Notorhopalotria, O’Brien, Charles W. & Tang, William, 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 : 14-15

Notorhopalotria Tang and O’Brien, new genus

Type species: Notorhopalotria taylori Tang and O’Brien, new species

DIAGNOSIS. Notorhopalotria can be distinguished from other Allocorynina by the following diagnostic characters: ventrodistal surface of profemora in males with a pair of stout spines or two rows of teeth or pegs that are located well away from the apical pit that receives the base of the tibia in repose (Figs. 271–272) (as opposed to only one spine, a pair of spines located at the margin of the apical pit, a field of granules ‒ 3 or more granules in width, or lacking processes); tegmen with maximum apical setal length greater than width of apical plate; apical plate not rigid, flexible with margins able to curl in ventral direction along longitudinal axis; wing anal venation much reduced: 2A present, 1A1, 1A2 missing and 3A obsolete beyond its confluence with 2A.

DESCRIPTION. Body minute to medium-sized (BL = 1.6–4.0 mm); elongate oval; unicolored brown except with dark maculation on center of pronotum in one species ( N. montgomeryensis ).

Male. Rostrum: rugose to denticulate on dorsal and dorsolateral surfaces, degree of denticulation increasing with size of individual; 0.56–0.97 X as long as pronotum (n = 33); labial palps 2-segmented. Head: without postocular transverse groove. Antennae: insertion facing ventrad; scape length = 0.78–1.19 X eye length and 1.09–1.64 X length of desmomeres 1+2 (n = 17), rhopalomeres 1 & 2 of club with field of 3 pits on each side (visible at 112.5 X magnification; Figs. 102–105), central pit largest and often with filaments along rim pointing to center, adjoining pit occasionally fused with central pit into one pit with irregular outline (Fig. 105), pit diameter <diameter of socket of apical rhopalomere. Eyes: dorsal interocular distance/head width at eye = 0.29–0.42; postocular head width = 0.98–1.16 X head width at eye (n = 32). Prothorax: without impressed line paralleling anterior margin, no distinct thickened sclerotized anterior collar, marginal region smooth and gradually thinning toward margin articulating with head; fine hairs fringing anterior margin of pronotum visible at 40–112.5X magnification, but always obsolete or possibly worn off on dorsum in area bounded by eyes; pronotal width/ pronotal length (PW/PL) = 1.21–1.49 (n = 32); notopleural suture short and not reaching near anterior margin of prosternum; distance from anterior margin of procoxae to anterior margin of prosternum on average 0.7–1.2 X distance from posterior margin of procoxae to posterior margin of prosternum; sclerotized, black septum completely separating procoxal cavities; individuals with pronotum, dorsal surface of head and profemora with fine reticulation visible under high magnification 40–100X. Legs: profemora asymmetrically swollen in major males, ventrodistal surface with two parallel spines or parallel rows of teeth or pegs located well away from apical pit receiving tibia (Figs. 271–272), ventroproximal surface with ridge, often continuous with ventrodistal rows of pegs/spines and sometimes forming elevated base for pegs/spines. Wings: anal veins reduced, only 2A reaching margin, 1A1, 1A2 missing, 3A obsolete beyond confluence with 2A; rm vein not sclerotized, Mr vein with distal spur beyond confluence with rm, length of spur <length of Mr vein distal to confluence with rm (Fig. 100).

Female. Same as male except: Rostrum: 1.02–1.51 X longer than pronotum (n = 32), 61–97% greater than in males (the greatest degree of sexual dimorphism in this trait in the Allocorynina ). Antennae: scape length = 1.04– 1.22 X eye length and 1.24–1.64 X length of desmomeres 1+2 together (n = 17). Prothorax: PW/PL = 1.43–1.57 (n = 32), on average 6–10% longer in females, but typically with some overlap between sexes within species. Legs: profemora asymmetrically, weakly, but definitely swollen.

Genitalia and Associated Structures— Male. Length of penis and apodemes together 0.69–1.24 mm. Penis: dorsoventrally flattened, trough-shaped (Figs. 127–134), in dorsal view lateral margins subparallel or penis expanded slightly in apical direction for most of length, narrowing distally just basad to orifice, culminating in rounded point at apex (Figs. 174–177); transverse dorsal sclerotized bridge at base absent or weakly developed; apodemes 0.79–1.00 X as long as penis; widening gradually from apex until greatest width just before rounded base (Figs. 127–134). Internal sac: membranous with spicules on apical portion, endophallic sclerite visible at base (Figs. 127, 132), or not, but structure not yet fully discerned, in retracted position internal sac telescoped or not and barely protruding from base of penis or extending nearly to base of apodemes, length varying between individuals within population, or not, possibly reflecting virgin vs. mated status. Tegmen: apical plate rigid at junction with apodemes, but flexible with distal portion able to curl in ventral direction along central longitudinal axis into partial cylinder; in dorsal view (Figs. 199–200, 214–217) ~ twice as long as width of base, sides subparallel when not curled; no distal apical visor-like structure; apex fringed with 8–13 setae, length = to or> width of apical plate; dorsal arch extending underneath apical plate only in basal portion. Female. Sternite VIII: 0.54–0.83 mm long (Figs. 241–244), arms ~ half as long as apodeme, diverging from apodeme approximately evenly at angle between arms of 50–70˚ for half of length then becoming parallel; apical band of setae equal in length to maximum width between arms. Spermathecal tube: coiled, texture relatively smooth without external filaments, length> or = length of apodeme of sternite VIII.

Etymological Note— The name of this genus is feminine and latinized from the Greek word notos (south) combined with Rhopalotria , indicating the southernmost genus of Allocorynina known to us and its superficial resemblance to the genus Rhopalotria .

Remarks —As here delimited this genus corresponds to the “Western Panama ”, “Eastern Panama ” and “pseudoparasitica ” species groups of Tang & O’Brien (2012). In this paper we recognize only two species groups in Notorhopalotria : 1) a western Panama group consisting of N. montgomeryensis and N. taylori and 2) an eastern species group consisting of N. panamensis and N. platysoma . Species of the two groups can be distinguished by pronotal characters: 1) the disk of the pronotum in the western group is arched versus relatively flat in the eastern group and 2) by the lesser amount of punctation in the eastern group (average distance between punctures = 3 X own width versus 2 X own width in the western group). Molecular analysis of the 16S rRNA mitochondrial gene ( Tang et al. in prep.) indicates that this genus is the second most basal of the Allocorynina , after Protocorynus .

Hosts and Geographic Distribution— This is the southernmost lineage of the Allocorynina and appears to be a southern extension of the subtribe from its center of diversity in Mesoamerica. This genus is restricted to the cycad genus Zamia and is known from some, but not all species of Zamia surveyed in Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia ( Tang & O’Brien 2012). Central America emerged from the sea as a chain of islands in the Miocene ( Coates 1997) and this genus may have evolved within this archipelago; the closing of the seaway separating Central America from South America only 2 million years ago may explain its limited incursion into South America, despite an abundance of Zamia species there.