Azotoctla melolauta, Cardona-Duque, Juliana & Franz, Nico M., 2012

Cardona-Duque, Juliana & Franz, Nico M., 2012, Description and phylogeny of a new Neotropical genus of Acalyptini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae) associated with the staminodes of Cyclanthaceae, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 166 (3), pp. 559-623 : 599-602

AZOTOCTLA MELOLAUTA CARDONA- DUQUE & FRANZ SP. NOV. ( FIGS 25 , 26 )

Diagnosis: Dark brown, legs yellowish brown; rostrum punctulate and slightly rugulose between antennal insertion and eyes; antennal scrobe subrectate, not projected beyond antennal socket; elytral lateral margins slightly sinuate in lateral view; aedeagal apex conical, slightly projected; tectum membranous, papillate, dense; endophallus with nearly 20 spine-like mesal sclerites, arranged in an inverted U-shape. Azotoctla melolauta is readily distinguished from its congeners by the lightly coloured legs, which contrast with the dark colour of the remaining integument; and by the complete and pentagonal lamina of the female sternum 8. The conical, slightly and widely projected aedeagal apex and the membranous tectum of A. melolauta most closely resemble the aedeagus of A. gomezi ; however, the former species has a slightly higher number of spinelike sclerites in the aedeagal endophallus that are furthermore arranged in an inverted U-shape; whereas in the latter species the sclerites are variously orientated.

Description: Male ( Fig. 25A ): small, length 1.9– 2.0 mm, width 0.9–1.0 mm, oval l/w = 2.1–2.2 (N = 2). Colour dark brown, legs yellowish brown; vestiture short to medium, golden, most conspicuous on pronotum, elytra, metaventrite, abdominal sternites, femora, tibiae, and tarsi. Rostrum ( Fig. 26C ) short, 0.4–0.5 mm; r/p = 1.1–1.2, reddish brown apically to dark brown basally; in dorsal view distinctly widened at apex, slightly pilose (setae short and sparse), punctulate and slightly rugulose between antennal insertion and eyes; antennal insertion near apical third, scrobe subrectate, not projected beyond antennal socket, basally extended well below the eye, deep. Antennal club oval, I similar in length to II + III, II and III similar. Head brown; ventrally glabrous, dorsally barely pilose. Eyes distant from pronotal margin by nearly one third of their diameter. Pronotum l/w = 0.7, brown, in dorsal view subcircular, anterior margin 0.7¥ width of posterior margin, lateral margins slightly rounded, greatest width at midregion, vestiture short; posterior margin bisinuate; in lateral view subquadrate. Mesepimeron ventrally not projected. Prosternum subglabrous (few setae laterad); procoxal cavities inserted on posterior two thirds (anterior region slightly longer than posterior region); prosternal process acutely rounded, pilose; metaventrite pilose, shallowly punctulate, posterolateral depression not preceded by a ridge; metacoxal cavities separated by distance similar to mesocoxal diameter. Ventral vestiture long. Prothoracic legs light yellowish brown; procoxa slightly pilose; profemur f/p = 1.3; protibia t/f = 0.8–0.9. Meso- and metatibiae anteroventrally pubescent along apical third. Scutellum short, pentagonal, brown. Elytra elongate, l/w = 1.6–1.7, anterior margins slightly sinuate; lateral margins subparallel throughout anterior two thirds, thereafter nearly straight and converging; in lateral view dorsally flattened throughout anterior three quarters, thereafter slightly convex, lateral margins slightly sinuate; striae narrower than intervals, indistinct because of dense pilosity; strial punctures small, dark brown, subcircular; intervals dark brown, vestiture short. Abdomen nearly 2.5¥ length of lateral margin of metaventrite, vestiture denser and longer than on metaventrite; sternites 1 and 2 centrally nearly flat; 1 and 2 similar in length; 5 similar in length to 2 + 3. Tergites 1–6 incomplete; tergite 7 complete posteriad; tergites 5–6 lateroposteriorly and tergite 7 lateroanteriorly with paired strigatesculptured regions. Tergite 8 wider than long, posterior margin straight, plicate, laterally rounded. Distal angle of sternum 8 with three to four large setae. Sternum 9 ( Fig. 25B ) with basal portion of basal plate sinuate, T-shaped; apodeme 1.5¥ width of aedeagal apodemes. Tegminal plate reduced, basal piece Y-shaped; tegminal apodeme deflexed, nearly one third length of aedeagus. Aedeagus ( Fig. 25C ) medium, l/w = 4.0 (N = 1); longitudinal plates elongatetriangular; basal margin narrowly rounded, diffuse, apex conical, projected (projection medium sized and wide); tectum membranous, tissue papillate, dense; endophallus with nearly 20 spine-like weakly sclerotized, mesal sclerites, U-inverted arranged; in lateral view wide, ventral margin deflexed, apex slightly upturned; aedeagal apodemes in lateral view subrectate at base (forming a straight angle with aedeagus), slightly sinuate at apex, in dorsal view slightly widened near to apex.

Female: length 1.8–2.0 mm, width 0.8–0.9 mm, l/w = 2.2–2.3 (N = 2). Rostrum longer than in male, 0.5 mm; r/p = 1.3–1.5, reddish brown apically to dark brown basally, pilose throughout; antennal scrobe basally well defined below the eye. Funicular segment I slightly longer than II + III. Eyes distant from anterior margin of pronotum by nearly one-third of their diameter. Pronotum l/w = 0.6–0.7, anterior margin 0.7¥ width of posterior margin, greatest width near to anterior third; in lateral view conical. Prosternum laterally scarcely pilose; mesoventral process acutely rounded, pilose. Prothoracic legs f/p = 1.3–1.4; t/f = 0.8–0.9. Elytra l/w = 1.6–1.7. Abdominal sternites 1 and 2 not fused but weakly separated; sternite 5 slightly longer than 3 + 4. Tergites 1–6 incomplete; lateroposterior part of tergites 5 and 6 and lateroanterior part of tergite 7 with paired strigate-sculptured regions. Tergite 8 semilunar; posterior margin simple; anterior margin deeply emarginate; lateral margins simple, sinuate. Sternum 8 ( Fig. 26A ) with lamina complete, pentagonal, distally widened, apical margin straight, laterally rounded. Coxites nearly as long as apodeme of sternite 8, styli apically with one to two long setae. Spermatheca ( Fig. 26B ) with corpus slightly swollen near to ramus and collum; apex of cornu broadly rounded, distinctly rugulose; ramus and collum widely separated; ramus slightly protruded; collum not protruded.

Variation: No significant variation is apparent amongst the examined specimens.

Type material: Holotype male (dissected) ‘COcal. [ Colombia, Caldas], Supía, Qda. [Quebrada] Piedras (desembocadura en el río Cauca), 05°24′43″ N; 74°35′43″ W, en inflorescencia de Carludovica palmata, Mar. 2/2009, leg. C. Bota & N. Uribe, CEUA 47823 ’ ( CEUA) . Paratypes, same label information as holotype male except ‘ CEUA 47851 ’, ‘ CEUA 47834 ’, ‘ CEUA 47849 ’, ‘ CEUA 47850 ’, ‘ CEUA 47852 ’, ‘ CEUA 47853 ’, ‘ CEUA 47854 ’, ‘ CEUA 47855 ’, ‘ CEUA 47856 ’, ‘ CEUA 47857 ’, ‘ CEUA 47858 ’, ‘ CEUA 47859 ’, ‘ CEUA 47885 ’, ‘ CEUA 47886 ’, ‘ CEUA 47887 ’, ‘ CEUA 49284 ’, ‘ CEUA 49285 ’, ‘ CEUA 49286 ’, ‘ CEUA 49287 ’, ‘ CEUA 49288 ’, ‘ CEUA 49289 ’, ‘ CEUA 49290 ’, ‘ CEUA 49291 ’, ‘ CEUA 49292 ’, ‘ CEUA 49293 ’, ‘ CEUA 49294 ’, ‘ CEUA 49295 ’, ‘ CEUA 49296 ’, ‘ CEUA 49297 ’, ‘ CEUA 49298 ’, ‘ CEUA 49299 ’, ‘ CEUA 49300 ’, ‘ CEUA 49301 ’, ‘ CEUA 49302 ’, ‘ CEUA 49303 ’, ‘ CEUA 49304 ’, ‘ CEUA 49305 ’, ‘ CEUA 49306 ’, ‘ CEUA 49307 ’, ‘ CEUA 49308 ’, ‘ CEUA 49309 ’, ‘ CEUA 49310 ’, ‘ CEUA 49311 ’, ‘ CEUA 49312 ’, ‘ CEUA 49313 ’, ‘ CEUA 49314 ’, ‘ CEUA 49315 ’, ‘ CEUA 49316 ’, ‘ CEUA 49317 ’, ‘ CEUA 49318 ’, ‘ CEUA 49319 ’, ‘ CEUA 49320 ’, ‘ CEUA 49321 ’, ‘ CEUA 49322 ’ ( CEUA: 15 males, 39 females; 5 dissected) and ‘ ICN-048279 ’, ‘ ICN-048280 ’, ‘ ICN-048281 ’, ‘ ICN-048282 ’, ‘ ICN- 048283 ’, ‘ ICN-048284 ’, ‘ ICN-048285 ’, ‘ ICN-048286 ’, ‘ ICN-048287 ’, ‘ ICN-048288 ’, ‘ ICN-048289 ’, ‘ ICN- 048290 ’, ‘ ICN-048291 ’, ‘ ICN-048292 ’, ‘ ICN-048293 ’, ‘ ICN-048294 ’, ‘ ICN-048295 ’, ‘ ICN-048296 ’, ‘ ICN- 048297 ’, ‘ ICN-048298 ’ ( ICN: ten males, ten females) .

Etymology: Named in reference to the lightly coloured legs, which contrast with the dark colour of the body, based on the Greek word melos, which means ‘limb’ and the Latin word lautus, which means ‘splendid, brilliant’ ( Brown, 1956).

Natural history: Azotoctla melolauta is known from the western flange of the Central Cordillera in Colombia (Caldas Department), near the Cauca River ( Fig. 37 ). All specimens were collected in an open area without dense vegetation, on a single inflorescence of C. palmata .

Figures

Figure 25. Azotoctla melolauta, male. A, habitus, lateral view; B, sternum 9; C, aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view.

Figure 26. Azotoctla melolauta, female. A, sternum 8; B, spermatheca; C, male head, lateral view.

Figure 37. Azotoctla species distributions, III: Azotoctla anerunca, Azotoctla curvirostra, Azotoctla femorata, Azotoctla gottsbergeri, and Azotoctla melolauta.