Microplinthus yeti 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 : 20-23

Microplinthus yeti Meregalli n. sp.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E3347310-91D3-49D7-8FBD-47248788CEFD

Fig. 9

Material examined. Holotype ♂: “525 NEPAL Solukhumbu / Distr. Hinku Drangka Khola / bridge [27°35’N 86°47’E] 2000 m 18–19.V.1997 / leg. M. Hauser ” ( SMNS)

Diagnostic description. Length 4.18 mm. Body oval, dark brownish, almost matt. Vestiture composed of sparse setae, on elytra spatulate, recumbent and mainly condensed on the tubercles. Rostrum strong, dorsal margins slightly broadened basad, distinctly narrowed towards apex, in lateral view strongly curved, main curvature in basal part, thick, slightly narrowed towards apical part; dorsal sculpture dense, composed of groups of punctures obliquely aligned, separated by oblique raised lines joining irregular medial longitudinal line to dorso-lateral longitudinal lines; sculpture extended up to antennal insertion. Antennal scape regularly thickened towards apex; funicle antennomeres 1 and 2 conical, 1 more globose at apex, 2 narrower, less than twice as long as wide; 3–6 globose, 7 distinctly larger; club oval. Eye oval, with about 40 ommatidia. Pronotum as long as wide, sides distinctly curvilinear, maximum width in anterior half, apical margin in lateral view curved, strongly prominent above head, median line sharp, raised, extended from basal quarter to almost apex; surface with relatively small punctures, shallowly and individually impressed, interspaces as wide as punctures, slightly convex, bearing centripetal yellowish, slender lanceolate setae, adherent to integument. Elytra oval, intervals with numerous oblong tubercles distinctly raised, striae very narrow, irregular, with punctures poorly delimited. Femur very robust, thickened medially, with a small triangular tooth; tibia short, slender, scarcely thickened in median part, apex narrowed, round. Tarsomere 3 asymmetrical, inner lobe smaller; claws with strong inner teeth. Ventrites narrowed from 2 to 5, 1 and 2 deeply and densely punctured, 3 and 4 with shallow notes of punctures, 5 semicircular, rather densely punctured. Penis slender, side in dorsal view long narrowed towards apex, in lateral view curved in apical half, apex narrowed, pointed.

Differential remarks. No other species of the genus are known from the valley of the Hinku Drangka river. In the valley to the west, M. rugosus and M. leptus are present. The former has a broad pronotum, densely and regularly punctured and lacking a median keel, whereas M. leptus has slender elytra, lacking high tubercles. In the valleys to the east, M. koshianus has almost flat penis, with rounded apex, glossy elytra, tibiae with erect, prominent setae; M. khandbariensis is larger, with reddish integument, and has pronotum with dense deep punctures, whereas the penis, although similarly curved downwards, has a much more elongate apex. Microplinthus arunensis has the pronotum densely punctured and the elytra elongate towards the apex. Microplinthus yeti bears some resemblance to M. franzi , from the Kaligandakhi valley. This species differs by the penis with short apical lamella, the claws with minute inner teeth, the rostrum scarcely curved at base.

Origin of the name. This name derives from the Yeti, the folkloric ape-like creature that is said to inhabit the Himalayan mountains.

Distribution. Eastern Nepal, in the north-western part of the region ( Fig. 28 ).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Microplinthus yeti, Holotype ♂. Body (A, B); rostrum (E, F); antenna (C); pronotum (G); elytra (D); femur and foretibia (H); tarsus (I); claws (N); ventrites (M); penis (J, K, L). Bar: 2 mm.

FIGURE 28. Distribution map of some species of Microplinthus. Map data: Google Earth, Maxar Technologies, used according to Google Earth Terms of Service.