Azotoctla clemmyssa, 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 : 588-591

AZOTOCTLA CLEMMYSSA CARDONA- DUQUE & FRANZ SP. NOV. ( FIGS 18 , 19 )

Diagnosis: Light to dark yellowish brown; rostrum in dorsal view distinctly apically widened; metanepisternal width similar throughout; protarsus nearly half as long as protibia; aedeagal lateral margins converging towards apical three fifths in dorsal view; endophallus without sclerites; apodeme of female sternum 8 shorter than furcal arms; furcal arms rounded. The laterally converging margins of the aedeagus of A. clemmyssa resemble those of A. tuberquiai ; however, the tectum is completely membranous in the former species yet basally sclerotized in the latter. Azotoctla clemmyssa is readily separated from other congeners by the convergent margins of the aedeagus, the simple endophallus, and the rounded furcal arms of female sternum 8, which has a short apodeme.

Description: Male ( Fig. 18A ): small, length 2.4– 2.7 mm, width 1.3–1.5 mm, oval l/w = 1.8–1.9 (N = 3). Colour light to dark yellowish brown; vestiture long, golden, most conspicuous on rostrum, prothorax, elytra, thoracic sternites, femora, tibia, and ventrites. Rostrum short, 0.5–0.6 mm; r/p = 0.9–1.3, dark yellowish brown to reddish brown, distinctly tumescent above antennal insertion; in dorsal view distinctly widened at apex; pilose and punctulate between antennal insertion and eyes; antennal insertion near apical quarter, scrobe subrectate, basally deep. Antennal club oval, I slightly longer than II, II similar to two times length of III. Head dark yellowish brown; ventrally slightly pilose, dorsally pilose. Eyes distant from pronotal margin by nearly half their diameter. Pronotum l/w = 0.6–0.8, dark yellowish brown, in dorsal view semicircular, anterior margin 0.6¥ width of posterior margin, lateral margins rounded, greatest width near posterior margin, vestiture short; posterior margin slightly bisinuate; in lateral view conical. Mesepimeron ventrally not projected; metanepisternal width similar throughout. Prosternum scarcely pilose; procoxal cavities inserted on posterior three quarters; prosternal process rounded-emarginate; metaventrite densely pilose, punctulate; metacoxal cavities separated by distance similar to 1.5¥ mesocoxal diameter. Ventral vestiture dense. Prothoracic legs yellowish brown; procoxa distinctly pilose; profemur f/p = 1.1–1.5; protibia t/f = 0.8–0.9, anteroventrally pubescent along apical quarter; protarsus nearly half as long as protibia. Meso- and metatibiae anteroventrally pubescent along apical quarter. Scutellum triangular, yellowish brown. Elytra elongate, l/w = 1.4–1.6, anterior margins sinuate; lateral margins subparallel throughout anterior 2/3, thereafter nearly straight and converging; in lateral view dorsally flattened throughout anterior 2/3, thereafter slightly convex; striae subequal to intervals, deep; strial punctures large, brown, suboval; intervals light yellowish brown, vestiture short. Abdomen nearly 1.5¥ length of lateral margin of metaventrite, vestiture long, similar to that of metaventrite, sparser anteriad; sternites 1 and 2 centrally concave; 1 and 2 similar in length. Tergites 1–4 incomplete; tergites 5–7 complete; tergites 4–6 lateroposteriorly with paired strigate-sculptured regions. Tergite 8 anteriorly covered by elytra; distinctly wider than long (width nearly 1.5¥ its length), posterior margin slightly rounded. Distal angle of sternum 8 with six to eight large setae. Sternum 9 ( Fig. 18B ) with basal portion of basal plate sinuate, plicate, Y-shaped; apodeme slightly widened along apical half, nearly 2.5¥ width of aedeagal apodemes, distinctly widened at its apical end. Tegminal plate reduced, basal piece Y-shaped; tegminal apodeme deflexed, in dorsal view explanate at its apical end, nearly one-fifth length of aedeagus. Aedeagus ( Fig. 18C ) in dorsal view with lateral margins converging towards apical three fifths, medium, l/w = 3.5 (N = 1); longitudinal plates clavate; basal margin narrowly rounded, with an anteriorly projected sclerite, apex conical, simple, elongate (thus appearing to be projected); tectum membranous, tissue papillate, dense, basal papillae lanceolate; endophallus simple (as opposed to with sclerites); in lateral view slender, ventral margin subrectate, slightly sinuate; aedeagal apodemes in lateral view slightly deflexed basad, distinctly sinuate apicad, in dorsal view widened at apex.

Female: length 2.5 mm, width 1.3 mm, l/w = 1.9 (N = 2). Rostrum 0.6 mm; r/p = 1.2–1.3, dark reddish brown, apex continually curved post antennal insertion; antennal insertion near apical third; scrobe projected to apex. Head dark reddish brown, frons densely pilose. Eyes distant from anterior margin of pronotum by nearly one third of their diameter. Pronotum dark yellowish brown to brown, l/w = 0.7, anterior margin 0.6–0.7¥ width of posterior margin; in lateral view subrectangular. Mesoventrite slightly pilose, mesoventral process rounded-emarginate, pilose. Prothoracic legs f/p = 1.3; t/f = 0.8. Elytra l/w = 1.5. Abdominal suture between sternites 1 and 2 slightly evident; sternite 5 similar in length to 3 + 4. Tergites 1–5 incomplete (6 mesally weakly sclerotized); lateroposterior part of tergites 4–6 with paired strigate-sculptured regions, tergite 7 simple. Tergite 8 ( Fig. 19A ) subrectangular; posterior margin simple; anterior margin acutely emarginate; lateral margin simple. Sternum 8 ( Fig. 19B ) with lamina mesally emarginate; furcal arms margin rounded, with ten to 20 strong setae; apodeme shorter than furcal arms. Coxites slightly longer than apodeme of sternite 8, styli apically with one to two long setae. Spermatheca ( Fig. 19C ) with corpus tubular; apex of cornu broadly rounded; ramus and collum widely separated; ramus not protruded; collum protruded and rugulose.

Variation: In some specimens the posterior regions of the lateral elytral margins are evenly rounded whereas in others the margins are nearly straight posteriorly.

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

47860’ ( CEUA). Paratypes, same label information as holotype except ‘ CEUA 47824 ’, ‘ CEUA 47831 ’, ‘ CEUA 47861 ’, ‘ CEUA 47862 ’, ‘ CEUA 47863 ’, ‘ CEUA 47864 ’, ‘ CEUA 47865 ’, ‘ CEUA 47866 ’, ‘ CEUA 47867 ’, ‘ CEUA 47868 ’, ‘ CEUA 47869 ’, ‘ CEUA 47870 ’, ‘ CEUA 47871 ’, ‘ CEUA 47872 ’, ‘ CEUA 47873 ’, ‘ CEUA 47874 ’, ‘ CEUA 47875 ’, ‘ CEUA 47876 ’, ‘ CEUA 47877 ’, ‘ CEUA 47878 ’, ‘ CEUA 47879 ’, ‘ CEUA 47891 ’, ‘ CEUA 47892 ’, ‘ CEUA 47893 ’, ‘ CEUA 47894 ’, ‘ CEUA 47895 ’, ‘ CEUA 47896 ’, ‘ CEUA 47897 ’, ‘ CEUA 47898 ’, ‘ CEUA 47899 ’, ‘ CEUA 47900 ’, ‘ CEUA 47901 ’, ‘ CEUA 49281 ’, ‘ CEUA 49282 ’, ‘ CEUA 49283 ’ ( CEUA: 14 males, 21 females; seven dissected) and ‘ ICN-048269 ’, ‘ ICN-048270 ’, ‘ ICN- 048271 ’, ‘ ICN-048272 ’, ‘ ICN-048273 ’, ‘ ICN-048274 ’ ( ICN: three males and three females); ‘COant. [ Colombia, Antioquia], San Rafael, Vda. [Vereda] La Rápida, Finca Cantarrana , 6°15′27,6″ N; 75°01′41,5″ W, 1041 m, en estaminodios recogidos en el suelo de Carludovica palmata Ruiz & Pavón , May. 25/2007, leg. Cardona & Tuberquia, CEUA 45775 ’, ‘ CEUA 45776 ’ ( CEUA: two males, two dissected) .

Etymology: Named in reference to the convex and oval shape of the body, based on the Greek word klemmys, which means ‘turtle’ ( Brown, 1956).

Natural history: Azotoctla clemmyssa is known from the eastern and western flanges of the Central Cordillera in Colombia (Departments of Antioquia and Caldas, respectively) ( Fig. 36 ), where specimens were collected in open areas on Carludovica palmata inflorescences. The specimens from San Rafael were collected on the ground on detached staminodes of C. palmata . Some adult females from the Supía locality appeared to be parasitized by other insect larvae.

Figures

Figure 18. Azotoctla clemmyssa, male. A, habitus, lateral view; B, sternum 9; C, aedeagus, dorsal and lateral view.

Figure 19. Azotoctla clemmyssa, female. A, tergite 8, ventral view; B, sternum 8; C, spermatheca.

Figure 36. Azotoctla species distributions, II: Azotoctla aecuatorialis, Azotoctla clemmyssa, Azotoctla dasygastra, Azotoctla migueli, and Azotoctla nana.