Theognete weiri Anderson, 2010

Anderson, Robert S., 2010, A taxonomic monograph of the Middle American leaf-litter inhabiting weevil genus Theognete Champion (Coleoptera: Curculionidae; Molytinae; Lymantini) 2458, Zootaxa 2458 (1), pp. 1-127 : 72-73

77. Theognete weiri Anderson , new species ( Figures 14 , 23 , 249 , 266 , 283 )

Diagnosis. Size. Length, male, 2.30–3.68mm; female, 3.32–4.10mm. Width, male, 1.85–2.14mm; female, 1.69–2.14mm. As for T. baranowskii but body more elongate, pronotum with shallow, broad, paramedian impression on disk; elytra mostly with scattered, low, elongate tubercles along length of intervals; all striae distinctly punctate and variously impressed, some strial punctures very large and deep; posterolateral area with punctures contiguous with those of elytral stria. Aedeagus as in Fig. 266 .

Comments. In original sorting of the species, I distinguished three forms within this species, based on slight differences in male and female genitalia and other structural features, but these did not correlate with each other or with locality, elevation or any other variable. However, further study may prove this to be a complex of very similar species.

Geographical distribution. México (Oaxaca).

Natural history. Collected from berlese extraction of cloud forest, oak forest, mixed pine forest and boreal forest leaf litter at elevations ranging from 1600–2925m.

Derivation of specific name. Through his support of the Nature Discovery Fund at the Canadian Museum of Nature, this species is named after Peter Weir of North York, Ontario, Canada, as a gift from Adam Quinan (and The Gunroom of HMSSurprise.org).

Material examined. 107♂, 72♀♀ ( BMNH, CMNC, CNCI, CWOB, ECOS, FMNH, MCZC, MZLU, USNM) . Holotype ♂ ( CMNC) : MÉXICO: Oaxaca. 32 km. S. W. Valle Nacional, KM 85, 1650m, 26.VII.1992, 92-030, R.S. Anderson, trans/cloud forest leaf litter berlese / HOLOTYPE ♂, Theognete weiri sp. nov., R.S. Anderson. Aedeagus extracted. Paratypes: MÉXICO. Oaxaca. Ixtlán de Juárez (27.3 mi. N.), 10– 18.VIII.1973, A. Newton, berlese oak forest litter (1♂; CWOB) (2♂, 1♀ MCZC) . Oaxaca (87 km. N.), 2700m, 13.XI.1989, R. Baranowski, sifting litter mixed pine forest (1♀ MZLU) . Oaxaca (52 mi. N.), 9500’, 17.V.1971, S. Peck, BER202 (1♀ CMNC) . Valle Nacional (22.4 mi. S.), 5600', 11–18.VIII.1973, A. Newton, berlese cloud forest leaf litter (2♂, 2♀♀ MCZC) . Valle Nacional (30.1 mi. S. W.) , 6600', 24.VI.1983, R. Anderson, wet oak forest litter (5♂, 1♀ CMNC) . Valle Nacional (32 mi. S.), 7000', 22.V.1971, S. Peck, leaf litter, Ber 205 (2♂, 2♀♀ CNCI) . Valle Nacional (37 mi. S.), 8500', 24.V.1971, S. Peck, berlese oak litter (1♂, 2♀♀ FMNH) . Valle Nacional (37 mi. S.), 8500', 24.V.1971, S. Peck, oak litter, BER206 (2♂, 2♀♀ CNCI) . Valle Nacional (37 mi. S. Hwy 175), 9600', 16.V.1983, C. W. & L. O'Brien & G.B. Marshall, berlese sifted oak cloud forest litter (1♂, 1♀ CWOB) . Valle Nacional (37 mi. S. Hwy 175), 9600', 28.V.1983, C. W. & L. O'Brien & G.B. Marshall, berlese sifted oak cloud forest litter (1♂, 4♀♀ CWOB) . Valle Nacional (37 mi. S. Hwy 175), 9600', 3.VI.1983, C. W. & L. O'Brien & G.B. Marshall, berlese sifted oak cloud forest leaf litter (3♂, 4♀♀ CWOB) . Valle Nacional (33 km. S.), 1600m, 10.IX.1986, R. Baranowski, sifting litter cloud forest (1♀ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (40 km. S. W.) , 1900m, 26.VII.1992, 92-031, R. Anderson, oak forest leaf litter berlese (1♂ CMNC) . Valle Nacional (40 km. S.), 2000m, 17.IX.1990, R. Baranowski, sifting litter cloud forest (1♂ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (43 km. S.), 2000m, 7.IX.1986, R. Baranowski, sifting litter cloud forest (1♂, 1♀ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (47.5 km. S. W.) , 2125m, 26.VII.1992, 92-032, R. Anderson, wet oak forest leaf litter berlese (2♂, 2♀♀ CMNC) . Valle Nacional (54 km. S. W.) , 2650m, 28.VII.1992, 92-036, R. Anderson, wet oak forest leaf litter berlese (2♂, 1♀ CMNC) . Valle Nacional (57 km. S.), 2600m, 17.IX.1990, R. Baranowski, sifting litter wet mixed pine forest (2♂, 2♀♀ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (58 km. S.), 2700m, 10.XI.1989, R. Baranowski, sifting litter in mixed wet montane forest (1♀ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (61 km. S.), 2900m, 10.XI.1989, R. Baranowski, sifting litter in open boreal forest (2♂ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (61 km. S.), 2900m, 21.XI.1989, R. Baranowski, sifting litter in open boreal forest (1♀ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (61 km. S.), 2900m, 29.IX.1990, R. Baranowski, sifting litter boreal forest (1♂, 1♀ CMNC) (2♂, 1♀ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (70 km. S.), 2600m, 3.X.1986, R. Baranowski, sifting litter pine-oak forest (1♀ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (70 km. S.), 2500m, 10.IX.1986, R. Baranowski, sifting litter pine-oak forest (1♀ CMNC) (3♀♀ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (89.5 km. S. W.) , 2430m, 28.VII.1992, 92-040, R. Anderson, wet alder/oak/pine forest leaf litter berlese (4♂ CMNC) . Cerro Pelón (2 mi. S.), 8-9000', 3.VII.1982, M.A. Ivie (1♂ CWOB) . Oaxaca (75 km. N., Hwy. 175), 2700m, 4.IX.1990, R. Baranowski, sifting litter small meadow in pine-oak forest (1♂ MZLU) . Oaxaca (78 km. N.), 2800m, 2.X.1990, R. Baranowski, sifting litter wet pineoak forest (4♂, 1♀ CMNC) (12♂, 3♀♀ MZLU) . Oaxaca (78 km. N.), 2800m, 21.XI.1989, R. Baranowski, sifting litter in wet pine-oak forest (6♂, 4♀♀ MZLU) . Oaxaca (78 km. N.), 2600m, 15.IX.1986, R. Baranowski, sifting litter mixed pine forest (3♂ MZLU) . Oaxaca (79 km. N., Hwy. 175), 2900m, 2.X.1990, R. Baranowski, sifting litter wet mixed pine forest (1♀ MZLU) . Oaxaca (82 km. N), 2900m, 8.IX.1994, R. Baranowski, sifting litter mixed pine forest (2♂, 2♀♀ MZLU, CMNC) . Oaxaca (85 km. N., Hwy. 175), 2900m, 2.X.1990, R. Baranowski, sifting litter mixed oak forest (1♂ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (57 km. S.), 2600m, 17.IX.1990, R. Baranowski, sifting litter wet mixed pine forest (1♂ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (61 km. S.), 2800m, 3.X.1986, R. Baranowski, sifting litter boreal forest (1♀ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (74 km. S.), 2900m, 21.XI.1989, R. Baranowski, sifting litter in pine-oak forest (3♂ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (79 km. S. W., Llano de las Flores ), 2713m, 17.VII.1987. R. Anderson, wet oak pine forest, 87-25,29 (25♂, 16♀♀ BMNH, CMNC, CWOB, ECOS, USNM) . Valle Nacional (83 km. S.), 2600m, 10.IX.1986, R. Baranowski, sifting litter mixed pine forest (1♀ MZLU) . Valle Nacional (84 km. S.), 2850m, 4.IX.1990, R. Baranowski, sifting litter pine-oak boreal forest (4♂, 2♀♀ MZLU) . Oaxaca (20 km N.), 9500', 7.VI.1971, S. Peck, oak litter, Ber 210 (2♂, 2♀ CMNC) . Oaxaca (20 km. N., Hwy. 175), 2600m, 12.IX.1990, R. Baranowski, sifting litter pine-oak forest (1♀ MZLU) . Oaxaca (23 km. N), 2850m, 8.IX.1994, R. Baranowski, sifting litter mixed pine forest (1♂ CMNC) . Valle Nacional (62.5 km. S. W.) , 2650m, 28.VII.1992, 92-038, R. Anderson, oak/pine forest leaf litter berlese (1♀ CMNC) .

Chorological relationships. Sympatric with T. semiopaca , T. broadheadae , T. lalibertei , T. globosa , T. fossor , T. lutulenta , T. baranowskii , T. humilis , T. howdenorum , T. terrestris , T. draco , T. birdi and T. bothynometopon .

Figures

FIGURES 14–18. Thoracic sterna, ventral view, Theognete species. 14. T. weiri. 15. T. boaseae. 16. T. hesmos. 17. T. reprela. 18. T. lakarms.

FIGURES 19–24. Head, lateral view, Theognete species. 19. T. laevis. 20. T. caviventris. 21. T. carinata. 22. T. braunae. 23. T. weiri. 24. T. hesmos.

FIGURES 247–253. Habitus, dorsal view, Theognete distenta species group. 247. T. lalibertei. 248. T. corderoi. 249. T. weiri. 250. T. desautelsi. 251. T. broadheadae. 252. T. adarmstrongae. 253. T. laurentae.

FIGURES 266–268. Aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view, Theognete distenta species group. 266. T. weiri. 267. T. desautelsi. 268. T. broadheadae.

FIGURES 271–287. Abdominal ventrite 5, male, ventral view, Theognete distenta species group.