Cycadophila (Cycadophila) samara Skelley, Xu & Tang

Skelley, Paul, Xu, Guang, Tang, William, Lindström, Anders J., Marler, Thomas, Khuraijam, Jibankumar Singh, Singh, Rita & Rich, Stephen, 2017, Review of Cycadophila Xu, Tang & Skelley (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting Cycas (Cycadaceae) in Asia, with descriptions of a new subgenus and thirteen new species, Zootaxa 4267 (1), pp. 1-63 : 43-45

Cycadophila (Cycadophila) samara Skelley, Xu & Tang , new species

Figs. 14 A–E

Adult diagnosis. A member of the Cycadophila (Cycadophila) papua species group with long maxillary palpi as discussed for the group, recognized by its broad orange mark on the elytra, prosternal process with coxal lines parallel, and occurring in the Philippines.

Adult description. Length 5.90–5.95 mm, width 2.30–2.40 mm. Body in dorsal view elongate, sides evenly arcuate, greatest width at middle of elytra; in lateral view weakly convex dorsally. General body and appendage color solid reddish-brown, with nearly black base of head, pronotal disc, and sutural and lateral margins of elytra, remaining red-orange mark on elytra broad, at base from striae III–VIII; dorsal surface distinctly punctate, surface glossy, dorsally appearing glabrous, with short procumbent hairs associated with punctation behind eyes and along lateral sides and declivity of elytra, ventrally mostly covered with short procumbent setae.

Head in dorsal view conical, gradually narrowed apically, surface flat to slightly convex, distinctly punctured; width 0.95–0.98 mm; dorsal interocular distance 0.55–0.57 mm, head width/dorsal interocular distance ratio 1.72– 1.73, ventral interocular distance 0.40–0.43 mm, head width/ventral interocular distance ratio 2.21–2.38. Eye globular; bordered dorsally with supraocular stria; projected laterally, with large black facets and short, inconspicuous interfacetal setae. Frons with short, dark, subcuticular suture on each side, approximately 1/4 width of frons in length, extending obliquely to lateral margin above and anterior to antennal insertion. Antennal length about 0.90 times pronotal width, and longer than head width, antennomere relative lengths from base to end approximately 17:10:12:10:10:10:10:10:12:12:16; antennomere I (scape) fairly large, slightly elongate, antennomere II slightly smaller than III; IV–VIII small, width equals length; club fairly large, IX–XI similar in length, XI globular. Clypeus truncate anteriorly, anterior margin with long setae; densely punctate; somewhat emarginate, with narrow margin.

Maxillary palpomeres II and III longer than wide; IV elongate, apex densely papillate; relative lengths of II–IV approximately 4:4:8. Labium with mentum pentagonal with carina forming triangular plate projecting medially, with small lateral pockets; labial palpomere III elongate-oval. Mentum and submentum with moderate punctation and setation, setae short. Gular area smooth, without setae or punctation, exceptnear suture with submentum where a shallow U-shaped fovea is present, deepest laterally, bearing setose punctures.

Thorax with pronotum transverse in dorsal view, with marginal beads on all sides; length/width ratio 0.63– 0.67, moderately convex, sides evenly arcuate entire length; anterior angles rounded; lateral carina with fine bead, bead bearing row of fine setose punctures; posterior angle exteriorly angulate; posterior margin projecting medially; with narrow, short longitudinal furrow posterolaterally, beginning at pore on posterior margin, extending forward and ending abruptly, length of furrows relative to pronotal length 0.15–0.21. Prosternum with anterior margin slightly emarginate, finely denticulate with fringe of long, anteriorly directed setae; posterior prosternal process round and convex; coxal lines parallel. Hypomeron with coarse punctures laterally, medially with longitudinal striations. Scutellar shield transverse, posterior margin projected, pentagonal. Elytra elongate, evenly gradually arcuate laterally, convex; length/width 3.25–3.57, greatest width near midlength; with marginal bead basally, striole with 10 punctures; intervals of striae with distinct fine punctures. All elytral punctures bearing a single short seta; seta length barely reaching outside of puncture. Punctation on meso- and metaventrite distinct. Metaventrite long, convex laterally, slightly impressed medially, metathoracic discrimen extending slightly over half metaventral length. Legs narrow, similar in length; femora compressed laterally; tibiae shorter than femora, weakly dilated to narrow apex. Protibia weakly dilated at apex, apical and lateral margin lacking stout spinules, 2– 3 small stout spines present on apical-lateral angle giving angle a sharper appearance. Meso- and metatibia less dilated, nearly parallel-sided at apex.

Abdomen with 5 ventrites bearing fine punctures; anterior margin with intercoxal process narrow, with triangular point anteromedially, lateral edges slightly projected, lateral and posterior margins arcuate, converging posteriorly; anterior and posterior margins of ventrites more or less straight; ventrite I lacking subcoxal line, slightly longer medially than II; I–IV each with pair short hairs located adjacent to midline (often abraded); II–IV subequal in length; V slightly longer than IV with lateral margins converging posteriorly to a rounded apex bearing row of short appressed, densely arranged setae.

Male genitalia (tegmen and median lobe of aedeagus) twisted approximately 45° toward the left side of animal and resting on side. Tegmen sclerotized, triangular, gently twisted; with anterior region ring-like, posterior region sheath-like, posterior margin slightly arcuate; lateral margins gradually converging posteriorly; dorsally with 2 large, elongate, somewhat spatula-shaped parameres with oblique apex. Parameres with long setae apically; length/ width ratio 2:1. Aedeagus with median lobe short, slender, highly sclerotized, apex acuminate. Length of median lobe to penile strut ratio is around 2:9. Female similar to male; pro- and mesotibia narrower than male.

Type locality. Philippines, Samar Island .

Range. Philippines.

Material examined. Holotype (by designation) male with the following labels: 1) [rectangular; white; printed in black ink] “ PHILIPPINES: Samar Is., N of Calbayog , 12°5′6.4″, 124°30′24.5″, ex young ♂ cone Cycas nitida, 13-IV-2011, T. Marler ”; 2) [rectangular; red; printed in black ink] “ HOLOTYPE ♂ Cycadophila samara P. Skelley, G. Xu & W. Tang 2017 ”. Deposited in the FSCA . Allotype and 3 Paratypes with same data as holotype. Deposited in the FSCA . Others examined: PHILIPPINES: Panay Island, Caticlan , 11°52.368’N 122°01.927’E, ex: Cycas edentata ♂ cone, 5/15/2010, T. Marler [specimen destroyed during DNA analysis; pin, label & photograph voucher remain].

Etymology. The specific epithet is based on the island where the holotype was collected with the suffix ‘-a’ added to make it euphonic with the genus name.

Remarks. A specimen yielding a DNA sequence of the 16S rRNA gene that closely matches that of the type specimens was collected in Panay Island, Phillipines on Cycas edentata (see D0081 in Fig. 1 ). The specimen was destroyed during DNA sampling. However, a photographic voucher was taken, which confirms a close morphological match with Cycadophila samara .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Phylogenetic tree based on maximum likelihood analysis of 16 S rRNA gene sequences of four species of New World Pharaxonotha and ten species of Asian Cycadophila. Scale bar indicates base pair substitutions per nucleotide position; numbers on the branches of the trees are bootstrap values.

FIGURE 14. Photographs of Cycadophila (Cycadophila) samara, holotype: A) dorsal habitus; B) ventral habitus; C) head and prosternum, ventral; D) head and pronotum, antero-lateral; E) male genitalia.