Parallocorynus (Parallocorynus) perezfarrerai, O’Brien & Tang, 2015

O’Brien, Charles W. & Tang, William, 2015, Revision of the New World cycad weevils of the subtribe Allocorynina, with description of two new genera and three new subgenera (Coleoptera: Belidae: Oxycoryninae), Zootaxa 3970 (1), pp. 1-87 : 44-46

Parallocorynus (Parallocorynus) perezfarrerai Tang and O’Brien, new species

Figures: habitus: 69–72; antennal pockets: 118; male genitalia: 159–160, 190, 205–206, 230; female genitalia: 257.

DESCRIPTION—Body small to large (range 2.9–5.2 mm, mean = 4.2 mm, n = 47), robust, elongate broad-oval; bicolored, dark brown to brownish orange.

Male (holotype). Rostrum: very long, 1.09 X longer than pronotum; piceous to black; strongly coarsely denticulate dorsally, from base nearly to apex; weakly expanded near apex; weakly somewhat evenly curved in lateral view. Head: behind eyes and vertex with moderately dense, moderately fine, shallow punctures; forehead coarsely, rugosely punctate, with distinct, long, moderately broad, deep, median sulcus; forehead strongly narrowed apically, 0.59 X as wide between median basal margin and apical margin of eyes; eyes small, bulging with edge produced by narrowing of eye at junction with head. Antennae: scape 1.56 X longer than eye and 1.27 X longer than desmomeres 1+2, desmomeres 1, 5 & 6 short and subequally long, 2–4 more elongate (1.17–1.19 X longer than 1, 5 & 6), 7 shorter (0.86 X as long as 1, 5 & 6); 6–7 moderately transverse; scape and desmomeres 1– 2 brownish orange, 3–7 piceus to black; club black to brownish orange at tip of distal rhopalomere. Thorax: venter uniformly brownish orange. Prothorax: strongly transverse, 1.32 X wider than long; wider than width of elytral base; apex moderately narrow, sides strongly roundly expanding to basal 1/4, there strongly rounded to base; lateral margins not denticulate, and as on disc with fine, small, sparse, widely separated punctures; uniform brownish orange. Scutellum: brownish orange with lateral margins straight and subparallel, apically broadly rounded; with densely rugose small punctures and scarcely evident, short, fine, recumbent, pale colored setae. Elytra: 0.59 X as wide as long; subparallel behind rounded humeri to expanded declivity, there gradually evenly broadly rounded to slightly emarginate apices; with small, fine, dense, well-separated punctures on entire surface, overall smooth, shining, not shagreened; basal half brownish orange, piceous in apical half. Legs: moderately robust, procoxae moderately convex, lacking processes; profemora moderately symmetrically swollen, with small apical pit-like impression receiving base of tibia, apical margins with weak obtuse process, dorsally moderately punctured, appearing shagreened; protibiae moderately stout in lateral view, with base angulately rounded with slightly obtuse bend, lacking inner tooth, inner surface very weakly excavate medially from obtuse bend to half of length, bounded on anterior edge by margin becoming strong ridge in distal half of tibia and posteriorly by weak margin disappearing in distal half of tibia there becoming rounded with inner surface twisting in posterior direction and merging with posterior surface of tibia, neither margin of groove denticulate, apex with small anterior mucro, and subequal tooth. Abdomen: brownish orange. Length, pronotum and elytron: 4.68 mm.

Female. Same as male except: Rostrum: 1.45 X longer than pronotum; moderately strongly, evenly curved. Prothorax: 1.38 X wider than long; slightly wider than width of elytral base; apex narrow, strongly rounded from narrowed apex to slightly narrowed base. Length, pronotum and elytron: 4.62 mm.

Genitalia and Associated Structures— Male. Length of penis and apodemes together 1.28–1.47 mm (n = 4) (Figs. 159–160). Penis: in dorsal view apex triangular, lateral margins tapering to blunt point, about as long as wide, noticeably widening at gonopore; gonopore, with sac in retracted position, capped with sclerotized knob (Fig. 190). Tegmen: with distal margin with more than 20 setae (Figs. 205–206, 230). Female. Sternite VIII: 1.22–1.25 mm long (n = 3), arms ~ half as long as apodeme, diverging from apodeme with angle between arms gradually increasing until reaching 40˚ for 2/3 of length, then arms making sharp angulate bend inward and becoming subparallel to slightly convergent for remaining 1/3 of length (Fig. 257).

Intraspecific Variation— The rostral length relative to the pronotal length of males = 1.04–1.20 (mean = 1.11, n = 26) and of females = 1.36–1.52 (mean = 1.44, n = 20); the pronotal width relative to the pronotal length of males = 1.21–1.36 (mean = 1.34, n = 26) and of females = 1.30–1.47 (mean = 1.37, n = 20).

Etymological Note— The species is named in honor of Miguel Ángel Pérez Farrera for his contributions to cycad taxonomy, ecology and conservation in Mexico.

Remarks— This species is currently known only from central Veracruz on Dioon edule and differs in elytral color pattern and proportion of pronotal length relative to elytral length in females compared to the related P. norstogi found in D. angustifolium and related forms of Dioon north of the Mexican transvolcanic belt, some 300– 500 km to the northwest. Molecular analysis of the 16S rRNA gene ( Tang et al. in prep.) indicates that P. perezfarrerai is genetically distinct from all other species of the subgenus Parallocorynus so far sampled from the Veracruz, Puebla, Oaxaca and Chiapas regions, indicating a long period of reproductive isolation from other known species of the subgenus inhabiting southern Mexico. This species is found together with Parallocorynus (Neocorynus) iglesiasi in the male cones of Dioon edule . Female individuals of the two species are similar, but can be distinguished by the rostral length relative to the pronotal length, which is greater in P. iglesiasi , ranging 1.55– 1.70.

Biology— This species inhabits the male cones of Dioon edule .

Range— Known from Mexico, in the state of Veracruz, where its host occurs as two disjunct forms, the Chavarillo form ranging from Monte Oscuro to Actopan and the Palma Sola form ranging from Farallón to Colorado (T. Gregory pers. comm.). Molecular analysis of the 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene of specimens from the two host forms indicates that they have identical squences ( Tang et al. in press).

Material Examined— Holotype (by designation) male with the following labels: 1) [rectangular; white; printed in black ink] MEXICO, Veracruz,/ Monte Oscuro, ex/ Dioon edule ♂ cone,/ 2-XI-2012, A. Vovides; 2) [rectangular; red; printed in black ink] HOLOTYPE ♂ / Parallocorynus (Parallocorynus) / perezfarrerai/ Tang & O’Brien 2015 (CAS). Paratypes: same label data, (25); MEXICO: Veracruz: Municipio Actopan, Rancho del Nino, 8-X-2002, A. Vovides, C. Iglesias & P. Aguilar, Dioon edule (15); [Municipio Emiliano Zapata, Monte Oscuro] ex ♂ cone of Dioon edule , 20.viii.1993, A.P.Vovides (4); Monte Oscuro, Municipio Emiliano Zapata, X-2002, A.Vovides, C. Iglesias, P. Aguilar, male cone Dioon edule (18); Xalapa, 500 m., V-1989, L. Whitelock, male, cone of Dioon edule, FSCA (2); Farallón, [GPS coord. omitted], 30m, ex ♂ cone Dioon edule , 16-XI-2012, W. Tang (343); Colorado, [GPS coord. omitted], 444 m, Dioon edule cone ♂, 17-XI-2014, W. Tang (13), emerge 17– 21-XI-2014 (44); emerge 22–28-XI-2014 (143). Paratypes (607) are deposited at ANIC, ASUT, BMNH, CAS, CMNC, CSCA, CWOB, EMEC, FMNH, FSCA, IADIZA, IEXA, IZCAS, MIUP, MNHN, STRI, UCFC, UNAM, USNM, ZMHB.

Subgenus Dysicorynus Tang and O’Brien, new subgenus

Type species: Parallocorynus (Dysicorynus) andrewsi Tang and O’Brien, new species

DIAGNOSIS. The subgenus Dysicorynus can be distinguished from other Allocorynina by the following diagnostic characters: male profemoral ventral surface without granules, spines or pegs; the apex of the penis is twice as long as wide (Figs. 191–192); in other genera and subgenera the apex is approximately as long as wide. It can also be distinguished from other subgenera of the genus Parallocorynus by the length of the spermathecal tube in females, which is as long as or longer than sternite VIII (Figs. 264–265) and 2 X or more as long as in the other subgenera. Molecular analysis of the 16S rRNA gene ( Tang et al. in prep.) indicates that this subgenus is most closely related to the subgenera Neocorynus and Eocorynus .

DESCRIPTION. Body small to large (BL = 2.6 – 4.5 mm, mean = 3.6 mm, n = 35); robust, elongate broad-oval; uniformly yellowish-orange to brown.

Male. Rostrum: 1.02 – 1.20 X longer than pronotum (n = 31). Antennae: scape length = 1.15–1.59 X eye length (n = 10; mean for each species = 1.29–1.42) and 1.16–1.43 X length of desmomeres 1+2 (n = 10; mean for each species = 1.21–1.35); width of antennal club pits ~ diameter of socket for club rhopalomere (Figs. 119–120). Prothorax: pronotal width/pronotal length (PW/PL) = 1.27 – 1.47 [mean = 1.37 (highest for genus), n = 31]; distance from anterior margin of procoxae to anterior margin of prosternum on average 3.0–3.1 X distance from posterior margin of procoxae to posterior margin of prosternum. Legs: profemora not sexually dimorphic with absence of any spines, pegs or granulations on ventral surface; not asymmetrically swollen.

Female. Same as male except: Rostrum: 1.27 – 1.44 X longer than pronotum (n = 18), on average 20 – 25% greater in than in males. Prothorax: PW/PL= 1.34 – 1.48 [mean = 1.43 (highest for genus), n = 18], on average 3 – 10% greater than in males; distance from anterior margin of procoxae to anterior margin of prosternum on average 2.5–2.6 X distance from posterior margin of procoxae to posterior margin of prosternum.

Genitalia and Associated Structures— Male. Length of penis and apodemes together 1.25 – 1.44 mm (n = 5). Penis: in dorsal view sides subparallel for most of length; length of apex from orifice to apex ~ 2 X width of apex at orifice, lateral margins subparallel for ~ 2/3 of basal length then with gradually increasing taper and becoming convex until rounded point (Figs. 161 – 164, 191 – 192). Internal sac: distal section mostly covered by spicules. Tegmen: apex of apical plate in dorsal view fringed with <20 setae; length of longest setae <half width of apical plate, typically only setae in apical corners visible, those along center of apex pointing ventrally (Figs. 207 – 208, 231 – 232). Female. Sternite VIII: (Figs. 258 – 259) 0.96 – 1.00 mm long (n = 5), arms ~ half as long as apodeme, diverging from apodeme at constant or slightly increasing angle between arms for 2/3 – 4/5 of length, then forming sharp angulate bend of ~ 90˚, then converging, apices not touching. Spermathecal tube: with uncoiled length = or> length of sternite VIII (Fig. 264).

Etymological note— The name of the subgenus is masculine and latinized from the Greek words dysis (down, setting of the sun) and koryne (club) and indicates its geographic distribution in western Mexico and its close relationship to other subgenera of Parallocorynus .

Remarks— Molecular analysis of the 16S rRNA gene ( Tang et al. in prep.) indicates this subgenus is most closely related to the subgenera Neocorynus and Eocorynus .

Host and Geographic Distribution— This subgenus appears to be restricted to western Mexico and all of its members inhabit male cones of D. sonorense , D. stevensonii or D. tomasellii .