Maleuterpes acutus, Kuschel, 2008

Kuschel, Guillermo, 2008, Curculionoidea (weevils) of New Caledonia and Vanuatu: Basal families and some Curculionidae, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 197, pp. 99-250 : 176

Maleuterpes acutus n. sp.

Fig. 72

DESCRIPTION. — Derm dark brown or reddish brown. Scaling dull, dense, covering completely derm, with varying colour patterns of white, grey, ferruginous and ochreous, pale colour around eyes, sides of prothorax and elytra, and underside; scutellum velvety black.

Frons 1.25 x wider than intrasrobal distance, with few short, erect setae against eyes. Rostrum in lateral view shallowly depressed across base, distinctly declivous behind transverse sulcus, entire declivous area squamose. Epistome subcarinate posteriorly, sulcus uninterrupted on middle. Scrobes descending about middle of squamose rostral sides. Scape with few scales at claviform apex. Prothorax variously humped, hump in lateral view steep anteriorly, sinuate posteriorly, hump either uniformly convex across top or, most commonly, medially depressed to produce two bosses or swellings. Elytra parallel-sided, in male jointly rounded at apex, in female ending in a sharp sutural upturned point; suture behind middle in male with variously sized tubercle or spine, in female with a slightly raised area, or low tubercle, farther back; interstriae distinctly wider than striae, 3 and 5 raised to short costae at middle, interstria 7 forming a short costa at shoulders. Metasternum and ventrite bare and flattened in male, squamose and slightly convex in female. Fore femora strongly compressed at base in both sexes, basal half in male with a strong long tooth just beyond middle on lower edge and a small swelling or carinule just short of middle on upper edge. Onychium with two robust, equal claws.

Male: aedeagal body a little over 6 x longer than wide, solidly pigmented on basal half to form a tube, dorsally unpigmented from ostium to about middle; in dorsal view slightly wider about middle, distinctly wider at base; in lateral view rather strongly curved, gradually deepening from base to near ostium; base with rather long, outwards curving projections producing, in ventral view, a rather large ogival emargination; apex slightly asymmetric, slightly sinuate on right side, straight or weakly rounded on left side, tapering to a point; apodemes forming, in lateral view, a distinct curve with basal projections of pedon.

Female: tergite 7 distinctly emartginate at apex, emargination bordered by bare membrane; tergite 8 with sparse, short setae. Spermatheca with long, recurved gland extension of base, and a very small gland; duct insertion at right angle away from stem axis of spermatheca and at base of bursa, with numerous convolutions, 3 x the length of ovipositor. or there about.

Length: 2.3-2.8 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype male, 2.5 x 1.1 mm, Pic d’Amoa, 500 m, 28.X.1978, G. Kuschel , NZAC. Paratypes BPBM, MNHW, NZAC, QBMA, SRFP .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia. 6 males, 4 females, Yoshimoto ; 1 male, Mt. Rembai nr Col d’Amieu , 700 m, 18.X.1978, Mandjélia , 550 m, 29.XI.2003 - 31.I.2004, Malaise trap, G. Mon- G. Kuschel; 1 male, 1 female, Col d’Amieu , 400 m, 25.XI.2003 - teith; 1 male, 1 female, Mandjélia , 12-13.XII.2004, G. B. Monteith; 2 27.I.2004, Malaise trap, G. Monteith; 1 male, Mt. Koghi , 500- 550 males, Manjélia (Ouégoa), 8.II.2005, S. Cazères & C. Mille; 1 male, m, 21.I.2004, M. Wanat; 1 male, 6 km N of Païta, 25.I.1963, C. M. 10 km S of Pouebo, 480 m, 22.I.1964, R. Straatman; 2 females, Yoshimoto; 1 male, Ciu, 9.I.1969, N. L. H. Krauss; 2 females, Riviè- Mt. Panié, 270-500 m, 9.X.1967, J. & M. Sedlacek; 3 males, 2 fe- re Bleue, 10.X.1978, G. Kuschel; 3 males, Rivière Bleue Park, Grand males, Pic d’Amoa nr Poindimié, 500 m, 26.X.1978, on Nothofagus Kaori , 160 m, 25.I.2004, Marek Wanat; 14 males, 7 females, Haute aequilateralis, G. Kuschel ; 1 male, Vallée d’Amoa, 7.II.1963, C. M. Rivière Bleue, 180-330 m, 22-26.I..2004, M. Wanat. 55 specimens .

ETYMOLOGY. — Latin ‘acútus’ for sharply pointed, referring to the tip of elytra.