Cryptolarynx estriatus ( Marshall, 1957 )

Haran, Julien M., Marvaldi, Adriana E., Benoit, Laure, Oberlander, Kenneth, Stals, Riaan & Oberprieler, Rolf G., 2023, Revision of the enigmatic South African Cryptolaryngini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), with description of a new genus and twenty-two new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 877 (1), pp. 1-89 : 36-39

10. Cryptolarynx estriatus ( Marshall, 1957)

Figs 1J , 2J , 3J , 4J , 5J

Cryptopharynx estriatus Marshall, 1957: 19

Cryptolarynx estriatus – Van Schalkwyk 1966: 745 (implied new combination). — Oberprieler et al. 2007: 505, fig. 17 (colour photograph).

Differential diagnosis

Cryptolarynx estriatus can be distinguished from all other species of the genus by its suberect scales on epifrons, the two short carinae on ventrite 1 of the male and the unique long seta on the parameroid lobes.

Material examined

Holotype REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA • ♂; “ Type ” “S Africa. Cape Province [ REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA – Northern Cape]. Nieuwoudtville [31.38° S, 19.11° E]. 18-22 xi 1931 ” “ Miss A. Mackie ” “ Cryptopharynx . estriatus . Mshl. TYPE” “ G.A.K. Marshall. Coll. B.M.1950-255”; NHMUK.

Other material REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA – Northern Cape • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Nieuwoudtville ; 31.383° S, 19.100° E; 14 Sep. 1985; S. Endrödy-Younga leg.; flowering fynbos vegetation; E-Y:2242; TMSA • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Nieuwoudtville; 31.383° S, 19.183° E; 15 Sep. 1985; S. Endrödy-Younga leg.; flowering Karoo vegetation; E-Y:2243; TMSA • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; CBGP • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; Nieuwoudtville ca 30 km S, near De Hoop Farm; 31.550° S, 19.183° E; 15 Jul. 1996; S. Neser leg.; feeding on leaves of Homeria [now Moraea ] sp. ( Iridaceae ) growing in road verge; ANIC • 3 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; SANC.

Redescription (♂)

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 1.75–2.5 mm.

COLOUR AND VESTITURE. Body integument black, scapes and tarsi reddish; vestiture of dorsum (pronotum + elytra) consisting of short, appressed, narrowly elliptical clothing scales partly concealing integument, slightly overlapping or subcontiguous, and longer, suberect clothing scales at least 2 × as long as wide on strial punctures; colour pattern consisting of broad median stripe of pearly brown scales on pronotum and elytra, flanked on either side by narrower stripe of white scales, laterally with paler brown scales intermixed with sparser white scales, without distinct white spots on elytral declivity.

HEAD. Forehead narrower than width of an eye, surface flat. Eyes flat, in dorsal view only slightly exceeding outline of head, surrounded by a ring of short pale scales directed towards centre of eye except mesal ones directed posteriad; distance between eye and scrobe as wide as antennal club. Epifrons narrow, distance between antennal insertions 0.5 × length of scape, scales narrow, 3 × as long as wide, suberect. Frons with double pair of long lateral setae. Epistome with single median seta ca half as long as frontal setae. Antennae with funicle segment 1 and 2 elongate, more than 2 × as long as wide; 3–4 slightly longer than wide, slightly compressed, slightly angulate on inside, 2 and 4 on inside slightly angled; 5–7 isodiametric, subglobular.

PRONOTUM. Strongly transverse, nearly 1.5 × as wide as long (W:L ratio 1.4–1.5), subcircular in dorsal view, widest just behind middle of length, sides strongly arcuate in basal half, straight and converging in apical half; anteriorly 2× narrower than posteriorly.

ELYTRA. Globular, isodiametric (W:L ratio 1); sides convex, widest near midlength.

LEGS. Tibiae with black apical mucro; protibiae with outer margin straight, inner margin with series of small black teeth in apical half; metatibiae with outer and inner margins faintly sinuate, mucro subperpendicular to external margin. Tarsi short, segment 2 wider than long (W:L ratio 1.4).

ABDOMEN. Ventrites with creamy-white to pale brown plumose scales almost concealing integument, medially intermixed with long suberect setae; ventrite 1 concave medially, flanked on either side by a short but high, flat, black peg midway between anterior margin at metacoxae and posterior margin.

TERMINALIA. Body of penis elongate (W:L ratio 0.45), 0.9× as long as temones, sides subparallel, strongly rounded inwards distally, apex subacuminate; curvature in profile weak and regular, dorsoventrally strongly flattened before apex. Copulatory sclerite indistinct, consisting of short, very thin, outwardly curved sclerotised rods at apices of longer and thicker crescentic fields of very fine asperities. Parameroid lobes separate, divided by deep median notch, each with anteapical constriction, bearing long marginal setae and shorter setae discally, all setae orientated centrifugally. Spiculum gastrale with basal arms regularly curved.

Sexual dimorphism

The sexes can be distinguished foremost by the conspicuous pair of flat black pegs on ventrite 1 in the male (absent in the female).

Life history

Specimens of C. estriatus were found on the ground or feeding on vegetation, but no precise data of its host plants are known. A series of adults was found feeding on leaves of Moraea by S. Neser near Nieuwoudtville in 1995, and they also fed on this plant in captivity ( Oberprieler et al. 2007: fig. 17), but, in view of the wide use of Oxalis as larval host in Cryptolarynx , the larvae of C. estriatus probably also develop in bulbs of an Oxalis species rather than on Moraea . Adults were collected in July, September and November.

Distribution

Most specimens were collected in the Nieuwoudtville area, on the escarpment ( Fig. 13 ).

Remarks

Marshall described this species based on a single female, but examination of the genitalia of ts specimen showed that it is actually a male. No fresh material of this species could be obtained.

Figures

Fig. 1 (Part I) (next page). Habitus of males of species of Cryptolarynx Van Schalkwyk, 1966 (dorsal view). A. C. vitis (Marshall, 1957). B. C. subglaber Haran sp. nov. C. C. squamulatus Haran sp. nov. D. C. muellerae Haran sp. nov. E. C. hirtulus Haran sp. nov. F. C. robustus Haran sp. nov. G. C. namaquanus Haran sp. nov. H. C. carinatus Haran sp. nov. I. C. variabilis Haran sp. nov. J. C. estriatus (Marshall, 1957). K. C. pyrophilus Haran sp. nov. L. C. pilipes Haran sp. nov. Not to scale.

Fig. 2 (Part I) (next page). Male genitalia of species of Cryptolarynx Van Schalkwyk, 1966. Penis in dorsal and lateral view (left), tegmen in dorsal view (middle) and details of apex of a parameroid lobe and spiculum gastrale in dorsal view (right). A. C. vitis (Marshall, 1957). B. C. subglaber Haran sp. nov. C. C. squamulatus Haran sp. nov. D. C. muellerae Haran sp. nov. E. C. hirtulus Haran sp. nov. F. C. robustus Haran sp. nov. G. C. namaquanus Haran sp. nov. H. C. carinatus Haran sp. nov. I. C. variabilis Haran sp. nov. J. C. estriatus (Marshall, 1957). K. C. pyrophilus Haran sp. nov. L. C. pilipes Haran sp. nov. Not to scale.

Fig. 3 (Part I) (next page). Habitus of males of species of Cryptolarynx Van Schalkwyk, 1966 (lateral view). A. C. vitis (Marshall, 1957). B. C. subglaber Haran sp. nov. C. C. squamulatus Haran sp. nov. D. C. muellerae Haran sp. nov. E. C. hirtulus Haran sp. nov. F. C. robustus Haran sp. nov. G. C. namaquanus Haran sp. nov. H. C. carinatus Haran sp. nov. I. C. variabilis Haran sp. nov. J. C. estriatus (Marshall, 1957). K. C. pyrophilus Haran sp. nov. L. C. pilipes Haran sp. nov. Not to scale.

Fig. 4 (Part I) (next page). Head of males of species of Cryptolarynx Van Schalkwyk, 1966. A. C. vitis (Marshall, 1957). B. C. subglaber Haran sp. nov. C. C. squamulatus Haran sp. nov. D. C. muellerae Haran sp. nov. E. C. hirtulus Haran sp. nov. F. C. robustus Haran sp. nov. G. C. namaquanus Haran sp. nov. H. C. carinatus Haran sp. nov. I. C. variabilis Haran sp. nov. J. C. estriatus (Marshall, 1957). K. C. pyrophilus Haran sp. nov. L. C. pilipes Haran sp. nov. Not to scale.

Fig. 5 (Part I). Ventrites of males of species of Cryptolarynx Van Schalkwyk, 1966. A. C. vitis (Marshall, 1957). B. C. subglaber Haran sp. nov. C. C. squamulatus Haran sp. nov. D. C. muellerae Haran sp. nov. E. C. hirtulus Haran sp. nov. F. C. robustus Haran sp. nov. G. C. namaquanus Haran sp. nov. H. C. carinatus Haran sp. nov. I. C. variabilis Haran sp. nov. J. C. estriatus (Marshall, 1957), with details of a cuticular carina (white arrows). K. C. pyrophilus Haran sp. nov. L. C. pilipes Haran sp. nov. Not to scale.

Fig. 13. Distribution maps of species of Cryptolarynx Van Schalkwyk, 1966 and Hadrocryptolarynx Haran gen. nov.