Asphalmus ovatus ( Sharp, 1896 ) Borovec, 2010

Borovec, Roman, 2010, A taxonomic study of Eastern Palaearctic Omiini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 50 (2), pp. 577-594 : 587-589

Asphalmus ovatus ( Sharp, 1896) comb. nov.

( Figs. 14‒19 , 25 )

Omoiotus ovatus Sharp, 1896: 96 .

Omoiotus ovatus: WINKLER (1932: 1452) ; LONA (1938: 507); ALONSO- ZARAZAGA & LYAL (1999: 166); KOJIMA & MORIMOTO (2004: 124).

Type material examined. SHARP (1896) stated in his original description: “Two specimens were found, but the exact locality has not been recorded”. I have found three males and two females in Sharp collection ( BMNH). One specimen, indicated as the type by Sharp is here designated as the lectotype. It is a well preserved male, 3.37 mm long, bearing the following labels: “ Omoiotus ovatus . Type D. S. Japan. Lewis [handwritten on the same card on which the specimen is glued] / Type [printed, circular label with red margins] / Japan. G. Lewis [printed] / Sharp Coll.-313. [printed] / LECTOTYPUS Omoiotus ovatus Sharp, R. Borovec desig. 2008 [red, printed] / Asphalmus ovatus (Sharp) , R. Borovec det. 2008 [printed]”.

Each of the remaining four specimens (two males and two females) bears the following labels: “ Japan. G. Lewis [printed] / Sharp Coll. 1905-313. [printed]”. Because the species was described on the basis of two specimens only, I did not designate the remaining specimens as paralectotypes.

Redescription. Body length (rostrum excluded): 3.18‒3.56 mm.

Body brown, antennae and legs brownish yellow. Elytra with 4–5 irregular rows of adherent, yellowish grey, piliform setae, as long as a quarter of width of interval. Pronotum and head with indistinct, adherent, yellowish grey, short setae, identical as elytral adherent setae, pronotal setae transversally directed to midline ( Fig. 25 ). Antennae and legs with scarce, adherent, piliform yellow setae, only antennal funicle and inner edge of tibiae with erect setae.

Rostrum 1.18‒1.25 times as wide as long, at base 1.06‒1.14 times as wide as at apex and 1.25‒1.39 times as wide as in median narrowest part. Rostrum long, in basal half distinctly tapered anteriorly, in apical half strongly enlarged with strongly rounded sides, correspondingly arched as lateral margins of scrobes. Epifrons distally strongly tapered, with concave sides, at rostral base about as wide as a third of rostral width in the same place. Frons large, U-shaped, curved ventrally, slightly angular in lateral view, reaching posterior border of pit-shaped scrobes, shiny, with very fine microsculpture, shallowly feebly depressed. Epifrons elevated as compared to rostrum, the latter separated from rest of head by wide, shallow transversal furrow. Interocular space with very large fovea in the middle. Rostrum in lateral view strongly vaulted. Scrobes in dorsal view fully visible, open, in lateral view short, dorsal border subparallel with dorsal border of the rostrum, directed visible above the eye, ventral border short, directed towards the ventral border of the eye. Eyes large, strongly convex, protruding from outline of the head. Head tapered anteriorly ( Fig. 14 ). Head and rostrum shiny, finely and densely punctate, distance between punctures shorter than their diameter.

Antenna slender, in males somewhat more so than in females. Antennal scape short, curved in the middle of its length, enlarged mainly in the apical half and here equally as wide as the antennal club. Antennomere 1 in males twice as long as wide, equally long as antennomere 2, 2.4–2.5 times as long as wide; antennomeres 3 and 4 1.2 times as long as wide; antennomere 5 1.1–1.2 times as long as wide; antennomeres 6 and 7 1.1 times as long as wide. Antennomere 1 in females twice as long as wide, equally long as antennomere 2, 2.2 times as long as wide; antennomeres 3 and 4 1.1 times as long as wide; antennomeres 5 and 6 isodiametric; antennomere 7 1.2 times as wide as long.

Pronotum slender, 1.05–1.12 times as wide as long, regularly vaulted, with regularly rounded sides, widest in midlength ( Figs. 15, 16 ). Dorsal surface shiny, regularly, scarcely and finely punctate. Distance between punctures somewhat shorter than their diameter, with several very small and fine punctures between larger punctures ( Fig. 25 ).

Scutellum large, triangular, prominent.

Elytra long-oval, in males more slender than in females (in males 1.50‒1.53 times, in females 1.43‒1.46 times as long as wide), widest in midlength ( Figs. 15, 16 ). Striae wide, distinctly punctate, in dorsal part somewhat wider than vaulted intervals ( Fig. 25 ).

All femora dentate. Dent of profemur in both sexes similar, large, triangular, two times larger than the dent at internal angle of protibia. Dent on metafemur half as large as dent on the profemur. Protibia slender and very long, strongly enlarged mesally and straight laterally, apex rounded with a fringe of very short, fine, yellowish setae and with one dent at internal angle. Mesal edge of protibia sinuate with scarce, long erect setae. All tarsi in females more slender than in males, in both sexes protarsus more robust than metatarsus. In males protarsomere 2 1.4 times as wide as long; protarsomere 3 1.3‒1.4 times as wide as long and 1.5 times as wide as protarsomere 2; ungular tarsomere 1.4 times as long as protarsomere 3. Metatarsomere 2 1.2 times as wide as long; metatarsomere 3 1.2‒1.3 times as wide as long and 1.4 times as wide as metatarsomere 2; ungular metatarsomere 1.5 times as long as metatarsomere 3. In females protarsomere 2 1.1 times as wide as long; protarsomere 3 1.3‒1.4 times as wide as long and 1.6 times as wide as protarsomere 2; ungular tarsomere 1.3‒1.4 times as long as protarsomere 2. Metatarsomere 2 isodiametric; metatarsomere 3 1.2 times as wide as long and 1.4 times as wide as metatarsomere 2; ungular metatarsomere 1.6‒1.7 times as long as metatarsomere 3.

Male genitalia. Long and slender, regularly tapered apically, in ventral view longly triangular with significantly asymmetrically turned slender apex. In lateral view regularly curved, apex lengthened to long, sharp, slender point ( Fig. 17 ).

Female genitalia. Plate of sternum 8 wide, umbrella-shaped ( Fig. 19 ). Spermatheca not examined.

Differential diagnosis. For the differential diagnosis from A. japonicus , see under that species, for the characters distinguishing it from A. sharpi sp. nov. see the identification key.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Japan.

Figures

Figs. 14–22. 14–19 – Asphalmus ovatus (Sharp, 1896), Japan. 14 – head and rostrum, dorsal view (scale = 0.50 mm); 15 – pronotum and elytra in male, dorsal view; 16 – pronotum and elytra in female, dorsal view (scale = 1.00 mm); 17 – aedeagus, ventral and lateral view (scale = 0.25 mm); 18 – ovipositor (scale = 0.25 mm); 19 – sternum 8 in female (scale = 0.50 mm). 20-22 – A. sharpi sp. nov., holotype. 20 – head and rostrum, dorsal view (scale = 0.50 mm); 21 – pronotum and elytra in male, dorsal view (scale = 1.00 mm); 22 – aedeagus, ventral and lateral view. (scale = 0.25 mm).

Figs. 23–26. Habitus. 23 – Yunakovius orientalis gen. & sp. nov. (paratype ♀, 3.1 mm, ZIN); 24 – Asphalmus japonicus Sharp, 1896 (♂, 3.8 mm, BMNH); 25 – A. ovatus (Sharp, 1896) (♂, 3.4 mm, BMNH); 26 – A. sharpi sp. nov. (holotype ♂, 3.0 mm, BMNH).