Aralius gemellus, 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 : 112-113

Aralius gemellus n. sp.

Figs 4, 109, 113

DESCRIPTION — Reddish brown or dark brown; integument moderately shiny if not coated with a film of waxy exudation. Vestiture consisting of short, appressed, coarse hairs or scales, and of short and long semierect, squamiform setae arranged on alternate interstriae.

Head similar in both sexes, transverse, 0.79 the width across eyes from epistomal apex to neck, densely, coarsely reticulate-punctate up to a transverse impression halfway between eyes and apical margin, with temples, in dorsal view, about as long as an anteroposterior diameter of eyes; depressed area finely punctate. Vestiture reddish or golden, raised, short, squamiform except on anterior part; apical margin fringed with long golden setae, fringe enhanced with similar long laterodorsal setae on mandibles. Eyes small, hemispherical, with abundant coarse interfacettal setae on upper half. Antennae robust, short, not extending to middle of prothoracic sides; segment 2 broadly triangular; segment 3 not or hardly longer than wide; segments 4-9 slightly to distinctly transverse. Rostrum on underside in male with a tuft of dense, tight, pale setae just behind postmentum, elsewhere with coarse puncta in both sexes, puncta sometimes transversely coalescent forming rugae.

Prothorax not wider than head across eyes, 1.27 x wider than long, evenly rounded on sides, truncate at apex, convexly rounded at base, constricted at apex to a narrow ring fringed with fine setae on margin, and with coarser and longer setae right behind; ring incomplete dorsally on median area; disc not or weakly convex, with shallow anteromedian depression; sculpture as on head, densely reticulate-punctate, equally with very shiny surface in bottom of puncta. Vestiture similar to that on head.

Elytra about 1.10 x wider than prothorax, 1.65-1.67 x longer than combined width, very slightly converging from shoulders to a broadly rounded apex; base slightly concavely curved, humeral angle well developed but not callous. Dorsum flattish to a good extent; striae about as wide as interstriae.

Male: genitalia largely as for A. wollastoni in Kuschel (2003: figs 92-95).

Female: tergite 8 (Fig. 109) elonngate, with fewer than 10 large, blunt teeth. Hemisternites (Fig. 113) elongate, with long apical setae.

Length: 2.5-3.3 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype female (teneral, free of wax), 2.8 x 1.0 mm, Col de Mouirange , NZAC. Paratypes BPBM, IRSN, MNHN, MNHW, NZAC, SRFP .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia. 3 specimens, Aoupi- Kuschel ; 1male, 1female, Col de Mouirange , 11.X.1978, ex sifnié, 600-700 m, 21°10’S, 165°18’E, 6.II.2004, M. Wanat; 1 male, ted leaf litter sample 78/225, G. Kuschel; 29 specimens, Haute Mt. Rembai nr Col d’Amieu, 700 m, 20.X.1978, under bark of Rivière Bleue, 180-330 m, 22°05’S, 166°38’E, 23-28.I.2004, M. dead branch, J. C. Watt; 1male, Mt. Koghi, 600 m, 12.X.1978, G. Wanat. 36 specimens .

HOSTPLANTS. — Unknown, presumably Araliaceae .

ETYMOLOGY. — The species name ‘geméllus’, Latin for twins, is given because males and females are look-alikes.

REMARKS. — A. gemellus is distinguished, apart from the characters listed in the key, by having, in the female, an elongated sternite 8 with only 7 or 8 larger, blunt teeth at apex. It seems to be the only species of the subfamily without obvious sexual dimorphism of the head.