Scolytodes chrysifrons Jordal and Smith, 2020

Jordal, Bjarte H. & Smith, Sarah M., 2020, Scolytodes Ferrari (Coleoptera, Scolytinae) from Ecuador: 40 new species, and a molecular phylogenetic guide to infer species differences, Zootaxa 4813 (1), pp. 1-67 : 47-48

Scolytodes chrysifrons Jordal and Smith , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:AD7FFCD3-495E-4A70-AD25-4E4E21D7CD1C

( Figs 93, 96, 99 )

Type material. Holotype, female: Ecuador: Napo Prov., Res. Ethnica Waorani, 1km S Onkone Gare Camp., Trans. Et. , 00°39’10’’S, 76°26’W, 220m elev., July 1996, T.L. Erwin et al. collectors, indiv #000629 . Holotype temporarily held in trust at USNM for MECN .

Diagnosis. Interstriae 10 sharply elevated to apex. Protibiae without an additional mesal tooth. Pronotum lightly asperate on anterior third. Very similar to S. tristis , but differs primarily by the much more abundant setae in the female frons, 8 erect setae on pronotum, and fewer erect setae on interstriae 9. Also somewhat similar to S. eggersi (Schedl, 1952) , but the new species has narrowly separated eyes and the setae in the female frons originate exactly at upper level of the eyes.

Description, female. Length 1.9 mm, 2.4 × as long as wide; colour dark brown. Head. Eyes entire, separated above by 1.1 × their width. Frons slightly impressed between eyes to level of antennal insertion, impunctate, shiny; vestiture consisting of a dense brush of slick setae arising from upper level of eyes, along inner margin of eyes, reaching epistoma. Antennal club pilose, sutures barely indicated, strongly procurved, segment 1 and 2 partly corneous. Funiculus possibly 6-segmented. Pronotum reticulate, punctures barely reaching anterior margin, on basal two-thirds spaced by their diameter, on anterior third smaller, surface with distinct asperities. Vestiture consisting of 8 long, erect setae (4-2-2). Elytra smooth, shiny; striae more or less regular, not impressed, punctures small, shallow, spaced by 1.5–2.0 × their diameter; interstrial punctures similar to striae, slightly more spaced, increasingly confused posteriorly. Interstriae 10 sharply raised to apex. Vestiture consisting of 12–16 erect setae positioned near basal margin and scutellum and on interstriae 3, 7 and 9. Legs. Procoxae separated by 0.2 × the width of one procoxa. Mesocoxae separated by 0.7 × the width of a procoxa. Protibiae narrow, distal teeth 1 similar to 2, with four lateral, sharp rugae decreasing in size towards tibial base; protibial mucro very short, straight. Meso- and metatibiae with 6 and 7 socketed teeth on distal half and two-thirds, respectively. Ventral vestiture. Setae on mesanepisternum bifid, on metasternum and metanepisternum simple.

Male. Unknown.

Key ( Wood 2007). Keys to couplet 58a or b, near S. alni Wood , but is more similar to S. eggersi which is excluded from the key. Differs from both species by the setae in the female frons not extending to the vertex, and by the much less separated eyes.

Etymology. The Latin name chrysifrons is composed by the stem of the adjective chrysus, meaning golden, the vowel –i, and the noun frons, meaning forehead, referring to the dense golden tuft of slick setae in the female frons.

Biology and distribution. Known only from the lowland type locality in Ecuador. It was collected by canopy fogging .

Figures

FIGURES 91–99. Dorsal, lateral and frontal views of the female holotype of Scolytodes peniculus (91, 94, 97), Scolytodes tristis (92, 95, 98), and Scolytodes chrysifrons (93, 96, 99).