Microplinthus franzi 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 : 18-20

Microplinthus franzi Meregalli n. sp.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:48278BF1-8AA2-4B31-BE33-16260506FF08

Fig. 7

Material examined. Holotype ♂: “Kali-Gandakhi Tal / zw. Lete u. Tukche [=Tukuche; Lethe: 28°36’N 83°38’E; Tukuche: 28°44’N 83°37’E] / [back] Pa 132 u. 133 // Zentral-Nepal / Sept.–Okt. 1971 / lg. H. Franz ” ( NHMW).

Paratypes. “ Kali-Gandakhi Tal / Lete / // Zentral-Nepal / Sept.–Okt. 1971 / lg. H. Franz ” , 1 ♂ ( MER) 1♀ ( NHMW) ; “ Nepal 435 Mustang Distr. , right / banks of Lethe Khola near / Lethe [= Lete, 28°36’N 83°38’E], 2400 m, 5.– 7.V.1995 / Martens & Schawaller” 1♂ 1 ♀ ( SMNS) 1 ♀ ( MER) .

Diagnostic description. Length 3.15 mm. Body oval, integument dark ferruginous, almost matt, elytra slightly glossier. Vestiture composed of sparse slender setae, recumbent against integument, slightly broadened in apical part but not spatulate. Rostrum stout, dorsal sides very weakly curved, barely narrower at antennal insertion than at base; in lateral side strongly and regularly curved from base to apex; dorsal sculpture composed of round punctures regularly impressed, aligned in 4 rows, the lateral rows reaching antennal insertion, the inner rows interrupted before, apical part smooth, unpunctured, longitudinal lines almost as wide as punctures, well delimited; head densely and regularly punctured. Antennal scape thickened from apical third, with a few slender setae; funicle antennomere 1 shortly globose, 2 conical, twice as long as 1, 3–6 globose to subtransverse, 7 slightly larger; club oblong-elliptical, acuminate. Eye oval, slightly convex, composed of about 40 ommatidia. Pronotum as long as wide, sides linearly broadened from base to apical quarter, then sharply constricted, anterior margin in lateral view slightly curved above head, ocular lobes weakly distinct; dorsum with quite sharp median line extended from basal quarter to near apex; surface with regularly impressed punctures, interspaces as wide as punctures, forming irregularly curvilinear convex lines, and with sparse slender setae similar to those on elytra, partly erect, directed outwards or backwards, inner side of punctures with a very short seta mainly directed outwards. Elytra convex, oval, odd intervals weakly convex and with raised tubercles, even intervals narrower and with lower humps; striae irregularly impressed, with spaced punctures. Femur thickened, constricted before articulation with tibia, with a narrow inner tooth; tibia narrow, slen- der, weakly sinuate internally, apex subtruncate, not extended along outer margin. Tarsomere 3 broadly developed, claws with small inner teeth. Penis slender, dorsal sides slightly narrowed in basal part, regularly rounded towards apex, in lateral side strongly curved downwards, lamella narrowed, sides slightly sinuate, apex subacute. Female sternum VIII with a very short apodeme, branches narrow and shorter than arms, arms straight, linearly widened, lamina with lateral sclerotization narrow, linear, parallel.

Variation. This is a small species with body length between 3.15 and 3.71 mm. Some specimens have slightly deeper punctures on the pronotum.

Differential remarks. See descriptions of M. letheensis and M. kaskianus .

Origin of the name. This species is named in memory of its collector, the well-known Austrian entomologist Herbert Franz (1908–2002).

Distribution. Western Nepal, upper part of the Kaligandakhi valley ( Fig. 28 ).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Microplinthus franzi, Holotype ♂, paratype ♀. Body (A, B); rostrum (G, H); antenna (E); pronotum (F); elytra (D); femur and foretibia (J); apex of foretibia (C); tarsus (I); claws (K); ventrites (P); penis (L, M, N); female sternum VIII (O). 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.