Scolytodes coronatus 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 : 60

Scolytodes coronatus Jordal and Smith , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:50274645-94D3-46BE-87B6-B552F166D7F4

( Figs 128, 131, 134 )

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., January 1995, T.L. Erwin et al. collectors; indiv#002103 . Paratype: Orellana Prov, Tiputini biodiversity station, GIS: -0.637°, -76.150°, ex vine, 27. July 2012 J. Hulcr, leg (1 female) . Holotype deposited in QCAZ, one paratype in MSUC .

Diagnosis. Interstriae 10 sharply carinate to level of ventrite 1. Protibiae with only a faint trace of an additional mesal tooth near tarsal insertion. Pronotum strongly asperate on anterior half. Most closely related to S. lapillus , S. rufus and S. retifer , all with asperate pronotum, broadly separated eyes and encircled setae in the female frons. The new species differs from all by the lack of setae on the elytra, and further from S. retifer and S. lapillus by the shorter raised interstriae 10, and the longer flat portion of the posterior disc of the pronotum. It differs further from S. rufus by the minute size of elytral punctures.

Description, female. Length 1.8–1.9 mm, 2.3–2.4 × as long as wide; colour black. Head. Eyes entire, separated above by 2.9–3.2 × their width. Frons concave between eyes from vertex to epistoma, densely micro-punctured; vestiture consisting of a circle of rather short setae from vertex along the margin of the impressed area to epistoma, pointing orad. Antennal club with distinct sutures marked by short setae, suture 1 moderately procurved, suture 2 very strongly procurved, angulate. Funiculus 5-segmented. Pronotum reticulate, dull, punctures small, shallow, spaced by 1–3 × their diameter, punctures not reaching anterior margin, replaced on anterior half by rough, sharp asperities. Nearly glabrous, vestiture consisting of scant minute setae (0-0-0). Elytra shiny, smooth; striae regular, not impressed, punctures tiny, shallow, separated by 2–3 × their diameter; interstriae 4–5 × broader than striae, punctures of similar size as striae, widely separated in irregular rows. Interstriae 10 weakly raised to level of ventrite 1. Glabrous except minute setae along sides and declivity. Legs. Procoxae separated by 0.2–0.3 × the width of one procoxa. Mesocoxae separated by 0.8–0.9 × the width of a procoxa. Protibiae narrow, distal teeth 1 larger than 2, pointing posteriorly, with 2–3 additional transverse rugae towards tibial base; an additional mesal tooth on posterior face only present as a tine spine near the base of tooth 2; protibial mucro sharp, thin, curved posteriorly. Meso- and metatibiae with 6–7 or 5–6 socketed teeth on distal half. Ventral vestiture. Setae on mesanepisternum plumose, on metanepisternum bifid or trifid, on metasternum plumose, bifid, or simple.

Male. Not known.

Key ( Wood 2007). Species with strongly asperate pronotum are all placed in couplet 81 and onwards, hence the faint trace of a minute additional tooth on the protibiae must be interpreted as such, reaching couplet 93, S. retifer , but differs as noted in the diagnosis.

Etymology. The Latin name coronatus is a masculine participle, meaning crowned or encircled, referring to the large, open circle of setae in the female frons.

Biology and distribution. Known from two nearby localities in the Ecuadorian Amazon. One specimen was dissected from a vine, and one specimen collected by fogging a tree canopy. The species is possibly fairly common in Peru (A. Petrov, pers. comm.).

Figures

FIGURES 127–135. Dorsal, lateral and frontal views of the female holotype of Scolytodes lapillus (127, 130, 133), and Scolytodes coronatus (128, 131, 134), and a female specimen of Scolytodes grandis (129, 132, 135).