Systates hlavaci, 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 : 377-379

Systates hlavaci sp. nov.

( Figs 93, 94, 96 )

Type material. HOLOTYPE: J ( NMPC), ‘ Yemen, Socotra // Al Haghier Mts. // Scant Mt. env. 1450 m // 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E // 12-13.xi.2010, P. Hlaváč’ . PARATYPES: 1 J, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island, // Al Haghier Mts. , // Scant Mt. env. 1450 m, // 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E, // L. Purchart leg. 12-13.xi.2010 ’ ( NMPC) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island, // Al Haghier Mts. , // Scant Mt. env. 1450 m, // 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E, // Jiří Hájek leg. 12-13.xi.2010 ’ ( NMPC) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island, // Hagher Mts. , Scand Mt. env.// montane evergreen woodland // 16-18.vi 2012 // 12°34.6′N, 54°01.5′E, 1450 m’, ‘Socotra expedition 2012 // J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V.Hula, // P. Kment, I. Malenovský, // J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’, ( NMPC) ; 6 JJ 15 ♀♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra // Al Haghier Mts. , wadi // Madar, 1180-1230 m // 12°33.2′N, 54°00.4′E // 12-14.xi.2010, P. Hlaváč’ (15 NMPC, 6 ECRI) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island, 18.vi // Hagher Mts. , wadi Madar, 2012 // montane shrubland with // Cephalocroton socotranus // 12°33.2′N, 54°00.4′E, 1170 m’, ‘Socotra expedition 2012 // J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, // P. Kment, I. Malenovský, // J. Niedobová & L. Purchart leg.’ ( NMPC) ; 1 J, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island, // Al Haghier Mts. , // wadi Madar, 1180-1230 m // 12°33.2′N, 54°00.4′E // J. Bezděk leg. 12-14.xi.2010 ’ ( NMPC) ; 1 J, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Isl. , Noged // GPS 12.318N, 53°678E, 250 m // 12–13.xi.2000 // leg. V. Bejček & K. Šťastný’ ( NMPC) ; 1♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Isl. , Shibon // GPS 12.4679N, 54°0023E, 666 m // 16.xi.2000 // leg. V. Bejček & K. Šťastný’ ( NMPC) ; 3 JJ, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Diksam plateau, 850-920 m // N 12°31′24″, E 53°58′29″ // 5.ii.2010 // L. Purchart & J. Vybíral lgt.’ (2 NMPC, 1 ECRI); 1 ♀, ‘ Yemen, Socotra Island // Skant area, 1300-1500 m // N 12°34′33″, E 54°01′31″ // 31.i.-1.ii.2010, at light // L. Purchart lgt.’ ( NMPC); 2 ♀♀, ‘ Yemen, Soqotra Isl., Sirhin area // Dixam plateau, 1-2.xii.2003, N // 12°31′08″ E 53°59′09″, 812 m // [GPS], leg. P. Kabátek’, ‘ Yemen - Soqotra 2003 // Expedition; Jan Farkač, // Petr Kabátek & David Král’ ( NMPC); 1 J, ‘ 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′ ( NMPC) .

Description. Male holotype. Body length 9.3 mm. Piceous, rather shining, claws and apical comb of setae brown. Dorsal surface quite densely covered by recumbent golden, brownish and whitish round to lanceolate scales intermingled on upper surface of rostrum, head and disc of pronotum with few elongate scales giving rise to pattern of Fig. 93 . Some poorly visible minute curved erect hair-like scales are scattered throughout all dorsum, but are particularly noticeable on elytral declivity. On sides of epistome there are some long translucent golden setae. Femora moderately densely clothed by recumbent partly narrow golden and partly oval whitish scales, latter forming vague white middle ring on external side; tibiae with recumbent small hair-like golden scales, internal side of protibiae with some dark erect stiff setae starting from minute granules, whereas on that of meso- and metatibiae there is comb of soft curved long pale setae which starts from basal third of mesotibiae where is composed of longer setae, these shorter and limited to apical third of metatibiae. Prosternum, mesoventrite, and sides of metaventrite and abdomen with moderately dense recumbent golden-yellowish lanceolate scales; depression of metaventrite and midline of abdomen with sparse almost recumbent golden setae ( Figs 93–94 ).

Head. Rostrum as long as wide, subparallel sided up to middle, then feebly diverging to form moderately protruding pterygia open forward. Epifrons almost flat, minutely and not very densely punctured, at narrowest point about 0.83 times as wide as of rostrum between antennal insertion, with broad blunt dorsal carina and with weakly keeled sides. Epistome deeply V-shaped, smooth, basally keeled and separated from epifrons by rather shallow sulcus. Head and rostrum separated by slightly concave fairly deep groove, space between eyes slightly depressed and with long narrow longitudinal sulcus ending just apicad of base of eyes, vertex hardly convex, finely transversely strigose at base, temples slightly shorter than greater diameter of eye. Eyes large, elliptical and moderately protruding from head convexity. Antennae thin; scape almost straight and barely clubbed; funicular antennomere I hardly 1.93 times longer and not wider than II, antennomeres II to VII slightly and progressively diminishing in length, all much longer than wide; club fusiform elongate, about as long as three preceding antennomeres.

Pronotum 1.11 times broader than long, sides moderately rounded, widest shortly apicad of middle, quite flat dorsally; anterior margin about as wide as basal one; disc with relatively small smooth quite convex granules irregularly distributed, and with faint trace of longitudinal median line. Scutellum invisible.

Elytra very elongate, 1.83 times longer than wide, about 1.62 times as wide as pronotum, maximum width at basal third, rather flat on dorsum and quite abruptly and subperpendicularly sloping towards apex; elytral sides moderately curved and converging towards blunt apex. Striae sulciform at base and formed by irregular rows of minute to moderately sized unequal more or less deep punctures. Intervals almost flat, III and V excepted, their surface quite uneven and somewhat tuberculate particularly at base of elytral declivity.

Legs quite elongate; femora clubbed; tibiae partly compressed and strongly curved inwards at apical third, protibiae with some acute granules along concavity of apical third, metatibiae strongly curved also on basal third and apicad of this curve thin and compressed, side facing elytra with bare smooth line; tarsi comparatively elongate and with hardly erect stiff long setae.

Ventral side. Metaventrite and abdominal ventrites I and II with very large common quite deep depression.

Variability. Males are very similar to the holotype. Females have elytra much more convex and oval, only 1.56 times as long as wide, and with their maximum width at middle, intervals are more strongly tuberculate and there is a somewhat conical low tubercle at the beginning of elytral declivity on suture. In addition their tibiae are much less curved inwards, and they lack abdominal impressions. The colour of dorsal pattern may be more or less contrasted.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus as depicted in Fig. 96 .

Body length 8.1–11.0 mm.

Differential diagnosis. A very distinctive species by the combination of uneven surface of elytra, dorsal pattern, type of vestiture, rather unusual shape of the male metatibiae and strong sexual differences.Although some African Systates also sometimes have bizarre tibial features, none of them can be considered close to S. hlavaci sp. nov. Even if quite diverse, this new species appears somewhat related to the Socotran S. spinipennis sp. nov., the description of which follows.

Etymology. The new species is named after Peter Hlaváč who collected most of the specimens, as a sign of my friendship.

Distribution. Endemic to Socotra Island.

Figures

Figs 92–97. 92, 95 – Socotractus micans sp. nov.: 92 – habitus of the holotype; 95 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view. 93–94, 96 – Systates hlavaci sp. nov.: 93 – habitus of the holotype; 94 – habitus in side view; 96 – aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view. 97 – Systates spinipennis sp. nov., aedeagus of a paratype in dorsal view.