Styphlus (Styphlus) fontis, Colonnelli, 2016

Colonnelli, Enzo, 2016, Contribution to the knowledge of the weevil fauna of the island of Gavdos (Greece), with description of two new species (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea)., Arquivos Entomolóxicos 15, pp. 137-148 : 140-141

Styphlus (Styphlus) fontis n. sp. ( Fig. 2 )

Diagnosis. A species close to the Sicilian S. vidanoi Osella & Zuppa, 1994 from which differs by the plumper elytral outline, different funicular segments ratio, more impressed elytral striae, strikingly more narrowed rostral base.

Type material. “ ELLAS - Nísos Gávdos / Fókia - Agios Geórgios - m 25 / N 34.49 .48 E 24.06 .27 / 25/ 27.IV.2015 - E. Colonnelli ”, 1 ♀ holotype ( ECRI).

Description.

Holotype. Length mm 2.86. Ferrous-red, pronotum and femora reddish-brown. Dorsal clothing on head and pronotum formed by sparse comma-like and subspatulate half-recumbent golden scales, being the subspatulate ones a little denser on pronotal sides and along the midline of pronotum. Elytral intervals with a quite regular row of curved spatulate golden scales, denser and thicker on odd-numbered ones. Striae bare. Legs and antennae with lifted golden setae which are almost straight on antennae, and curved and intermingled with some thin subspatulate ones on femora and tibiae. Underside with sparse recumbent golden hairlike scales. Rostrum 0.83 as pronotum, 2.43 as long as wide, subparallel-sided, moderately curved except at base where it is somewhat crooked, quite abruptly narrowed at the extreme base in dorsal view. Antennae rather elongate, scape moderately clubbed and setose at apex, first funicular segment wider and about twice longer than the second which is subcylindrical and twice as long as wide, 3-7 moniliform, the third about as long as wide, 4-7 progressively more transverse, club large, fusiform and a trifle longer than the four preceding segments. Interocular space transversely impressed, so that in lateral view the base of rostrum appear separate from head by a quite deep sulcus. Head widely subsphaerical, eyes subrectangular, longitudinally very elongate and moderately convex, their base rather abruptly separate from head convexity from a kind of narrow sulcus, interocular distance the same of that of narrowed base of rostrum and about the same of the greater diameter of an eye. Prothorax as wide as long, sides moderately rounded and with feeble subapical constriction at apical fourth, maximum width a little basad of middle, anterior margin about as wide as base. Pronotal punctures rather coarse, intervals between them subgranulate. Elytra oval-elongate, 1.59 times as long as wide and 2.59 times longer than pronotum, maximum width at apical third, base barely concave, scutellum so minute as to be hardly visible. Striae catenulate, formed by large round punctures and well impressed up to apical margin. Interstriae quite flat, unpunctured, one and a half wider than striae. Legs robust; femora clubbed, edentate; tibiae slightly curved inwards on apical fifth and thinly and acutely mucronate on inner apical margin; tarsi short, their second segment much wider than long, claws rather thin and edentate. First ventrite longer than second which is about as long as 3+4 together. Habitus as in Fig. 2 .

Differential diagnosis. According to the latest revision by González (1967) completed with regard to genera and subgenera by Osella & Zuppa (1994), the new species belongs to the nominotypical subgenus which includes 7 species distributed in the Mediterranean and Caucasus ( Caldara 2013). All of them, apart S. vidanoi from Sicily, have erect setae on elytra and cannot be confused with S. fontis ( Figs. 2 and 4). On the other hand, S. vidanoi , a montane species endemic of Sicily and very similar to the new one, can be distinguished from S. fontis by its denser and coarser pronotal punctures, rostrum barely instead of strongly narrowing at base, first funicular segment almost 3 times instead of twice longer than the second, this just a little instead than twice longer than wide, eyes oval instead of subrectangularly elongate and not protruding from head convexity, elytra more elongate and less widening at apical third, and striae becoming less impressed towards apex ( Figs. 2 and 3).

Etymology. The new species is named after the spring near which it was found, the genitive of the Latin word fons (= source).

Collecting circumstances. Beating weedy plants at twilight.

Cossoninae , Onycholipini Wollaston, 1873

Figures

Fig. 2.- Styphlus (Styphlus) fontis n. sp., habitus of the holotype. Fig. 3.- S. (Styphlus) vidanoi Osella & Zuppa, 1994, habitus of the holotype from Osella & Zuppa (1994). Fig. 4.- S. (Styphlus) syriacus Stierlin, 1881, habitus of a female from Israel, Golan, Ha Yarden Park. Photos by Francesco Sacco.