Laparocerus junonius, Machado, Antonio, 2007

Machado, Antonio, 2007, New species of Laparocerus Schönherr, 1834 from La Gomera, Canary Islands (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae), Zootaxa 1643, pp. 1-38 : 19-21

Laparocerus junonius n. sp.

( Figs. 7 A, 13A–B,17D, 18H)

Dimensions, holotype (ɗ). Length: total (without rostrum) 4.85 mm, head 1.20 mm, rostrum 0.65 mm, eyes 0.38 mm, scape 1.48 mm, funicle 1.74 mm, segments (1st/ 2nd/ 3rd/ 4th) 0.44 /0.40 /0.20 / 0.18 mm, club 0.56 mm, pronotum 1.06 mm, elytra 3.30 mm, and tibiae (pro- /meso- /meta-) 1.40 /1.20 / 1.56 mm. Width: head (with eyes) 0.94 mm, head (between eyes) 0.50 mm, rostrum (with pterygia) 0.62 mm, rostrum (minimum dorsal /ventral) 0.40 / 0.54 mm, eyes 0.39 mm, scape (apicad) 0.12 mm, club 0.16 mm, pronotum (anterior / maximum /posterior) 1.00 /1.30 / 1.16 mm, elytra (maximum) 2.05 mm. Height: abdomen 1.40 mm.

Male. Length 4.5–6.5 mm, oblong-acuminate, convex, with fairly long, slender legs. Integument shiny, submetallic, piceous (antennae and legs usually somewhat ferrugineous); sparse vestiture of testaceous or glaucous, linear scales with coppery or greenish tint. Antenna slender, fairly long; scape 1.4× longer than pronotum, slightly sinuate, clearly capitate in apical quarter; funicle longer than scape, 1st and 2nd segments subequal, longer than major axis of eye; 3rd + 4th as long as 2nd; club fusiform, slightly longer than three previous segments combined. Head large and elongate; rostrum narrow, longer than broad; prorostrum weakly delimited, epistomal keel usually poorly demarcated; metarostrum dorsally almost parallel or slightly constricted apically (lateral border convex), not canaliculate; pterygia very small, not protruding; frons hardly depressed, with large median fovea. Eyes not reaching border of frons, large, oval (L/W ratio 1.3), moderately prominent, convexity (26%), slightly asymmetrical. Dorsal integument with isodiametric microreticulation, some shallow punctures and few scales. Pronotum small, 0.64 × width of elytra, moderately transverse (L/W ratio 0.8), sides evenly and smoothly curved; anterior margin slightly narrower than posterior, basal margin rimmed. Surface shiny, with dispersed, large, deep, foveiform punctures except for broad midline on disc; scales sparse. Scutellum triangular, broad, smooth. Elytra convex, about 3 × longer than pronotum, oblongacuminate (L/W ratio 1.6), maximum width at or slightly before middle, in profile more elevated than pronotum (transverse convexity of abdomen 68%); base straight, shoulders well marked, with blunt angle; humeral carina developed; sides less and smoothly curved in basal half, clearly acuminate apically. Striae marked by large, deep punctures separated by less than one diameter; intervals variable, 6–7th usually convex and slightly uneven. Vestiture composed of long recumbent, separated scales in patches, sparse; erect, recurved, blackish setae along intervals, small and increasing in length apicad, fairly long and very conspicuous in apical third. Integument shiny, commonly smooth, occasionally uneven (rugose). Legs long and thin, moderately hairy; protibiae straight, apex blunt, internally expanded, with small mucro; mesotibiae with mucro, metatibiae unarmed, hardly incrassate at apex. Ven te r. Integument shiny, with sparse vestiture of scales; ventrites 1 and2 with conspicuous transverse marks; coxae almost bare; intermesocoxal ridge long and narrow, hardly elevated; last ventrite apically curved, not truncated. Abdominal convexity 68%. Aedeagus (fig. 13A–B) 0.6× length of elytra, smoothly curved; apex broadly pointed, simple. Internal sac fairly long, with two very long parallel, partially interrupted rows of separated large denticles; fields of small denticles in proximal section and muscular sheath.

Female. As male but bulkier (length 5.2–6.5 mm), elytra broadly triangular in shape, much broader and rectangular at base (maximum width in basal third), slightly shorter (L/W ratio 1.47), more inflated (convexity 82%) but dorsally less convex, somewhat flattened; shoulders very pronounced, humeral angle nearly square. Lateral intervals usually more swollen, sutural intervals usually depressed and with rugose surface. integument of pronotum usually with visible isodiametric microreticulation. Pro- and mesotibia with very tiny mucro. Last ventrite apically slightly truncate. Sternite VIII with oblong plate (fig. 17D), spermatheca as in fig. 18H.

Etymology. The name of this species derives from the Latin iunonius, meaning “of Juno” (the sister and wife of Jupiter), and refers to an old name for the island of La Gomera, Junonia minor , according to Pliny.

Remarks. Laparocerus junonius is the vicariant species of L. obtriangularis Wollaston, 1864 from Tenerife (unpublished molecular data). It shares almost all its characteristics but the elytra are clearly more inflated (pronotum and elytra in profile not at the same level) and quadrangular, with clearly marked shoulders. In L. obtriangularis the elytra are more curved and clearly convergent at the base, the shoulders being less conspicuous, and in females the base is slightly concave, not straight, forming a perfect heart shape. The eyes of L. junonius are slightly more prominent (convexity of 26% instead of 20%), and the male protibia is completely straight (not curved at the apex) and the median lobe is broadly pointed rather than abruptly sharp pointed as in L. obtriangularis . Laparocerus junonius is easy to distinguish from other Laparocerus species on La Gomera by its quadrangular, acuminate elytra with marked shoulders, beset with erect black setae on the apical third, submetallic integument, sparse vestiture of scales, slender legs and fairly flat eyes.

Material examined. Holotype: La Gomera: Juego de Bolas [Las Rosas], 600 m (UTM = 28R 0 28260 311900), 18-4-2000, leg. A. Machado, 1ɗ ( TFMC, reg. CO-15520). Paratypes: same data, 29 exx. ( AMC, 1 TFMC, 2 MNCN, 2 NHM); same locality, 11-7-2001, leg. R. García, 8 exx. (RGB); Las Rosas, 650 m, 1-4- 2001, leg. A. Machado, 10 exx. ( AMC); same locality, 12-7-2001, leg. R. García, 4 exx. (RGB); Las Rosas, 15-2-2003, 5 exx.; Presa Amalahuigue, 15-2-2003, leg. P. Oromí, 1 ex. (POM). Other specimens: Meriga, 850 m, 16-4-2000, 3 exx.; Jardín de las Creces, 950 m, 17-4-2000, 1 ex.; Chorros de Epina, 800 m, 17-4-2000, 11 ex.; same data, 7-12-2002, 13 exx.; Los Acebiños, 800 m, 1-4-2001, 24 exx.; same data, 23-10-2001, 5 exx.; Laguna Grande, 1200 m, 18-4-2000, 1 ex.; Pajarito, 1360 m, 6-12-2002, 1 ex.; Teselinde Ermita Sta Clara, 7-12-2002, 2 exx.; Cruz de Juel, 790 m, 7-12-2006, 32 exx.; Tamargada, 450 m, 7-12-2002, 1 ex.; Bco. del Clavo, 365 m, 17-2-2004, 4 exx.; Piedra Encantada (Vallehermoso), 17-2-2004, leg. A. Machado, 3 exx. ( AMC); El Rejo, 30-10-2001, 1 ex.; Cabecera Bco. Juel, 8-6-2002, 1 ex.; Montaña del Dinero, 4-1-2003, leg. P. Oromí, 1 ex. (POM); Chorros de Epina, 23-4-1984, leg. A.H. Törnvall, 3 exx. ( ZMUL); Laguna Grande, 1200 m, 28-12-1889, leg. V. Assing, 2 exx. (PS); El Cedro, Rosa de Friate, 1000 m, 8-10-1988, leg. L. Behne, 2 exx.; same data, leg. H. Ringel, 1 ex. ( DEI); Meriga, 30-3-1994, 1 ex.; Ermita de Santa Clara, 2-4-1994, leg. A. Liberto, 1 ex. (AL); San Sebastián, 9 km NW, 720 m, 31-12-2004, leg. P. Stüben, 1 ex. (PS).

Distribution and ecology. Laparocerus junonius is endemic to La Gomera and widely spread over the elevated mountain region, above 600 m, exposed to the humid trade winds. It is not uncommon in lower vegetation at the margins of the forest, in clearings or at road-sides. An eminently nocturnal and autumn-winter species, it feeds preferably on Rubus sp. but also on Phyllis nobla and Cedronella canariensis and more occasionally on other plants, such as Sambucus palmensis and Mercurialis annua .

Figures

FIGURE 7. New Laparocerus species from La Gomera, holotypes: (A) L. junonius, (B) L. roudieri. Scale = 2 mm