Maleuterpes caledonicus, 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 : 177-178

Maleuterpes caledonicus n. sp.

Fig. 74

DESCRIPTION. — Derm dark brown or reddish brown. Scaling dull, dense, covering completely integument; variously patterned with grey, different shades of brown, sometimes with just faint nebulous markings, other times with deeply contrasting patterns of dark brown and chalky white; scutellum and basal part of suture either grey, yellow or white, but not black.

Frons a little wider than intrascrobal distance, with few short, curved setae against eyes. Rostrum slightly but distinctly depressed across base, not or hardly impressed or declivous on middle behind epistome. Epistome not subcarinate posteriorly, shallowly sulcate behind but sulcus usually distinctly interrupted by a short carina. Scape lacking scales. Prothorax strongly humped in male, bicallous at the top, with a slight impression behind calluses or bosses, in female uniformly convex on top, indistinctly impressed on either side. Elytra parallel-sided, in male jointly rounded at apex, in female separately rounded at apex inducing an acute indentation in rear view; suture in male with a spine of varying length behind middle, in female with a slight swelling a little down declivity; interstria 5, rarely also interstria 3 raised to a low costa about the middle, not or slightly broader than the well-marked striae. Metasternum and base of ventrite 1 in male flat or slightly impressed, bare or nearly so, in female convex, squamose. Fore femora strongly compressed in both sexes, basal half of inner surface bare, shiny, in male with a strong, long tooth just beyond middle of lower edge, and a small swelling, tooth or carinule just short of middle on upper edge. Claws connate, equal.

Male: aedeagal body a little over 8 x longer than wide at middle, pedon and tectum solidly fused all the way to a tube; in dorsal view indistinctly wider at base, middle and ostial area, at base with short, not outwards curving projections inducing a half circular emargination; in lateral view weakly curved, evenly deep from base to ostium; apex symmetrical, sinute on either side; apodemes not forming, in lateral view, a distinct curve with pedal projections.

Female: tergite 7 rounded at apex; tergite 8 with numerous, rather long setae; spermatheca simple, without gland or duct extensions, stem gradually tapering towards apex, duct insert near inner angle of base, gland on outer angle; duct about 2 x as long as ovipositor, following direction of spermathecal stem axis.

Length: 1.9-2.3 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype male, 2.2 x 1.1 mm, Mt. Koghi , 500 m, 28.I.1963, G. Kuschel , NZAC. Paratypes BPBM, IRSN, NHMW, NZAC, QMBA, SRFP .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia. 1 male, Col d’Amoss , female, Mt. Mou , 22°05’S, 166°20’, 500-600 m, 25.XII.2004, G. 20°19’S, 164°25’E, 120 m, 30.IV.2005, G. B. Monteith; 1 fema- B. Monteith; 5 males, 1 female, Mt. Koghi , 500-700 m, 28.I.1963, le, Kavatch nr Hienghène, 300 m, 28.X.1978, J. S. Dugdale; 1 G. Kuschel; 2 males, Mt. Koghi , 15.II.1963, N. L. H. Krauss; 1 fefemale, Poindimié, 11.II.1963, C. M. Yoshimoto; 1 male, Table male, Mt. Koghi , 550 m, 5.X.1978, litter sample 78/207, G. Kus- Unio, 800-1000 m, 16.X.1978, G. Kuschel; 2 males, Sarraméa, chel; 1 male, Forêt Nord (Botanic Reserve), 22°19’S, 166°55E, II.1973, N. L. H. Krauss; 1 male, Nepoui Valley, VII-VIII.1940, F. 200 m, 15.II.2004, M. Wanat. 20 specimens .

X. Williams; 1 female, Ciu, 9.I.1969, N. L. H. Krauss; 1 male, 1

ETYMOLOGY. — The latinised epithet ‘caledónicus’ stands for New Caledonian.

REMARKS. — The main features distinguishing M. caledonicus are contained in the key to species.