Microplinthus phulchowkianus Meregalli, 2020

Meregalli, Massimo, 2020, Revision of the Nepalese genus Microplinthus Zherichin, 1987 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Molytinae), with description of 25 new species, Zootaxa 4794 (1), pp. 1-63 : 42-45

Microplinthus phulchowkianus Meregalli n. sp.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B1766B8A-1105-4B1C-9B46-AAA05684FA97

Fig. 22

Material examined. Holotype ♂: “ Phulchoki b. Kath- / mandu [= Phulchowki , 27°34’N 85°24’E], Nepal, lg. Franz / [back] Pa 15” ( NHMW) . Paratype: “ Phulchoki b. Kath- / mandu, Nepal, lg. Franz / [back] Pa 17” 1♀ ( NHMW)

Diagnostic description. Length 3.90 mm. Body oblong, integument dark brownish-ferruginous, slightly glossy. Vestiture composed of relatively thick setae curved against integument, densely inserted on elytral declivity, particularly on suture and more spaced elsewhere. Rostrum stout, dorsal margins linear, barely narrowed in anterior part, width at antennal insertion 0.8x as width at base, in lateral view thickened at midlength, dorsum regularly curved; dorsal sculpture composed of dense round punctures, individually impressed, narrowed, aligned in rows of 2 series of punctures, interspaces between punctures very narrow, linear, longitudinal lines separating rows of punctures narrow, better delimited anteriad, all punctures interrupted at antennal insertion, apical plate smooth, glossy, unpunctured. Antennal scape short, strongly thickened apicad; funicle antennomeres 1 and 2 as long as wide, 1 cylindrical, 2 subconical, 3–6 globose, 7 transverse; club shortly oval. Eye oblong, with about 35 ommatidia. Pronotum as long as wide, robust, sides regularly curvilinear, slightly more narrowed apicad, maximum width at midlength; apical margin in lateral view almost straight, ocular lobes not developed; dorsum evenly and regularly punctured, lacking a median line, punctures round, interspaces amidst punctures smaller than punctures, flat, weakly convex on sides. Elytra oblong, intervals linear, slightly convex, with low spaced obtuse elongate humps, striae narrower than intervals, with small punctures regularly impressed. Femur robust, moderately thickened medially, with a distinct triangular inner tooth; tibia short, densely setose, setae rigid, inner side denticulate, apex long obliquely cut; tarsomere 3 transverse, compact, lobe not expanded anteriorly; claws simple. Ventrites moderately narrowed, 1 densely punctured, punctures deep, round, each bearing a seta as long as puncture, 2 sparsely punctured, 3–4 with a row of shallow small punctures near apex, 5 densely and uniformly punctured. Penis only moderately curved at base, then straight, flattened, in dorsal view broadened in basal half, subparallel towards lamella, lamella short, rounded. Female sternum VIII short, apodeme absent, arms not joined, thick, slightly curved outwards, branches slender, elongate, curved upwards, lamina transverse, lateral sclerification tapering upwards.

Variation. The female paratype is 4.34 mm long. Excepting the usual secondary characters in the ventrites, it shows uniformity of external characters with the holotype.

Differential remarks. Three species are sympatric on Phulchowki Mountain, M. newarorum , M. godawaricus and M. phulchowkianus . The former belongs to a different group of species and cannot be confused: among the several differential traits, the pronotum is shallowly and irregularly punctured, the penis has a broad, rounded lamina, the foretibia has a rounded apex, the claws are toothed. Microplinthus godawaricus is quite similar, and differs in its smaller size, the slender elytra, barely broader than pronotum, and the female sternum VIII with triangular lamina and very short branches.

Origin of the name. This species name derives from the type locality Phulchowki Mountain, SE of Kathmandu.

Distribution. Central Nepal, on the Phulchowki Mountain, SE of Kathmandu ( Fig. 30 ).

Figures

FIGURE 22. Microplinthus phulchowkianus Holotype ♂, paratype ♀. Body (A, B); rostrum (G, J); antenna (D); pronotum (F); elytra (E); femur (H); foretibia (N); apex of foretibia (P); tarsus (C); claws (Q); ventrites (O); penis (K, L, M); female sternum VIII (I). Bar: 2 mm.

FIGURE 30. Distribution map of some species of Microplinthus. Map data: Google Earth, Maxar Technologies, used according to Google Earth Terms of Service.