Rhinoncomimus continuus Huang, Yoshitake and Zhang

Huang, Junhao, Yoshitake, Hiraku, Zhang, Runzhi & Ito, Motomi, 2013, Taxonomic Review of the Genus Rhinoncomimus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Ceutorhynchinae) with description of a new species from Yunnan, China, Zootaxa 3750 (2), pp. 143-166 : 151-156

Rhinoncomimus continuus Huang, Yoshitake and Zhang , sp. nov.

( Figs. 3–4 , 21–22 , 45–52 , 53 )

Description. Male. LB: 2.50–2.82 (mean, 2.54). LR: 0.65–0.71 (mean, 0.68). WP: 0.95–1.14 (mean, 1.02). LP: 0.74–0.93 (mean, 0.82). WE: 1.55–1.95 (mean, 1.67). LE: 1.62–2.03 (mean, 1.74). N = 7 for all measurements. Body black; tarsi dark brown; antennae, except the basal scape, paler brown. Habitus as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 . Vestiture fine, moderately dense. Head with moderately sparse white and dark brown subrecumbent linear scales more conspicuous along the median carina and bordering upper eye margin; rostrum with dense hair-like brown linear scales. Pronotum with white oval scales along the median sulcus and occasionally on lateral side. Elytra with diffuse scutellar spot, diffuse patches of white lanceolate scales at the end of interval 2 and beyond the poster slope of the humeral calli on intervals 7 and 8; each granule of intervals with a dark brown linear scale; each strial puncture with a dark brown hair-like scale. Underside with moderately dense oval to lanceolate white scales, each separated by about 1.5 times its width. Legs moderately densely clothed with linear white scales. Pygidium with fine dark brown hair-like scales.

Rostrum ( Figs. 21–22 ) stout, 2.13–2.73 times as long as wide, 0.76–0.88 times longer than the pronotum; apical third of the sides slightly widened and about 1.28 times wider than the basal part. In lateral view ( Fig. 22 ), rostrum slightly curved, separated from vertex by very weakly depressed frons; dorsal outline slightly more steeply curved than the ventral. In dorsal view ( Fig. 21 ), rostrum almost parallel-sided in basal 2/3, and after the antennal incision gradually widening toward the apex in apical 1/3; dorsal surface with a distinct median carina in basal 2/3, with shallow elongate median-sized punctures on each side, forming two to three lines of ill-defined wrinkles. Apical part of rostrum smooth, shining, with sparse fine punctures. Frons almost parallel-sided, narrower than base of rostrum, very weakly depressed; frons and vertex uniformly covered with shallow medium-sized punctures. Antennae inserted at basal 1/3 of rostrum, with scape 0.87 times as long as the funicle, length ratio of funicular segments I: II: III: IV: V: VI: VII = 3.45: 2.20: 1.83: 2.64: 1.93: 1.45: 1.00 and width ratio = 2.30: 1.00: 1.26: 1.29: 1.46: 1.90: 1.64. Scape slightly bent and moderately swollen apically, with long and narrow apical translucent process. Funicle long and slender, each segment with rosette of fine light semi-errect hairs longer than its length; basal segment of club separated by a shallow constriction and forming an obconical pseudo-8th segment of funicle. Eyes medium-sized, moderately convex.

Pronotum 1.22–1.32 times wider than long, 0.46–0.48 times as long as and 0.59–0.63 times as wide as elytra. Dorsum coarsely punctured, bearing lateral tubercle on each side. Basal margin bisinuate, smooth, not serrate; apical margin moderately raised, with shallow median incision. Sides moderately rounded, weakly converging toward the subapical constriction. Scutellar shield subovate.

Elytra subcordate, 1.01–1.08 times longer than wide, 2.06–2.18 times longer and 1.58–1.70 times wider than pronotum, gently convergent toward the subapical calli; humeral calli moderately prominent; subapical calli weakly prominent. All intervals almost the same in width and height, nearly three times wider than striae, each with a median row of larger and acute squamate granules and with much smaller squamate granules scattered irregularly each side; intervals rarely mingled white lanceolate scales; striae moderately marked, bearing a fine hair-like scale in each puncture; punctures round, deep, separated by a distance about twice as long as its diameter.

Legs with procoxae separated by about width of base of rostrum; mesocoxae separated by width of rostrum at apex. Legs slender; femora weakly swollen along most of length, slightly clavate, each armed with a small tooth; width ratio of femora pro-: meso-: meta- = 1.00: 1.12: 1.42; tibiae long and slender; protibiae weakly curved, finely mucronate at the apex; meso- and metatibiae with very long and slender mucro; tarsi moderate in length, length ratio of tarsi I: II: III: V = 1.41: 1.00: 1.17: 2.29, width ratio = 1.08: 1.07: 1.98: 1.00.; claws free, slender, appendiculate with sharp teeth; tooth slender, extending from the base to middle of each claw.

Prosternum moderately prominent laterally along the lateral margin of the prosternal receptacle. Venter coarsely and moderately densely punctured, all ventrites lying in one plane and flattened medially; ventrite V with a more or less shallow median concavity along the apical margin; length ratio of ventrites I: II: III: IV: V = 3.98: 2.43: 1.00: 1.04: 1.78 and width ratio = 1.86: 1.59: 1.34: 1.21: 1.00.

Pygidium weakly transverse, 1.12 times wider than long. Spiculum gastrale (sternum IX; Fig. 49 ) relatively slender, evidently longer than the penis or its apodeme, bent leftward. Tegmen ( Fig. 48 ) with apodeme slender, nearly 1.1 times as long as the diameter of the tegminal ring, more or less widened toward the apex. Penis ( Figs. 45–47 ) long and slender, relatively thin in profile, more or less moderately curved downward in the basal 1/3, then slightly bent upward in the apical 1/3; sides subparallel from the base to basal 2/3, slightly broadened at the basal 2/ 3, then gradually convergent apically; apical projection ( Fig. 46 ) rounded at apex, without lateral incisions. Basal part of the endophallus ( Fig. 45 ) with numerous moderately dense minute spicules.

Female. LB: 2.43–2.56 (mean, 2.50). LR: 0.69–0.74 (mean, 0.72). WP: 1.01–1.07 (mean, 1.04). LP: 0.81–0.88 (mean, 0.84). WE: 1.63–1.68 (mean, 1.66). LE: 1.69–1.82 (mean, 1.76). N = 2 for all measurements.

Rostrum slightly more slender, 0.85 times longer than the pronotum. Pronotum 1.11–1.20 times wider than long. Elytra 1.04–1.08 times longer than wide. Ventrites I and II moderately inflated, sparsely punctured; ventrite V lacking a concavity. Pygidium 1.19 times wider than long. Sternite VIII ( Fig. 50 ) with a pair of patches of several minute setae near the apex; arms relatively broad, nearly 0.8 times as long as apodemes, slightly shorter than the coxite and stylus combined, moderately basally fused, and apically subparallel; apodemes slender, moderately divergent near the apex. Coxites ( Fig. 51 ) robust, nearly three times longer than styli; styli apicolaterally inserted, long and slender, nearly five times longer than wide. Spermatheca ( Fig. 52 ) with cornu slender, strongly curved and slightly attenuate; collum strongly convex; ramus indistinct; insertions of the duct and gland relatively close to each other.

Type Specimens. HOLOTYPE male (IZCAS), Sichuan / Mt. Emeishan / Huguosi / 550–750 m / 11 VII. 1957 / Y. Lu / IOZ(E)894824. PARATYPES. SICHUAN. Mt. Emeishan, Huguosi: 1 male and 2 females, 550–750 m, 11- VII-1957, Y. Lu, IOZ(E)894825–894827 (IZCAS); 3 males, 550–750 m, 5-VI-1957, Y. Lu, IOZ(E)894823, 894829–894830 (IZCAS). 1 male, Mt. Emeishan, Jiulaodong, 1800–1900 m, 18-VIII-1957, Z. Wang, IOZ(E)894828 (IZCAS). GUANGXI. 1 male, Longsheng, 300 m, S. Wang, 23-V-1963, IOZ(E)894544 (IZCAS). GUIZHOU. 1 male and 2 females, Rongjiang, Pingyang, Xiaodanjiang valley, 14-IX-2005, Y. Liu, IOZ(E)1027873–1027875 (IZCAS). 2 males, Mt. Leigongshan, Fangxiang, 2-VI-2005, J. Liu, IOZ(E)985721– 985722 (IZCAS).

Distribution. China (Sichuan, Guangxi, Guizhou).

Biological notes. Plant association remains unknown.

Remarks. The species is very closely related to Rh. klapperichi in most of the essential morphological characters, including the slightly depressed frons, relatively weakly curved rostrum, long mucro on meso- and metatibiae of male, and long and slender penis. It can be easily distinguished by the continuous apex of the penis, lacking lateral incisions, and the more or less sparsely scattered white lanceolate scales on the elytra.

Figures

FIGURE 53. Geographic distributions of Rhinoncomimus klapperichi, Rh. continuus and Rh. robustus.

FIGURES 1 – 4. Habitus of Rhinoncomimus spp., males. (1 – 2) Rh. klapperichi. (3 – 4) Rh. continuus. (1, 3) Dorsal habitus. (2, 4) Lateral habitus. Scale bars: 0.50 mm.

FIGURES 13 – 24. Heads of Rhinoncomimus spp. (13 – 16) Rh. klapperichi. (17 - 20) Rh. latipes. (21 – 22) Rh. continuus. (23 – 24) Rh. niger. (13 – 14, 17 – 18, 21 – - 22, 23 – 24) Males. (15 – 16, 19 – 20) Females. (13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23) Dorsal view. (14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24) Lateral view. Scale bars: 0.50 mm.

FIGURES 45 – 52. Male and female terminalia of Rhinoncomimus continuus from Sichuan, China. (45 – 49) Male. (45) Penis, dorsal view. (46) Apex of the penis, dorsal view. (47) Penis, lateral view. (48) Tegmen. (49) Sternites VIII and IX. (50 – 52) Female. (50) Sternite VIII. (51) Coxite and stylus. (52) Spermatheca. Scale bar: 0.20 mm for 45 – 50, 0.10 mm for 51 – 52.