Pseudothysanoes kashmirica, Buhroo & Knížek, 2020

Buhroo, Abdul A. & Knížek, Miloš, 2020, New species of Pseudothysanoes Blackman, and Sphaerotrypes Blandford (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) from Jammu and Kashmir, with biological observations, and a key to South Asian species of Sphaerotrypes, Zootaxa 4808 (1), pp. 141-150 : 142-145

Pseudothysanoes kashmirica sp. nov.

( Figures 1–8 )

Diagnosis. The new species is clearly belonging to the Micracidini due to the following morphological characters: lateral and basal margins of pronotum rounded, elytral base transverse, straight, without serrations, lateral margin of protibia with sides parallel, not widened apically, armed by denticles, procoxae moderately separated, and metanepisternum visible throughout its length. The species belongs in Pseudothysanoes due to the following characters: elytra broadly rounded behind (not acuminate or mucronate), pronotum wider than long with summit well-developed, protibia slender, elytral declivity not sulcate, and phloeophagous habit. Pseudothysanoes kashmirica sp. nov. is morphologically related to P. modestus (Murayama) which occurs in Japan, North Korea, Mongolia, East Siberia and China on Ulmus pumila ( Mandelshtam et al. 2007; Knížek 2011). The species can be easily distinguished by the uniseriate scale-like setae and larger size in P. modestus (1.4–1.8 mm) vs setae biseriate on the whole length of interstriae 1 and on declivital part of interstriae 3 and 9 and smaller size in P. kashmirica (1.0– 1.3 mm)

Type material. Holotype, ♂: India: Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar, Dachigam National Park , 34˚ 08.75ʹN, 074˚ 55.60ʹE, elevation 1710 m, 30.ix.2018, leg. A. A. Buhroo ; Allotype, ♀: same as HT; Paratypes: as HT except, 02.x.2018 (2 ♀); 10.x.2018 (8 ♂). HT, AT and 10 PTs deposited at Kashmir University, 4 PTs in MKC, 5 PTs BMNH .

Type locality. Dachigam National Park, Srinagar district of Kashmir valley. The present species is the first record of the genus Pseudothysanoes in South Asia.

Description. Male ( Figs. 1–4 ): Length 1.0– 1.1 mm, 2.2 times as long as wide, body longitudinally oval, darkbrown, covered with pale hair-like and scale-like setae, head black, elytra with flattened erect, dense scales arranged in simple rows (in females, scales are sparse and rows not arranged as neatly as in male), antennae and legs reddish-brown.

Head black, shining in epistomal area, other surfaces of head weakly shining to dull; frons flattened with dense erect golden hair-like setae, vertex finely granulated with minute punctures; eyes elongate-oval. Antennae reddish brown, scapus elongate with few pale hair-like setae, funicle 6-segmented with few pale hair-like setae; antennal club elongate-oval, 1.4 times as long as wide, flattened, sutures 1 and 2 slightly procurved, marked by pale setae; few longish pale setae on its apex.

Pronotum dark brown, 0.8 times as long as wide; widest at base, sides strongly arcuate, very strongly con- stricted on anterior half, anterior margin from dorsal view narrowly rounded and armed by 4 protruding serrations bent backwards; summit behind middle; stronger, wide tubercles on anterior slope; posterior (discal) part weakly shining, reticulate and punctate, surface of anterior half covered by flattened setae along with thin, erect hair-like setae contrary to short pale scale-like setae and adjacent short hair-like setae in posterior half and postero-lateral parts of pronotum. Scutellum large, rounded, with minute punctures and few setae.

Elytra dark reddish-brown, weakly shining, surface finely punctured, 1.4 times as long as wide, 1.7 times as long as pronotum; lateral sides subparallel from base to posterior third of the elytra, posterior third evenly rounded to apex from dorsal view, elytral declivity rounded. A little black shining tumescence on elytral base between interstriae 6 and 8. Striae with microscopic hair-like setae; interstriae with erect short flattened setae, on interstriae 1 and on declivital part of interstriae 3 and 9 setae biseriate, on interstriae 3 and 9 denser on declivity, on even-numbered interstriae setae biseriate on elytral base, uniseriate on elytral disc and declivity.

Sternum (whole) black, dull, punctured and with long pale setae.

Abdomen dark brown to black, the first two abdominal ventrites much wider than the other three, punctate and covered by long pale setae.

Legs reddish-brown covered by pale hair-like setae. Protibiae almost parallel with two spurs on apical margin and series of three socketed teeth on outer margin. Meta- and mesotibiae broadly flattened towards apical margin, with series of socketed teeth on apical margin and intermixed with long setae.

Female ( Figs. 5–8 ): Body 1.2 mm in length, 2.2 times as long as wide; pronotum 0.9 times as long as wide; ely- tra 1.3 times as long as wide, 2.5 times as long as pronotum. Similar to male except the apex of the pronotum is less constricted; serrations at the anterior margin of the pronotum and on its anterior slope in the same arrangement but smaller compared to male; pubescence on the pronotum and frons longer and relatively sparse compared to male, where it is short, stout and dense.

Distribution. Valley of Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir, India.

Host. Cherry bark elm, Ulmus villosa (Ulmaceae) .

Biology. Polygamous and phloeophagous. The male excavates a nuptial chamber ( Fig. 9 ). Several females (2–5) successively enter the mating chamber and after mating excavate their own maternal galleries (one gallery per female) in the inner bark. Each maternal gallery goes in a different direction to the others. The patterns of maternal galleries were found to be irregular, but are mostly transverse, giving the whole gallery system a star-shaped appearance ( Fig. 10 ). The average length of maternal galleries was 1.16 cm (±0.34 SD, n=30). The dissection of the bark showed that eggs were deposited in small individual niches placed regularly on both sides of the maternal gallery. The average fecundity per female was 15.23 eggs (±4.06 SD, n=30). Larval galleries were rather short, approximately 0.5 cm.

It was observed that this species overwintered in adult stage at their respective galleries from the first week of September. The adults remained inactive throughout the winter which resumed their activity from second week of March onwards. The species has three generations per year in Kashmir Valley ( Fig. 11 ). The first generation lasted from the last week of March to mid-June having an average life span of 110 days (n=2). The second generation lasted from the second week of June to August having an average life span of 92 days (n=2) while the third overwintering generation took 202 days (n=2) and was extended from September to March of the following year.

Etymology. The species is named according to type locality, Kashmir Valley.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Seasonal distribution of Pseudothysanoes kashmirica sp. nov. in Kashmir.

FIGURES 1–4. Pseudothysanoes kashmirica sp. nov. Male, dorsal view (1); lateral view (2); head, frontal view (3); head, lateral view showing antenna (4).

FIGURES 5–8. Pseudothysanoes kashmirica sp. nov. Female, dorsal view (5); lateral view (6); head, frontal view (7); head, lateral view showing antenna (8).

FIGURES 9–10. Pseudothysanoes kashmirica sp. nov. Exit holes (9) and maternal gallery pattern (10) excavated in Ulmus villosa.