Ottinychus futunae, 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 : 180-181

Ottinychus futunae n. sp.

Fig. 77

DESCRIPTION. — Derm shiny black, antennae and legs reddish brown. Scaling dense except on underside and, in female, on a postscutellar depression, here and there faintly metallic pink, on dorsal surface dark brown with off-white dots or spots, whitish scales prevailing on rostrum, around eyes, on sides, midline and across anterior one-third of pronotum, and most of sides of ventral surface; setae recumbent, fine, inconspicuous.

Head and frons, in lateral view, forming a straight line, distinctly, sparsely punctate; frons anteriorly with fine groove. Eyes small, rather strongly convex, in lateral view at lower level from dorsal surface than srobes, as far from epistome as an antero-posterior diameter. Rostrum distinctly tapering apicad, in profile dorsally curved; intrascrobal width 0.7 of frons between eyes.

Prothorax as wide as or very slightly wider than long, widening in straight line to about middle, then rounded apicad, transversely convex, longitudinally nearly straight; disc sparsely, distinctly punctate, with a seta in puncta. Scutellum dull, in dorsal view semicircular, in lateral view conical.

Elytra 1.6 x longer than combined width, 1.27 x wider than prothorax, distinctly converging in straight line to about middle, to follow with slightly sinuate sides to a jointly rounded apex, transversely convex, in lateral view dorsally straight to about apical one-third, then curving down. Striae well marked, partly sulcate, stria 10 muich finer from base of abdomen to apex. Interstriae much wider than striae, sutural interstria in female depressed and bare at basal one-quarter and humeral area compressed to a conspicuous costa, costa continuing on interstria 8 but gradually fading shortly behind humeral angle; interstria 10 not raised to a swelling at apex.

Fore coxae disjunct by as much as aapical thickness of scape. Metasternum bare, sparsely punctate on middle, with a distinct fovea posteroprly; ventrites 1 and 2 sparsely, coarsely punctate, suture between themn sharp, somewhat prominent, ventrites 3 and 4 with one row of much finer puncta, 5 finely punctate in male, coarsely in female.

Genitalia. In generic description above.

Length: 1.8-2.2 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype male, 1.9 x 0.85 mm, Futuna, 24.VIII.1979, W. C. Gagne , BPBM. Paratypes with BPBM, NZAC .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Vanuatu. Futuna: 8 males, 5 females, 300-600 m, 24.VIII.1979, 7 on Evodia (?), W. C. Gagne; Aneityum :

1 male, Anelgashat, 0-200 m, XI.1978, N L H Krauss. 14 specimens.

HOSTPLANTS. — Evodia ? ( Rutaceae ).

ETYMOLOGY. — The species name ‘futúnae’ is after the main island of occurrence.

REMARKS. — Distinguished from other species of the genus by having a relatively narrow prothorax and, in female,

by having a strongly developed costa or flange in the humeral area.