Molybdotus viridiaureus, Colonnelli, 2014

Colonnelli, Enzo, 2014, Apionidae, Nanophyidae, Brachyceridae and Curculionidae except Scolytinae (Coleoptera) from Socotra Island, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54, pp. 295-422 : 390-391

Molybdotus viridiaureus sp. nov.

( Figs 108, 111 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), ‘ Yemen; Soqotra Is., 23.xi.2003 // Gubbah vill.env.// N 12°36′35″ E 53°46′56″ // 7 m [GPS]; Jan Farkač lgt.’, ‘ Yemen - Soqotra 2003 // Expedition; Jan Farkač, // Petr Kabátek & David Král’. PARATYPES: 2 JJ 2 ♀♀, same label data as holotype (2 NMPC, 2 ECRI); 1 J 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Is. // 24-26/. xi.2003 // Wadi Ayhaft, 190 m // N 12°36′38″ E 53°58′49″ // [GPS], David Král lgt.’ ( NMPC); 7 JJ 4 ♀♀, ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Is. // Homhil protected area // 28-29/xi. 2003, 364 m // N 12°34′27″, E 54°18′32″ // [GPS]; leg. P. Kabátek’, ‘ Yemen - Soqotra 2003 // Expedition; Jan Farkač, // Petr Kabátek & David Král’ (8 NMPC, 3 ECRI); 2 JJ 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Is., Wadi // Ayhaft, 24-26/. xi.2003, N 12° // 36′38″ E 53°58′49″, 190 m // [GPS], leg. P. Kabátek’, ‘ Yemen - Soqotra 2003 // Expedition; Jan Farkač, // Petr Kabátek & David Král’ ( NMPC); 1J 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // coastal road, shrubby area // ca 5 km W of Hadibo // 13.vi.2009, L. Purchart lgt.’ (1 NMPC, 1 ECRI); 2 ♀♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Firmihin, 400-500 m // N 12°28′27″, E 54°0′54″ // 22-25.vi.2009 // L. Purchart & J. Vybíral lgt.’ ( NMPC); 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island E // Homhil area, 400-510 m // N 12°34′25″, E 54°18′53″ // 9-10.ii.2010 // L. Purchart & J. Vybíral lgt.’ ( NMPC); 1 J, ‘Socotra ( YE) // wadi Ayhaft // 27.X.2007 - R. Sindaco’ ( MCCI); 1 J, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // wadi Egiya // 8.XI.2007 - R. Sindaco’ ( MUPI); 1 J, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // road between Airport and Hadiboh // 12°38′27″N 53°58′22″E, // 80 m, 2.vi.2012 // V. Hula & J. Niedobová leg.’ ( NMPC); 2 JJ, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Dixam plateau, Wadi Zerig // pools, Juncus marsh; Dracaena // trees; cave 13-14.vi.2012 // 12°29.6′N, 53°59.5′E, 655 m’, ‘Socotra expedition 2012 // J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, // P. Kment, I. Malenovský, // J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ ( NMPC); 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Wadi Zirik, 650-670 m // N 12°29′35″, E 53°59′28″ // 16.vi.2009, L. Purchart leg.’ ( NMPC); 1 J, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // wadi Zirigh // 28.I.2008 - R. Sindaco’ ( MCCI); 1 J 1 ♀, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // Thar area // 14.II.2009 - R. Sindaco’ (1 MCCI, 1 ECRI); 1 ♀, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // Thar // 5.III.2008 - R. Sindaco’ ( MUPI).

Description. Male holotype. Body length 6.7 mm. Piceous, antennae and tarsomere III dark ferruginous. Dorsal surface very densely covered by recumbent subpolygonal strictly adpressed golden, golden-greenish and brownish scales forming two vague lateral stripes on each side of pronotum and spots on elytra; in addition there are slightly erect elongate curved silvery scales, barely visible on pronotum and elytra, more so on head and rostrum. Ventral side with recumbent, wide, partly embricate irregularly oval golden-greenish scales ( Fig. 108 ).

Head. Rostrum 0.69 times as long as wide, sides slightly converging forward, apex of scrobes visible from above. Epifrons almost flat, about as wide as interocular distance, dorsum with sulcus continuing on space between eyes, sides gradually sloping laterally. Epistome V-shaped, smooth and keeled posteriorly. Head large, interocular space slightly convex and sulcate, vertex strongly convex. Antennae slender; scape slightly bisinuous and gradually clubbed at apex; funicular antennomere I about one half longer and slightly wider than II, antennomeres III to VI moniliform, short and slightly diminishing in length, antennomere VII subtrapezoidal, transverse and somewhat annexed to club, which is fusiform and as long as four preceding antennomeres. Eyes quite small, convex, little sunken.

Pronotum 0.87 times as long as wide, widest at middle, quite flat dorsally, sides rather strongly rounded, apex slightly convex, base truncate, weakly keeled and of about same width of apex; disc with deep irregular large punctures and some small isolate smooth bare granules, and with trace of thin median longitudinal sulcus. Scutellum triangular and bare.

Elytra elongate oval, 1.51 times longer than wide, 1.33 times as wide as pronotum, maximum width at middle, rather flat on basal half, then moderately convex in profile towards apex, base straight and weakly keeled, apical declivity acute. Striae sulciform, punctures on them hidden by scaling. Intervals much wider than striae, slightly convex, narrowing posteriorly.

Legs as in M. minor sp. nov.

Ventral side. Metaventrite and abdominal ventrite I with very shallow common median depression.

Variability. Paratypes are very similar to the holotype. Females have elytra slightly longer, protibiae less curved inwards and lack abdominal impression. The colour varies a little from almost pure golden to golden-greenish.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as depicted in Fig. 111 .

Body length 6.3–7.7 mm.

Differential diagnosis. Small size, short elytra and general appearance approach M. viridiaureus sp. nov. to the preceding species from which it can be separated by its much shorter and not or hardly subdepressed rostrum, greater width of pronotum compared to that of elytra, rather elongate elytra and usually metallic colour ( Figs 107–108 ). See below for differences from M. mixtus sp. nov. This species was illustrated by WRANIK (2003: pl. 178, fig. f) as ‘ Curculionidae , not yet identified’.

Etymology. The species name, the composite Latin adjective viridiaureus (- a, - um), meaning ‘green-golden’, refers to the colour of dorsal scales of the new species.

Distribution. Endemic to Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs 107–112. 107, 110 – Molybdotus minor sp. nov.: 107 – habitus of the holotype; 110 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view.108, 111 — Molybdotus viridiaureus sp. nov. 108 – habitus of the holotype; 111 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view. 109, 112 – Molybdotus mixtus sp. nov., holotype. 109 – habitus; 112 – aedeagus in dorsal view.