Griburius textus, Sassi, 2023

Sassi, Davide, 2023, Five new species of the genus Griburius Haldeman from Central America (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Cryptocephalinae), Fragmenta entomologica (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) 55 (1), pp. 117-138 : 131-133

Griburius textus sp. nov.

( Figs 5 , 8e )

Types. HOLOTYPE: m#, body, aedeagus and detached abdomen glued on the same card, // “ MEXICO Quintana Roo ” [white label, printed] // “Isla Mujeres 29.iii.1960 J F G Clarke ” [white label, printed] // “ Griburius textus sp. nov . HOLOTYPUS D. Sassi des.” [red label, printed] // ( USNMNH) . PARATYPES (28 specimens): MEXICO, QUINTANA ROO: same data of the HT (14m#9f#, USNMNH, DSPC, MSNM); 30km W. Puerto Morelos 23- VI-2009 MV & blacklight (1f#, BYU); Quintana Roo or. Tulum 13-15.VI.1994 (1f#, MDPC); 10.9 km. S Playa del Carmen 1.VI.1990 (1f#, FSCA) . YUCATÁN: 16 km W Piste, Hwy 180, 19.V.1987 (1f#, ERPC); // “textus m. Yucatan” [white label, handwritten] // “34199” [white label, handwritten] // (1f#, MLUH). BELIZE, Stann Creek Dist.: Rum Point Inn 2.5 mi N Placiencia 21-22. VIII.2001 (1f#, FCSA). All paratypes are labelled: // “ Griburius textus sp. nov . PARATYPUS D. Sassi des.” [red label, printed] //.

Type locality. Isla Mujeres (Quintana Roo, Mexico) .

Etymology. This epithet was found handwritten on a label pinned under the single specimen housed in Suffrian’s collection at MLUH. It was undoubtedly appointed by the German entomologist who eventually did not find the time to describe the new taxon.

Additional material examined. BELIZE, Orange Walk: Indian Church 5.V.2022 (1, GBIF) .

Distribution. Belize, Mexico.

Diagnosis. The species shows a strong punctuation on pronotum and elytra, which is not a common pattern within Griburius . For this characteristic it looks rather like G. febriculosus , but pronotal punctures are always rounded and well separated and there is no tendency to coalesce, giving a rugose appearance to the surface, as observed in this latter species. Besides, the dorsal dark colouration is chestnut or reddish or dark brown, never frankly black like in G. febriculosus . Additionally, males differ in the aedeagal apex (less pointed) and females in the shape of the spermatheca ( Figs 1i and 5i ). G. textus is also similar to G. gracilis , but it differs in the darker dorsal colouration, in the stronger dorsal punctation and in the larger size.

Description of male. Habitus in Fig. 5 a-c (PT). BL = 3.6–3.7 mm, BW = 2.2–2.3 mm, PL = 1.4–1.5 mm, PW = 2.1 mm. Interocular distance = 2.7–2.8 % of BL.

Head yellow with vertex, antennal insertion, and subtle line between upper lobes of eyes brownish black. Labrum yellow. Whole head surface almost bare, with few, scattered, shallow punctures above all on frontoclypeal surface and ocular canthi. Mid-cranial suture shallow but clearly detectable between upper lobes of eyes. Upper lobes of eyes close to each other along midline, but not in contact ( Fig. 5c ). Ocular lines narrow, marked by row of fine punctures, strictly adhering to ocular rim. Ocular canthus angular, not differentiated from the remainder of frontoclypeal surface. Antennae ( Fig. 5h ) with antennomeres 1-2 yellow; 3-5 partly brownish, bright, subcylindrical; 6-11 darker, dull, more flattened and more diffusedly setose.

Pronotum light brown with lateral and anterior margins yellow. Two trapezoidal spots on posterior part of disc, close to midline, touching posterior margin and median line raising from anterior margin and reaching middle of disc yellow as well. Pronotal shape elliptical, scarcely transverse, regularly convex. Lateral margins narrow, visible from above only along posterior third, regularly curved, with maximum width just behind middle. Surface moderately shiny with coarse strongly impressed punctation evenly distributed across whole pronotal surface. Posterolateral impressions weakly impressed but easily detectable.

Scutellum yellow bordered with brown, posteriorly raised, subtriangular with apex truncated in straight line. Surface sparsely micropunctured.

Elytron yellow irregularly patched with brown along lateral half of disc, above all along anterior third and posterior area just before apical clivus. Lateral margin and suture narrowly brown; bottom of punctures brown as well. Epipleuron yellow. Elytral outline rather short with sides almost straight and convergent posteriorly. Lateral margins narrow, simultaneously visible from above only along posterior half. Elytral surface slightly flattened on disc, moderately shiny with strong, well-impressed punctation distinct up to posterior clivus, arranged in almost regular rows along inner half of elytron, more confused elsewhere. Intervals slightly raised. Postscutellar area perceptibly raised. Humeral callus prominent, impunctate. Epipleuron smooth, impunctate, with slightly convex surface.

Pygidium totally yellow Surface bright, covered with shallow punctures and short, semi-erect pale setae.

Ventral parts of thorax light brown, only metasternum almost completely yellow. Abdominal ventrites yellow with central part of ventrites 1-4 light brown. Medial projection of ventrite 1 yellow. Hypomera, almost bare, shiny, covered with dense, strong punctures; mesoepimera and mesoepisterna shiny, almost devoid of punctation. Remainder of ventral surface of thorax matt, covered with thick, short, regularly distributed setae and fine, shallow punctures. Prosternal process large, short, with sides almost straight between anterior coxae; surface almost flat and closely but shallowly punctured, covered with long, semi-erect setae. Legs totally yellow.

Median depression on fifth abdominal ventrite indistinct, hardly detectable. Ventrite posterior margin very shallowly notched. Median lobe of aedeagus ( Fig. 5 m-o) dorsoventrally flattened, terminated by triangular apex with slightly concave sides. In lateral view apex perfectly straight. Ventral surface marked by very low, linear carina extended from apex to basal foramen. Setose depressions very shallowly impressed, with surface covered by small punctures and long arcuate setae. In dorsal view two flattened membranous lobes almost always protruding from apical foramen.

Female. Habitus in Fig. 5 d-g (PT). BL = 4.2–4.4 mm, BW = 2.9–3.0 mm, PL = 1.6–1.7 mm, PW = 2.5–2.7 mm. Interocular distance = 9.1–9.5 % of BL.

In females the head surface is brownish with a transverse wavy yellow line, usually discontinuous, between ocular canthi. Lower margin of clypeus and labrum are yellow as well. The eyes are smaller and more separated along midline, and the head surface is evenly covered with coarse punctation. In addition, the brown pattern on the pronotum and elytra is more extended with yellow colour confined to irregular patches along the intervals of the rows of punctures.

The fifth abdominal ventrite in females has a quite large, rounded, and deep pit. The bottom of the pit is glabrous, matt, slightly darkened in respect to the surrounding surface, impunctate but covered by tiny wrinkles. The vasculum of the spermatheca ( Fig. 5i ) is scarcely pigmented, sickle shaped with straight, swollen proximal lobe. The distal lobe is slender, regularly curved and terminated with a blunt apex. The ampulla is not pigmented, almost square. The duct insertion is short while the sperm gland insertion is rather long, slender and curved. The duct is uniform in size, slender, quite rigid, straight, devoid of coils and turns. The insertion on the bursa copulatrix is simple, neither swollen nor pigmented.

Remarks. Male specimens were available for the study only from the type locality ( Isla Mujeres). Mainland material consists only in females which differ in slightly larger size and darker colouration.

Figures

Fig. 5 – Griburius textus sp. nov. a–b, habitus, dorsal and lateral view (PT, male); c, frontal view, male; d, frontal view, female; e–g, colour variation, females; m–o, median lobe of aedeagus in ventral (m), dorsal (n) and lateral (o) view [0.6 mm]; h, antenna [1.1 mm]; i, spermatheca [0.3 mm]. Square brackets: length of scale segment.

Fig. 8 – Distribution maps. a, Griburius febriculosus; b, G. gracilis; c, G. mokaya; d, G. puncturatus; e, G. textus.

Fig. 1 – Griburius febriculosus sp. nov. a–b, habitus, dorsal and lateral view (PT, male); c, frontal view, male; d, frontal view, female; e–f, colour variation, female; m–o, median lobe of aedeagus in ventral (m), dorsal (n) and lateral (o) view [0.7 mm]; h, antenna [1.7 mm]; c spermatheca [0.3 mm]. sd, setose depressions. Square brackets: length of scale segment.