Brachyolus punctatus White, 1846

Brown, Samuel D. J., 2018, Redescription of Brachyolus punctatus White, 1846 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), with synonyms and lectotype designations, Zootaxa 4369 (3), pp. 432-442 : 433-434

Brachyolus punctatus White, 1846

Figures 1–23

Brachyolus punctatus White, 1846: 13

Brachyolus albescens Broun, 1903: 73 New synonymy Inophloeus breviusculus Broun, 1880: 440 New synonymy Brachyolus breviusculus (Broun) ; Hutton, 1904: 202 Brachyolus elegans Broun, 1893: 1194 New synonymy Brachyolus viridescens Broun, 1893: 1363 New synonymy

Diagnosis. Medium; ovate, with greatest width at elytral declivity. Densely clothed with pale yellow scales. Vertex between eyes strongly depressed. Pronotum rugose. Elytra with tubercles on interstriae 3 and 5 and a low swelling half way down the elytral declivity. Metanepisternal suture complete. Hind femora with posterior face completely covered with scales.

Differential diagnosis. The overall yellow colouration of this species is distinctive and allows it to be readily identified from other New Zealand Entiminae. Chalepistes costifer (Broun) , C. asperatus (Broun) and C. inaequalis (Sharp) are similar in shape, being squat and ovate, with the elytra wider than the pronotum at base, and widest at the elytral declivity; however, these species differ from B. punctatus in their grey or brown colouration, having a nonvisible metanepisternal suture, and having unscaled regions on the posterior face of the hind femora.

Description. Body length 3.24 mm to 4.67 mm (X = ̄ 3.91 mm, s = 0.40, n = 20); greatest width at elytral declivity; females (X = ̄ 4.16 mm, n = 10) longer than males (X = ̄ 3.65 mm, n = 10, t = -3.72, p = 0.002). Integument black. Dorsum densely clothed with appressed scales, pale yellow on pronotum and posterior half of elytra, greyish greenish yellow on anterior half. Femora pale yellow, with darker band in distal 1/3. Tibiae pale yellow with dark semicircular macula on distal 1/3. Tarsi integument black. Mouthparts. Mandibles plurisetose, without scales. Prementum approximately pentagonal, entirely covering maxillary palps. Rostrum. Length 0.77 mm to 1.10 mm (X = ̄ 0.88 mm, s = 0.10, n = 20), width 0.52 mm to 0.74 mm (X = ̄ 0.63 mm, s = 0.06, n = 20), length/width ratio 1.23 to 1.53 (X = ̄ 1.39, s = 0.10, n = 20); widened apically, subparallel between antennal insertions and eyes. Epistome gently raised, punctured. Frons with numerous setae and sparse appressed scales. Epifrons densely clothed with overlapping appressed scales and scattered claviform, decumbent, neutral elongate scales; medial and lateral carinae not evident. Dorsal carina arched over antennal insertions. Lateral area ventrally of antennal insertions with appressed scales and thick setae. Scrobe dorsolateral. Hypostomal-labial sutural grooves with dense scales. Antennae. Scape when in repose reaching hind margin of eye, slender, apically broadened, clothed with setae and appressed scales. Funicular segments without scales, loosely articulated; segment 1 clavate, 1.6 times longer than segment 2; segment 2 clavate, 1.5 times longer than segment 3; segments 3 to 5 clavate, becoming progressively shorter; segment 6 subspherical; segment 7 oblately spheroid. Club elongate, wider than funicular segments. Head. Ventral curvature between head and rostrum pronounced, angulate, approximately 90 °. Eyes lateral, ovate. Pronotum. Length 1.02 mm to 1.40 mm (X = ̄ 1.14 mm, s = 0.09, n = 20), width 1.17 mm to 1.59 mm (X = ̄ 1.36 mm, s = 0.12, n = 20), length/width ratio 0.79 to 0.90 (X = ̄ 0.84, s = 0.03, n = 20); widest in anterior 1/4; lateral margins curved in anterior 2/3, subparallel in posterior 1/3. Anterior margin entire, posterior margin sinuous. Disc uneven, with a single anteromedial, and paired anterolateral and dorsolateral depressions; laterobasal carinae present but ill-defined. Disc with appressed scales overlapping; elongate scales claviform, decumbent on disc, erect on anterior margin, neutrally coloured. Postocular lobes well developed. Anterior transverse groove very weak, barely visible. Posterior transverse groove very weak, barely visible. Lateral posterior margin with inflection 1/3 of the way from top. Elytra. Length 2.07 mm to 3.21 mm (X = ̄ 2.56 mm, s = 0.31, n = 20), width 1.64 mm to 2.65 mm (X = ̄ 2.04 mm, s = 0.29, n = 20), length/width ratio 1.16 to 1.43 (X = ̄ 1.26, s = 0.06, n = 20); females with longer and broader elytra than males (length X̄f = 2.77 mm, X̄m = 2.36 mm, p = 0.001; width X̄f = 2.26 mm, X̄m = 1.82 mm, p = 0.0002; length/width ratio X̄f = 1.29, X̄m = 1.23, p = 0.009; all n = 10). Anterior margin weakly curved posteriad with humeral angles broadly rounded. Disc flat; tubercles present on suture close to apex, on interstriae 3 and 7 halfway down declivity, on interstriae 5 at top of declivity. Appressed scales overlapping. Elongate scales claviform; semi-erect; numerous on interstriae 3 and 5 and on apices of tubercles, sparse elsewhere; dark on disc, pale laterally, posteriorly and on apices of tubercles. Striae 1 and 7–10 weakly impressed, 2–6 strongly impressed; interstriae 1–2 and 8–10 flat, 3–7 convex with 3 and 5 especially pronounced. Wings. Absent. Thoracic ventrites. Mesoventral process acutely rounded. Metaventrite densely clothed with appressed scales. Abdomen. Ventrites with inner vestiture composed almost exclusively of appressed scales; ventrites 1 and 2 densely clothed; ventrites 3 to 5 with scales very sparse, almost absent. Apex of abdomen broadly rounded. Males with ventrite 1 flat, ventrite 5 flat. Females with ventrite 1 flat, ventrite 5 with medial depression obscured by a tuft of dense hair. Legs. Metatibiae with apex simple, ventral margin of apex entire. Male genitalia. Figures 15–18 . Penis tubular, strongly curved, lateral lobes fused along dorsum; dorsal sclerotised membrane attenuate anteriorly where lateral lobes meet; apex narrowly rounded; temones about as long as penis. Endophallus short, reaching only to posterior 1/4 of temones; gonoporial sclerite with short anterior lobes and long divergent posterior lobes; longitudinal ostial sclerites present. Tegmen with ring complete; parameroid lobes well-developed; manubrium shorter than temones. Female genitalia. Figures 19–22 . Sternite 8 with blade broad; spiculum ventrale around 3.5 times longer than blade. Styli elongate. Vagina unsclerotised. Bursa copulatrix moderate in length, bursal sclerites absent. Spermatheca slender; ramus slightly produced, divergent with corpus. DNA Sequences: COI. KX 191198 , KX 191202 , KX 191210 . 28S. KX191752 , KX191757 , KX191765 . ArgK. KX191483 , KX191488 , KX191495 . CAD. KX 190968 .

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Habitus photographs of Brachyolus punctatus. 1, 3, male; 2, 4, female.Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 5–10. Habitus photographs of type specimens. 5, Brachyolus punctatus type series, dorsal. Male paralectotype on left, female lectotype on right (arrowed).6, Brachyolus punctatus female lectotype, lateral.7, Brachyolus albescens lectotype, dorsal; 8, Brachyolus albescens lectotype, lateral; 9, Inophloeus breviusculus holotype, dorsal; 10, Inophloeus breviusculus holotype, lateral.Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES 11–14. Habitus photographs of type specimens. 11, Brachyolus elegans lectotype, dorsal; 12, Brachyolus elegans lectotype, lateral; 13, Brachyolus viridescens holotype, dorsal; 14, Brachyolus viridescensholotype,lateral.Scale bars = 1 mm.

FIGURES15–22.Genitalia of Brachyolus punctatus. 15,penis, dorsal view; 16, aedeagus, lateral view;17, male hemisternites 8 and spiculum gastrale, lateral view (muscles between hemisternite 8 and basal plate indicated); 18, male hemisternites 8 and spiculum gastrale with basal plate, ventral view; 19, female tergite 8, dorsal view; 20, ovipositor, dorsal view; 21, ovipositor and spermatheca, lateral view; 22, female sternite 8, ventral view. Scale bars = 0.5 mm; 15–18 at same scale; 19–22 at same scale.

FIGURE 23.Distribution of Brachyolus punctatus White.