Molybdotus minor, 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 : 386-390

Molybdotus minor sp. nov.

( Figs 107, 110 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Is. 2003 // 9.xii., Qalansiyah env. // Ditwah (lagoon), 23 m // N 12°41′42″, E 53°30′08″ // [GPS], David Král lgt.’, ‘ Yemen - Soqotra 2003 // Expedition; Jan Farkač, // Petr Kabátek & David Král’. PARATYPES: 3 JJ 1 ♀, same label data as holotype (3 NMPC, 1 ECRI); 2 JJ, ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Is.; 28.- // 29.xi.2003 // Homhil protected area // N 12°34′27″, E 54°18′32″ // 364 m [GPS]; Jan Farkač lgt.’, ‘ Yemen - Soqotra 2003 // Expedition; Jan Farkač, // Petr Kabátek & David Král’ ( NMPC); 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Is. // Homhil protected area // 28-29/xi. 2003, 364 m // N 12°34′27″, E 54°18′32″ // [GPS]; David Král lgt.’, ‘ Yemen - Soqotra 2003 // Expedition; Jan Farkač, // Petr Kabátek & David Král’ ( NMPC); 2 ♀♀, ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Is.; 9.-10. xii.2003 // Qalansiyah env. // Khayrha mts., N slopes // N 12°38′50″, E 53°27′45″ // 85-592 m [GPS]; Jan Farkač lgt.’, ‘ Yemen - Soqotra 2003 // Expedition; Jan Farkač, // Petr Kabátek & David Král’ (1 NMPC, 1 ECRI); 3 JJ 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Aloove area, Hassan vill. env. // 12°31.2′N, 54°07.4′E, 221 m // Jiří Hájek leg. 9-10. xi.2010 ’ ( NMPC); 1 J, ‘ 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); 2 JJ, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island, // wadi Ayhaft // 12°36.5′N, 53°58.9′E, 200 m // Jiří Hájek leg. 7-8.xi.2010 ’ (1 NMPC, 1 ECRI); 1 J, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island, // wadi Ayhaft // 12°36.5′N, 53°58.9′E, 200 m // J. Bezdĕk leg. 7–8.xi.2010 ’ ( NMPC); 1 J, ‘ Yemen, Socotra // wadi Ayhaft // 12°36.5′N, 53°58.9′E // 200 m, 7-8.xi.2010 // P. Hlaváč lgt.′ ( NMPC); 4 JJ 2 ♀♀ paratypes, ‘ Socotra Is. ( YE) wadi Ayhaft // 12°36.5′N, 53°58.9′E, 200 m // Jan Batelka leg. 7-8.xi.2010 ’ (4 JBPC, 2 ECRI); 1 J, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island E // Kesa env., 220-300 m // N 12°39′37″, E 53°26′42″ // 28-29.i.2010, L. Purchart lgt.’ ( NMPC); 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Is., Gubbah // vill. env., 23.xi.2003, N 12°36′ // 35″ E 53°46′56″, 7 m [GPS] // leg. P. Kabátek’, ‘ Yemen - Soqotra 2003 // Expedition; Jan Farkač, // Petr Kabátek & David Král’ ( NMPC); 2 JJ 3 ♀♀, ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Is., Homhil // protected area, 28-29/. xi.2003 // N 12°34′27″ E 54°18′32″, 364 // m [GPS], leg. P. Kabátek’, ‘ Yemen - Soqotra 2003 // Expedition; Jan Farkač, // Petr Kabátek & David Král’ (3 NMPC, 2 ECRI); 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Noged plain, Abataro // border of sand dunes and // shrubland 12-13.vi.2012 // 12°22.1′N, 54°03.4′E, 20 m’, ‘Socotra expedition 2012 // J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, // P.Kment, I. Malenovský, // J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ ( NMPC); 1J, ‘ Socotra ( YE) // Qasroo // 31.X.2007 - R. Sindaco’ ( MCCI); 1 J 1 ♀, ‘Socotra ( YE) // Dixam (Pres House) // 29.XII.2007 - R. Sindaco’ (1 MCCI, 1 MUPI).

Description. Male holotype. Body length 5.9 mm. Piceous, except for ferruginous antennae, apical comb of tibiae and tarsi, and claws. Dorsal surface very densely covered by recumbent subpolygonal strictly adpressed brownish, golden-brownish and whitish scales forming two vague lateral stripes on each side of pronotum and indistinct patches 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 adpressed wide irregularly oval dirty yellowish and greyish scales; ventrites with numerous semierect silvery-whitish setae ( Fig. 107 ).

Head. Rostrum 0.91 times as long as wide, sides slightly converging forward, apex of scrobes visible from above. Epifrons barely depressed, about as wide as interocular distance at base, dorsum with thin median sulcus continuing on space between eyes plus a wider lateral longitudinal groove, sides of rostrum quite abruptly sloping laterally. Epistome small, U-shaped, smooth, and with thin low keel posteriorly. Head large, space between eyes flat and sulcate, vertex moderately convex. Antennae slender; scape slightly bisinuous and gradually clubbed at apex; funicular antennomere I about one half longer and much wider than II, antennomeres III to VI moniliform, transverse and barely 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 0.75 times as long as wide, widest at middle, moderately convex dorsally, sides strongly rounded, apex slightly convex, base truncate, keeled and of about same width of apex; disc with deep irregular large punctures and with thin median longitudinal sulcus vanishing forward. Scutellum triangular and minutely scaled.

Elytra short oval, 1.31 times longer than wide, 1.58 times as wide as pronotum, maximum width at middle, barely convex on basal half, then regularly convex in profile towards apex, base almost straight and keeled, apical declivity acute. Striae sulciform, punctures on them almost invisible. Intervals flat and much wider than striae.

Legs moderately elongate; femora moderately clubbed, particularly posterior ones; protibiae slightly curved inwards at apical two thirds and here with some rasp-like granules at base of each of which is inserted ferruginous stiff thick seta, meso- and metatibiae almost straight and devoid of granules but with few stiff ferruginous setae; tarsi robust, tarsomere I little longer than II which is hardly wider than long, tarsomere III strongly bilobed and much wider than long, tarsomere IV projecting from third by almost twice length of III.

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

Variability. Males are similar to the holotype, whereas females have elytra slightly more broadly oval and a little longer compared to prothorax than they are in males, less strongly curved tibiae, and convex ventrites. The colour of vestiture varies from almost uniform to golden-brownish with more or less evident colour pattern; one specimen is pale golden with some metallic greenish scales, seen in some other paratypes.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as depicted in Fig. 110 .

Body length 5.3–7.6 mm.

Differential diagnosis. The new species is rather similar to M. viridiaureus sp. nov., the description of which follows, but can easily be distinguished, apart from the differently shaped aedeagus, by its shorter elytra, clearly much more elongate and more depressed rostrum, pronotum much narrower than elytra, and usually not metallic colour ( Figs 107–108 ). See Figs 107 and 109 , and the key below for differences from M. mixtus sp. nov.

Etymology. The species name, Latin adjective minor (- or, - us) meaning ‘smaller’, points to the small size 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.