Megatracheloides cornutus, Wanat, 2008

Wanat, Marek, 2008, The Apionidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) of New Caledonia. Genus Megatracheloides, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 197, pp. 297-322 : 313-318

Megatracheloides cornutus n. sp.

Figs 35, 41-46, 48, 50, 52-54, 60, 66, 77, 80, 82, 83, 85, 87, 91, 96, 100, 107, 108

TYPE MATERIAL. — New Caledonia. Holotype ♂, 22°11’S, 166°30’E [= 22.178°S, 166.5039°E], Mt. Koghi , 400-450 m, ex Hibbertia lucens , 11.II.2004, leg. M. Wanat ( MNHN) . Paratypes (99 ♂♂ 87 ♀♀). 1 ♀, det. as Cybebus cyanipennis (MNHN) ; 1 ♂, det. as Megatrachelus chloris , coll. Fletiaux 1919 ( MNHN); 1 ♀, coll. Beguin-Billecocq ( MNHN). Province Sud. Mt. Koghi: 2 ♂♂ 5 ♀♀, same data as the holotype; 1 ♂, 12.II.2004, ( MW); 1 ♀, 7.I.1977, leg. Johan F. ( IRD); 1 ♀, 15.XII.1981, leg. R. Catala ( MNHN); 1 ♂, 500 m, 28.I.1963, leg. G. Kuschel ( NZAC); 1 ♀, 420 m, 9.VIII.1979, grasses, leg. G. M. Nishida ( BPBM); 14 ♂♂ 13 ♀♀, 22.178°S, 166.5039°E, 420-450 m, ex Hibbertia lucens , 16.XII.2006; 27 ♂♂ 21 ♀♀, 18.XII.2006, leg. MW & RD; 3 ♂♂ 5 ♀♀, 24.I.2007, leg. MW ( MW, USMB). Nouméa to Yaté: 1 ♀ (without head & prothorax), 15.XI.1987, leg. P. A. Madisson ( NZAC). Yaté: 1 ♂, 26-27.III.1968, leg. J. Gressitt & T. Maa ( MW). Plum: 1 ♂, 20-60 m, 23-25.III.1968, leg. T. Maa ( BPBM); 1 ♂, (10 km NW), 24.III.1968, leg. J. Gressitt & T. Maa ( BPBM). Pont des Japonais : 2 ♂♂ 4 ♀♀, 22.2°S, 166.725°E, 50 m, 17.XII.2006, maquis, leg. MW & RD ( MW). Parc territorial de la Rivière Bleue: 2 ♂♂ 7 ♀♀, no 15, 32, 34, 37, 39, P 7, 21.VII.1992, canopy fogging (see Guilbert et al. 1995) ( MNHN, MW); 1 ♀, 6-8.II.1990, leg. M. Boulard ( MNHN); 4 ♂♂ 3 ♀♀, track to La Tranchée, 22.0833°S, 166.6333°E, 190-330 m, 20.XII.2006, leg. MW & RD ( MW); 1 ♂, Pont Germain, 22.0999°S, 166.6555°E, 180 m, 22.I.2007, leg. MW ( MW). Forêt Nord ( Botanical Reserve ): 1 ♂, 22.3167°S, 166.9167°E, 200 m, maquis, 15.II.2004, leg. MW ( MW). Pic du Grand Kaori: 2 ♂, 22.2802°S, 166.892°E, 240 m, 26.XII.2006, maquis, leg. MW & RD ( MW); 3 ♂♂ 4 ♀♀, (site 2), 22.2845°S, 166.8923°E, 250 m, no. 11844, maquis, 1.XII.2004, hand netting, leg. S. Wright ( QLDM, MW); 2 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀, 2 km S, 22.2895°S, 166.8908°E, 280 m, no. 12099, 24.XI.2004; 1 ♂, (site 3), 22.2833°S, 166.9°E, 250 m, no. 12236, 20.IV.2005, all leg. G. Monteith ( QLDM, MW). Pic du Pin (site 3): 1 ♀, 22.2333°S, 166.8333°E, no. 12106, 26.XI.2004, ex Hibbertia sp. , ‘ QM Party’ ( QLDM); 2 ♂♂ 1 ♀, (base), 22.2482°S, 166.829°E, 280 m, 25.XII.2006, forest & plantation, leg. MW & RD ( MW); 4 ♂♂ 1 ♀, 26.XII.2006, leg. MW ( MW). Rivière des Pirogues : 2 ♀♀, 22.1833°S, 166.7333°E, 150 m, no. 9947, 26.XI.2000, leg. G. Monteith ( QLDM). Dzumac Road: 12 ♂♂ 2 ♀♀, 22.0833°S, 166.45°E, 700 m, ex Hibbertia lucens , leg. MW & D. Skibiński ( MW, IACP); 1 ♂ 2 ♀♀, S of Mts Couvélé junction, 22.0817°S, 166.4467°E, 700-800 m, ex Hibbertia lucens , 29.XII.2006, leg. MW ( MW); 6 ♂♂ 1 ♀, Mt. Ouin to Mts Couvélé junctions, 22.069°S, 166.4467°E, 800-900 m, 29.XII.2006, leg. MW ( MW, USMB); 1 ♀, Mt. Ouin road junction, 22.0318°S, 166.4674°E, 900 m, 28.XII.2006; 1 ♂, 30.XII.2006, ex Hibbertia lucens , leg. MW & RD ( MW); 1 ♂ 1 ♀, 22.107°S, 166.4568°E, 470 m, 30.XII.2006, maquis, ex Hibbertia lucens , leg. MW & RD ( MW) .

one bearing a small, pointed tubercle in its mid-length, simply spine-li-

ke profemoral tooth, similar in both sexes and evidently longer than its

basal width, and by distinctly shorter antennal club. For the differen-

ces from the closely related M. jourdani see diagnosis of that species.

DESCRIPTION. — Body length 4.1-6.1 mm. Entire body brightly me-

tallic blue/green (Fig. 107).

Rostrum weakly curved (Figs 42, 43); underside of mesorostrum flat

and shagreened, without sulcus; septum of scrobes vanishing before

head. Antennae: fs 1 in both sexes 1.7-2.2 x as long as broad; club 2.4-

2.6 x longer than broad, slightly shorter than scape, as long as 5 distal

fs combined. Head: vertex with anterior elevation obsolete, impunctate, largely microreticulate. Pronotal disc densely microreticulate (Fig. 52). Elytra with a small, subconical tubercle in middle of interval 6, well

marked in dorsal outline of elytra (Fig. 50); remaining inner intervals

markedly convex, stronger and asymmetrically elevated (highest at

outer margin) at the broadest part of elytra (Fig. 45); interval 1 conflu-

ent with 2 at elytral base (Fig. 54); sculpture of intervals strong, with

dense, irregularly transverse grooves. Mesoventrite entire finely strigose.

Legs: protibia usually distinctly twisted, inner margin nearly straight,

barely expanded apically; protarsus 2.2-2.6 x longer than wide, the

length/width ratios for ts1 1.5-1.7, ts2 0.7-0.9, ts3 0.6-0.8.

Male: rostrum almost parallel-sided (Fig. 48). Profemoral tooth thin and simple, markedly longer than broad at base (Fig. 46). Abdominal V5 2.3 x longer than V3+4 combined, truncate, microreticulate and bare at base, with rugose, sometimes confluent puncturation and

protruding pubescence in apical half (Fig. 35). Membranous process between T7 and T8 narrow, parallel-sided, ca. 2 x longer than broad. S8 narrowly emarginate to mid-length. S9 stout and short, its apodeme twice as long as a narrow basal fork, with distinct apical widening (Fig. 77). Tegmen: apodeme thick, progressively dilated apicad (Fig. 82); basal piece with broad arms, shallowly forked; membranous lobes of tegminal plate double, well separated, outer lobes slightly longer than fenestrae, entirely covered with microtrichia; parameroid lobes truncate apically, 0.3 x of fenestra length, with at most 1-2 extremely fine macrochaetae; fenestrae subquadrate, entirely closed; postfenestral plate and dorsal membrane extremely short; prostegium shallowly emarginate at sides, completely divided, with long tails tapering apicad (Fig. 85). Aedeagus: pedon 3.5-3.7 x longer than broad, slightly asymmetrical, abruptly narrowing in about mid-length (Fig. 60), distinctly sinuate in profile, without apical swelling or tubercle (Fig. 66), ventrally broadly membranous in basal 0.25; endophallus and basal tip of flagellum reaching about distal two-thirds of aedeagal apodemes in repose; flagellum short, 0.20-0.25 x of aedeagal apodeme length (Fig. 80).

FIGS 56-77. 56, M. chloris , aedeagus, dorsal view. 57, M. bidentipes , aedeagus,dorsal view. 58, M. blaffarti , aedeagus, dorsal view. 59, M. millei , aedeagus, dorsal view. 60, M. cornutus , aedeagus, dorsal view. 61, M. jourdani ,, aedeagus, dorsal view. 62, M. chloris , aedeagus, lateral view. 63, M. bidentipes , aedeagus,lateral view. 64, M. blaffarti ,, aedeagus,lateral view. 65, M. millei , aedeagus,lateral view. 66, M. cornutus , aedeagus,lateral view. 67, M. jourdani , aedeagus, lateral view. 68, M. chloris , tegminal plate, dorsal view. 69, M. bidentipes , tegminal plate, dorsal view. 70, M. millei , tegminal plate, dorsal view. 71, M. blaffarti , tegminal plate, lateral view. 72, M. millei , tegminal plate, lateral view. 73, M. chloris , male sternites 8 & 9. 74, M. bidentipes , male sternites 8 & 9. 75, M. blaffarti , male sternites 8 & 9. 76, M. millei , male sternites 8 & 9. 77, M. cornutus , male sternites 8 & 9. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (Fig. 57), 0.5 mm (remaining Figs).

FIGS 78-92. 78, Megatracheloides blaffarti , endophallic flagellum. 79, M. millei , endophallic flagellum. 80, M. cornutus , endophallic flagellum. 81, M. bidentipes , tegminal apodeme. 82, M. cornutus , tegminal apodeme. 83, M. cornutus , invagination of male tergite 7 membrane. 84, M. bidentipes , invagination of male tergite 7 membrane. 85, M. cornutus , tegminal plate, dorsal view. 86, M. jourdani , tegminal plate, dorsal view. 87, M. cornutus , female sternite VIII. 88, M. blaffarti , female tergite VIII. 89, M. chloris , female tergite VII. 90, M. blaffarti , female tergite VII. 91, M. cornutus , female tergite VII. 92, M. jourdani , female tergite VII. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (Figs 81, 82, 84-92), 0.25 mm (Figs 78-80, 83).

FIGS 93-104. 93, Megatracheloides chloris , gonocoxites. 94, M. bidentipes , gonocoxites. 95, M. millei , gonocoxites. 96, M. cornutus , gonocoxites. 97, M. chloris , female terminalia. 98, M. blaffarti , female terminalia. 99, M. bidentipes , female terminalia. 100, M. cornutus , female terminalia. 101, M. blaffarti , spermatheca. 102, M. chloris , spermatheca. 103, M. millei , spermatheca. 104, M. jourdani , spermatheca. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (Fig. 98), 0.5 mm (Figs 93, 94, 96, 97, 99-102), 0.25 mm (Figs 95, 103, 104).

Female: rostrum weakly dilated apically, here usually narrower than at antennal insertion. Profemoral tooth as in male. Abdominal V5 flat, at most with very short and narrow median groove, 1.9-2.0 x longer than V3+4 (the latter two distinctly longer than in male), with dense, confluent punctures near apex, evenly clothed with protruding setae in apical 2/3; apical margin minutely notched, without raised ridges or teeth (Fig. 41). T7 largely sclerotized, its apical margin with angled projection (Fig. 91). Terminalia: styli ca. 2.2 x longer than broad, with several apical setae not longer than half stylus length; coxitae weakly divergent (Fig. 96), with fine median carina; foretube not darkened, though densely covered with minute, simple microtrichia; S8 ca. 2.4 x longer than ovipositor, with triangular basal plate bearing a few short setae, and expanded distal end (Fig. 87); T8 with marginal sclerotisation expanded on sides; bursa copulatrix strongly corrugated, partially covered with long microtrichia condensed along several longitudinal folds, accessory lobes smaller than in other species; spermatheca as in Fig. 100.

The remaining characters as in M. chloris . Morphological indices in Table 5.

BIOLOGY. — Maquis species, living on Hibbertia lucens Brongn. & Gris. The larvae found in flower buds fallen on the ground.

DISTRIBUTION. — SW Southern Province.

ETYMOLOGY. — Latin name referring to a pointed minute “horn” present on each elytron in this species.