Narberdia cervantae Soto-Hernández, 2017

Soto-Hernández, Macotulio, 2017, New species of Narberdia Burke from México and Central America (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Zootaxa 4263 (1), pp. 139-152 : 141-143

Narberdia cervantae Soto-Hernández , new species

Figures 1, 2 , 9, 10, 11

Diagnosis. This species can be easily recognized by the antennal scape longer than length of funicular segments and club combined; funicular segments 1 and 2 subequal in length; profemoral tooth with inner margin slightly curved toward tibia; protibia with inner margin moderately prominent in basal half; rostrum in females about 3x longer than length pronotum along midline.

Description. Male. Body oblong—oval, length 4.5—5.2 mm, width 2.2—2.5 mm. Rostrum robust and slightly curved, about 1.8x longer than pronotum along midline, median area of rostrum evenly with pallid ochreous scales, remainder of rostrum with brown scales. Antennal scape attached beyond the midpoint of rostrum; scape slender, longer than length funicular segments and club combined, apex slightly enlarged; funicular segment 1 slender, slightly enlarged, as long as segment 2, segment 2 longer than length segments 3 and 4 combined, segments 3—7 progressively shorter toward club, about 1.4x longer than broad. Club compact, as long as length preceding four funicular segments combined, densely covered by hair—like scales. Head clothed with decumbent elongate scales, smaller than those of rostrum. Eyes convex with upper edge slightly separated from head, semierect ochreous scales on interocular region, wider and more pallid than those on head. Prothorax about 1.3x wider than long, sides rounded in dorsal view, strongly narrowed in front; anterolateral margin strongly sinuate; clothed with mixture of broad, oval, elongate, decumbent, semierect scales; dorsal scales usually brown, intermixed with some ochreous scales, scales broader and striate laterally. Scutellum convex, elongate—oval, clothed with imbricate ochreous scales. Elytra convex, wider than prothorax, elytral base strongly sinuate, parallel—sided to past middle then progressively rounded to apices; clothed with dense brown scales, intermixed with ochreous scales, elytral intervals each with a row of elongate, semierect scales; intervals 3, 5 and 8 wider than other intervals; basal 1/5 on 6 interval with longitudinal vitta of ochreous scales; humeri rounded. Ventrites clothed with broad and evenly ochreous scales, broader and more striate than those on elytra. Mesocoxae narrowly separated by distance about ¼ width of coxa. Abdomen clothed with dense truncate scales, gradually narrower along ventral midline; ventrite 2 longer than 1. Legs clothed with narrow, truncate scales, narrower and longer toward apex; profemoral tooth triangular in shape with inner margin slightly curved; tibiae without tooth near mucro; protibia with inner margin moderately expanded; metatibial mucro longer than tarsal claw, oblique, slightly curved toward tarsus. Tarsal claws with basal tooth distinctly shorter than claw. Male median lobe as in figures 9 and 10.

Female. Body length 5.0— 5.5 mm, width 2.5—2.7 mm; rostrum slightly curved, longer and more slender than male, about 3x longer than pronotum along midline; antennal scape attached at midpoint of rostrum; scape slender, longer than length funicular segments and club combined; pro— and mesotibiae bearing well developed tooth near mucro; metatibial mucro, oblique, acute, smaller than tarsal claw. Spermatheca as in figure 11.

Host plant. A total of 50 adult specimens were reared from seeds of B. spongiosa McVaugh. The plant is distributed between 30—500 m in Jalisco and Colima, México.

Material examined. 31 males, 35 females. Holotype male ( CNIN), labelled México : Jalisco, Estación de Biología Chamela , Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (INBUNAM), 62 m, 19°29´47´´N, 105°02´24´´W, 18.VII.2013, M. Soto, in seeds of Bernardia spongiosa .

Paratypes. Data as for holotype (28 males, 30 females; CNIN, UAQE, TAMUIC, CMNC). Estación de Biología Chamela (INBUNAM), Vereda Chachalacas, 16.VII.1998, A. Cervantes (MEXU), in seeds of Bernardia spongiosa (2 famales; CNIN). Estación de Biología Chamela, 12.VII.1984, S. H. Bullock on Bernardia spongiosa (3 females; CNIN). Estación de Biología Chamela, 20.VII.1988, E. Ramírez (1 female; CNIN).

Etymology. This species is named in honor to Anna Angelica Cervantes Maldonado for her contributions to knowledge of Bernardia spp.

Remarks. The major variability noted in this species is in size: females are larger with the rostrum more slender and less curved, in some specimens almost straight. This species appears to be most closely related to N. dugesi although, N. cervantae differs by having the following characteristics: antennal scape slender and apically less enlarged; profemoral tooth large and slightly curved toward tibia; female rostrum longer and slender and less curved, and male median lobe on sides gradually narrowed and more acute at apex. Adult weevils have been collected only in July.

Figures

FIGURES 1 — 2. Narberdia species, habitus, lateral views, scale bars 0.5 mm. 1) N. cervantae, male; 2) N. cervantae, female.

FIGURES 9 — 14. Male median lobe and spermatheca in Narberdia species. Male median lobe strongly narrowed near apex: 9 — 11) N. cervantae; and 12 — 14) N. dugesi.