Cnestus luculentus Smith, Beaver & Cognato, 2022

Smith, Sarah M., Beaver, Roger A., Pham, Thai Hong & Cognato, Anthony I., 2022, New species and new records of Xyleborini from the Oriental region, Japan and Papua New Guinea (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Zootaxa 5209 (1), pp. 1-33 : 7

Cnestus luculentus Smith, Beaver & Cognato sp. nov.

( Figs 17–20 )

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Type material. Holotype, female: INDIA, Koppa , Quard Hitlow Estate, 30.x.[19]90, borer on Grevillea robusta, S.D. Samuel coll., 12 IIE 21466, NHMUK014591743 (NHMUK) . Paratype, female, as holotype except: MSUC_ ARC_314154 (1, MSUC)

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished by the unique pronotal apex which is produced ventrad to form a quadrate process bearing four large teeth and the area dorsad of process appearing bisulcate.

Similar species. Cnestus nitidipennis ( Schedl, 1951) , C. protensus ( Eggers, 1930)

Description (female). 4.2 mm long (mean = 4.2 mm; n = 2); 1.91 × as long as wide. Head red, frons, epistoma black, pronotum red with black anterior quadrate process, elytra black, each elytron with a large transparent area on the declivity, antennae and legs light brown. Head: mandibles enlarged (in lateral view protruding forward at 90° to the plane of the frons, dorsoventrally deeper than normal; in anterior view, with an upwardly directed, smooth, rounded process on the dorsal side); epistoma moderately and broadly emarginate with a row of hair-like setae. Frons transversely impressed from epistoma to upper level of eyes; median carina absent; surface setose, shagreened, tuberculate, moderately covered with erect hair-like setae, tubercles larger, denser above eyes. Eyes very shallowly emarginate just above antennal insertion, upper part much smaller than lower part. Antennal scape long and slender, longer than club. Pedicel as wide as scape, shorter than funicle. Funicle 3-segmented, segment 1 shorter than pedicel. Club longer than wide, obliquely truncate, type 1; segment 1 corneous, encircling anterior face; segment 2 narrow, concave, corneous on anterior face only; sutures absent on posterior face. Pronotum 0.95 × as long as wide. In dorsal view conical, type 6, sides parallel in basal 1/2, rounded anteriorly; anterior margin produced ventrad to form a quadrate process bearing four large teeth, area dorsad of process appearing bisulcate. In lateral view uniformly rounded without distinct summit, type 1, disc flat. Anterior slope with densely spaced, coarse and large asperities, becoming lower and more strongly transverse towards summit, bearing long, fine, erect hairlike setae, some longer hair-like setae at anterior and lateral margins. Disc shining, alutaceous with dense, coarse punctures, glabrous. Lateral margins carinate. Base carinate, medially emarginate, posterior angles broadly rounded. Mycangial tuft absent. Scutellum large, linguiform, flush with elytra, flat, shining. Elytra: 0.95 × as long as wide, as long as pronotum, glabrous. Base transverse, edge oblique, humeral angles rounded, parallel-sided in basal 1/2, then broadly rounded to apex. Strial punctures minute; interstriae impunctate. Declivity strongly rounded, smooth, transversely impressed before apex; six striae present. Posterolateral margin carinate to interstriae 3. Legs: procoxae contiguous. Protibiae very slender with three large, narrow denticles on outer margin; posterior face smooth. Meso- and metatibiae flattened, outer margins evenly rounded with five and 12, large similarly sized socketed denticles, their length longer than basal width.

Distribution. India (Karnataka).

Host plants. The type series was collected from Grevillea robusta (Proteaceae) .

Etymology. L. luculentus = brilliant, excellent. A variable adjective.

Figures

FIGURES 17‒20. Cnestus luculentus holotype, 4.2 mm. Dorsal, lateral, posterior oblique and anterior views.