 35-46. Heads of Temnocerus species, frontal view, male left and female right. 35-36) T. oculatus (Sharp). 37-38) T. potosi n.sp., holotype and allotype. 39-40) T. pseudaeratus n.sp., holotype and allotype. 41-42) T. pueblensis n.sp., holotype and allotype. 43-44) T. pusillus (Sharp). 45-46) T. regularis (Sharp).

Figure 59-86. Aedeagal tegmen and median lobe of Temnocerus species, dorsal view, 64X. 59) T. abdominalis (Voss). 60) T. chiapensis n. sp. 61) T. chiriquensis (Sharp). 62) T. confertus (Sharp). 63) T. cyaneus n. sp. 64) T. ellus n. sp. 65) T. giganteus n. sp.; 66) T. guatemalenus (Sharp). 67) T. guerrerensis n. sp. 68) T. herediensis n. sp. 69) T. mexicanus n. sp. 70) T. michoacensis n. sp. 71) T. minutus n. sp. 72) T. niger n. sp. 73) T. oaxacensis n. sp. 74) T. obrieni n. sp. 75) T. oculatus (Sharp). 76) T. potosi n. sp. 77) T. pseudaeratus n. sp. 78) T. pueblensis n. sp. 79) T. pusillus (Sharp). 80) T. regularis (Sharp). 81) T. rostralis n. sp. 82) T. rugosus n. sp. 83) T. salvensis n. sp. 84) T. tamaulipensis n. sp. 85) T. thesaurus (Sharp) 86) T. yucatensis n. sp.

Figure 91-94. Distribution of Temnocerus species. 91) T. rugosus, red; T. obrieni, black; T. oaxacensis, blue; T. niger, green. 92) T. pseudaeratus, black; T. potosi, blue; T. cyaneus, green; T. oculatus, red. 93) T. pueblensis, red; T. pusillus, blue; T. regularis, black; T. salvensis, green. 94) T. tamaulipensis, red; T. thesaurus, blue; T. yucatensis, black.