Azotoctla tibiatra, 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 : 586-588

AZOTOCTLA TIBIATRA CARDONA- DUQUE & FRANZ SP. NOV. ( FIGS 16 , 17 )

Diagnosis: Yellowish brown to brown; rostrum in dorsal view distinctly apically widened; mesepimeron distinctly projected ventrad; humeri indistinct; elytra with a central darkened macula, striae I and II narrower than intervals, thereafter subequal to intervals; aedeagal longitudinal plates projecting beyond dorsal margin in lateral view. Azotoctla tibiatra shares with A. angustacra and some specimens of A. femorata the presence of a darkened macula on the elytra. However, the former is readily distinguished from the remaining Azotoctla species by the long setae surrounding the eyes, which are longer than the frontal setae; by the two-coloured protibiae, which are apically darkened; by the membranous and laterally spinose, distinctly sclerotized aedeagal tectum; and by the distinctly deflexed aedeagus in lateral view.

Description: Male ( Fig. 16A ): small, length 2.1– 2.6 mm, width 1.0– 1.4 mm, oval l/w = 1.8–2.1 (N = 2). Colour yellowish brown to brown; vestiture long, golden, most conspicuous on pronotum, elytra, metaventrite, femora, tibiae, and tarsi. Rostrum short, 0.5–0.6 mm; r/p = 1.1–1.3, light reddish brown, apex dorsally slightly flattened; in dorsal view distinctly widened at apex, punctulate between antennal insertion and eyes; antennal insertion near apical third, scrobe subrectate, weakly projected beyond the antennal socket, basally deep. Antennal club oval, slightly longer than III- VII of funicle, apically rounded, I slightly shorter than II + III, II and III similar in length. Head dark reddish brown; ventrally and dorsally pilose. Eyes distant from pronotal margin by nearly half their diameter. Pronotum l/w = 0.6–0.7, reddish brown, laterally darkened, in dorsal view subcircular, anterior margin 0.6¥ width of posterior margin, lateral margins basally parallel, greatest width near anterior third, vestiture long (setae orientated posteriad); posterior margin slightly bisinuate; in lateral view conical. Mesepimeron ventrally distinctly projected. Prosternum subglabrous (few setae posteriad); procoxal cavities inserted on posterior two thirds (anterior region slightly longer than posterior region); prosternal process narrowly rounded; metaventrite pilose, even, metathoracic discrimen running along its posterior half, posterolateral depression not preceded by a ridge; metacoxal cavities separated by distance similar to mesocoxal diameter. Prothoracic legs slightly shorter than meso- and metathoracic legs, light reddish brown; procoxa distinctly pilose; profemur slightly shorter than meso- and metafemur, f/p = 1.2–1.4; protibia apically darkened, t/f = 0.8, anteroventrally pubescent along apical 1/4. Meso- and metatibiae anteroventrally pubescent along apical third. Scutellum short, triangular, anteriorly widened, reddish brown. Elytra semicircular, elongate l/w = 1.4–1.7, anterior margins sinuate; humeri indistinct; lateral margins subparallel throughout anterior half, thereafter evenly rounded and converging; with a central darkened macula; in lateral view dorsally flattened throughout anterior third, thereafter slightly convex; striae I and II narrower than intervals, thereafter subequal to intervals; IV- VI merging towards apex; strial punctures small to large, dark brown, subcircular to suboval; intervals reddish brown, vestiture short. Abdomen nearly 2.5¥ length of lateral margin of metaventrite, vestiture denser and longer than on metaventrite, sparser anteriad; sternites 1 and 2 weakly fused, suture weak, centrally concave; 1 slightly longer than 2; 2 slightly shorter than 3 + 4; 3 slightly shorter than 6; 5 slightly longer than 2. Tergites 1–2 incomplete; tergite 3 mesally weakly sclerotized; tergites 4–7 complete; tergite 4 posteriorly and tergites 5 and 6 lateroposteriorly with paired strigate-sculptured regions. Tergite 8 in dorsal view subquadrate, nearly as wide as long, posterior margin rounded, plicate, laterally rounded. Distal angle of sternum 8 with five to eight setae. Sternum 9 ( Fig. 16B ) 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. 16C ) medium, l/w = 3.5 (N = 1); longitudinal plates elongate (apically overlapping); basal margin diffuse, narrowly rounded, apex rounded, slightly projected (projection narrow); tectum membranous, tissue centrally papillate, laterally spinose and distinctly sclerotized, very dense; endophallus simple (as opposed to with sclerites); in lateral view slender, longitudinal plates standing out from dorsal margin, ventral margin deflexed, apex slightly upturned; aedeagal apodemes in lateral view straight throughout, very slightly sinuate at apex.

Female: length 2.3 mm, width 1.1 mm, l/w = 2.1 (N = 1). Rostrum 0.6 mm; r/p = 1.5, apically light reddish brown, basally darkened, dorsally arcuate, ventrally subrectate, basally slightly pilose. Antennal club distinctly darkened. Head reddish brown, darkened posterior to the eyes, frons sparsely pilose. Pronotum l/w = 0.7, anterior margin 0.7¥ width of posterior margin; in lateral view subrectangular. Prothoracic legs f/p = 1.2; t/f = 0.9. Elytra l/w = 1.5. Abdominal sternites 1 and 2 fused, convex. Tergites 1–3 incomplete, 4 weakly sclerotized mesad; lateroposterior part of tergites 4–6 with paired strigatesculptured regions, tergite 7 simple. Tergite 8 semilunar; posterior margin simple; anterior margin widely rounded; lateral margins simple. Sternum 8 ( Fig. 17A ) with lamina mesally widely emarginate; furcal arms margin roundly, inner corners of furcal arms with six to eight setae. Coxites slightly shorter than apodeme of sternite 8, styli short, apically with one to two long setae. Spermatheca ( Fig. 17B ) H-shaped; corpus tubular; cornu widened, apex broadly rounded; ramus and collum widely separated, not protruded.

Variation: The examined specimens vary primarily with regards to the dark coloured markings in the apical portion of the tibiae, with some specimens showing this darker coloration only on the protibiae whereas in others it extends to the meso- and metatibiae as well.

Type material: Holotype male (dissected) ‘ BELIZE, Lubaantun , ex. cicad cones, Jan. 15, 1978, leg. G. W. Blissard’ ( ASUT) . Paratypes, same label information as holotype ( ASUT: ten males, one female; two dissected) and ( CWOB: one male, one female) .

Etymology: Named in reference to the dark coloured protibial apex, based on the Latin word ater, which means ‘black’ in combination with tibia ( Brown, 1956).

Natural history: Azotoctla tibiatra is known from Lubaantun, Belize ( Fig. 35 ), a pre-Columbian ruined city of the Maya civilization located in the Toledo district at an elevation of nearly 60 m. The collecting locality is near the Columbia River Forest Reserve, one of the largest regions of undisturbed rainforest in Central America. The label information indicates an association with cycad cones; however this probably constitutes a misidentification of an actual cyclanth host plant. Four cyclanth species have been documented for the Toledo District: Asplundia labela (R.E. Schult.) Harling , Carludovica palmata Ruiz & Pav. , Carludovica utilis (Oerst.) Benth. & Hook. f. ex Hemsl., and Cyclanthus bipartitus Poit. ex A. Rich. ( Balick, Nee & Atha, 2000; see Tropicos.org, 2011).

Figures

Figure 16. Azotoctla tibiatra, male. A, habitus, lateral view; B, sternum 9; C, aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view.

Figure 17. Azotoctla tibiatra, female. A, sternum 8; B, spermatheca.

Figure 35. Azotoctla species distributions, I: Azotoctla angustacra, Azotoctla gomezi, Azotoctla punctata, Azotoctla tibiatra, and Azotoctla tuberquiai.