Elaeidobius spatulifer ( Marshall, 1950 ) Haran & Beaudoin-Ollivier & Benoit & Kuschel, 2020

Haran, Julien M., Beaudoin-Ollivier, Laurence, Benoit, Laure & Kuschel, Guillermo, 2020, Revision of the palm-pollinating weevil genus Elaeidobius Kuschel, 1952 (Curculionidae, Curculioninae, Derelomini) with descriptions of two new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 684, pp. 1-32 : 8-9

Elaeidobius spatulifer ( Marshall, 1950) comb. nov.

Figs 1B , 2B , 4B

Prosoestus spatulifer Marshall, 1950: 264 .

Material examined

Holotype

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO • “Musée du Congo.Thysville. - XI–1935. 2445. J Ghesquière” “ HOLOTYPUS. spatulifer ♂. Marsh [red label]” “ Prosoestus spatulifer . Mshl. TYPE ♂ ” “ Holotype ♂. Prosoestus . spatulifer . Marshall 1950. Kuschel 2009 [red label]” “ Elaeidobius . spatulifer . ( Marshall 1950). Kuschel 2009”; MRAC.

Paratypes

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO • same collection data as for holotype; “ PARATYPUS. ♀ [red label]” “ Prosoestus spatulifer . Mshl. Cotype ♀ ” “ Paratype. Prosoestus . spatulifer . Marshall 1950. Kuschel 2009” “ Elaeidobius . spatulifer . ( Marshall 1950). Kuschel 2009”; MRAC • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; NHMUK.

Other material

Other specimens identified and labelled by G. Kuschel at NHMUK and NZAC.

Diagnosis (♂ ♀)

BODY LENGTH. 2.5–2.9 mm.

COLOUR. Derm dorsally reddish brown, ventrally dark brown, elytra vaguely darker on interstria 2 and laterally on interstriae 6 and 7; antennae and legs reddish or yellowish.

HEAD. Forehead not impressed in either sex. Rostrum in male about as long as prothorax, in female 1.2 × as long, moderately robust and downcurved, with a slight postmental elevation in male.

PROTHORAX. Uniformly coloured, lacking stripes and foveae; lateral carina in dorsal view uninterrupted at apex, with conspicuous cuticular expansion in male, carina in lateral view moderately upcurved in male, gently in female towards apical collar.

ELYTRA. A low costa on interstria 9 gradually fading towards end; pubescence inconspicuous, very sparse, with a row of more conspicuous hairs on interstriae. Prosternal process of male variable in size, the apex rounded without a lateral lobe.

ABDOMEN. Tergites 1–6 divided on midline; pruinose patches on tergites 5–7; tergite 7 in male impinging slightly into 6, subtruncate at apex; plectral rows on basal two thirds, each with 12 pegs.

GENITALIA. Penis as long as last four ventrites; body deeply pigmented, 2.9 × as long as apodemes (ratio w/l: 0.19), widest near basal third, then tapering to less than one third of its width, widening moderately to an asymmetrical apex ( Fig. 4B ); internal sac without sclerite.

Life history

Unknown, Elaeis guineensis (Arecaceae) , oil palm, on inflorescences.

Distribution

Cameroon (Yaoundé); Democratic Republic of Congo (Thysville); Ivory Coast (Toumodi).

Remarks

The species is distinguished by a uniform dark colour, and in the male by a prominent spade-like prosternal process and lack of a postmental tubercle. No DNA-grade material of this species could be obtained in the course of this study.

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus of males and females of species of Elaeidobius Kuschel, 1952. A. E. bilineatus (Hustache, 1924) comb. nov., Dakar, Senegal. B. E. spatulifer (Marshall, 1950) comb. nov., holotype, Thysville, Democratic Republic of Congo (MRAC). C. E. subvittatus (Faust, 1898), Dakar, Senegal. D. E. kamerunicus (Faust, 1898) comb. nov. (JHAR00209). E. E. pilimargo Haran & Kuschel sp. nov. (JHAR00409). F. E. piliventris Haran & Kuschel sp. nov. (JHAR02182). G. E. plagiatus (Fåhraeus, 1844) comb. nov. (JHAR00272). H. E. singularis (Faust, 1898) comb. nov. (JHAR00283). Scale bars = 1 mm.

Fig. 2. Head and prothorax in lateral view of species of Elaeidobius Kuschel, 1952 (Part 1). A. E. bilineatus (Hustache, 1924) comb. nov., Dakar, Senegal. B. E. spatulifer (Marshall, 1950) comb. nov., holotype, Thysville, Democratic Republic of Congo (MRAC). C. E. subvittatus (Faust, 1898), Dakar, Senegal. D. E. kamerunicus (Faust, 1898) comb. nov. (JHAR00209). Not to scale.

Fig. 4. Penis of males of species of the genus Elaeidobius Kuschel, 1952 in dorsal (left) and lateral (right) view. A. E. bilineatus (Hustache, 1924) comb. nov., Dakar, Senegal. B. E. spatulifer (Marshall, 1950) comb. nov., holotype, Thysville, Democratic Republic of Congo (MRAC). C. E. subvittatus (Faust, 1898), Dakar, Senegal. D. E. kamerunicus (Faust, 1898) comb. nov. (JHAR00209). E. E. pilimargo Haran & Kuschel sp. nov. (JHAR00409). F. E. piliventris Haran & Kuschel sp. nov. (JHAR02182). G. E. plagiatus (Fåhraeus, 1844) comb. nov. (JHAR00272). H. E. singularis (Faust, 1898) comb. nov. (JHAR00283). Scale bars = 100 µm.