Pharaxonotha fawcettae Skelley, Tang and Pérez-Farrera, 2022

Skelley, Paul E., Tang, William & Pérez-Farrera, Miguel Angel, 2022, Review of Pharaxonotha Reitter (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting the cycad genus Dioon Lindl. (Cycadales), with descriptions of nine new species and comments on P. kirschii Reitter, Insecta Mundi 2022 (917), pp. 1-41 : 11-14

Pharaxonotha fawcettae Skelley, Tang and Pérez-Farrera , new species

Figures 2G , 4A–K

Diagnosis. Pharaxonotha fawcettae is distinguished from other species in the genus by the pronotum and elytra with long, distinct setae; head flattened anteriorly and convex between eyes, head with transverse occipital line [vertexal line] long laterally with line surpassing half distance between stridulatory file and eye, often curving anteriorly near eye; sexual dimorphisms indistinct, and pronotum with mean pronotal length/width (PL/PW) ranges from 0.69–0.70 (multiple specimens required). In females the spermatheca is elongate, ratio of spermatheca length to width at basal third> 4.5, and base is not abruptly swollen (see Fig. 2G ). It is known to inhabit male cones of the D. angustifolium complex north of the Mexican Transvolcanic Belt in Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas.

Description. Length 3.03–3.91 mm, width 1.17–1.63 mm. General body color entirely pale yellowish brown ( Fig. 4A–C ); dorsal surface punctate, strongly alutaceous, dulled, long procumbent hairs associated with punctation on pronotum and elytra; ventrally alutaceous, dull, covered with scattered long procumbent setae.

Head. Not broad, width = 0.65–0.73× pronotal width ( Fig. 4D–F ); in lateral view flattened anteriorly, convex between eyes; in dorsal view, conical, gradually narrowed anteriorly, surface flat to slightly convex, finely, moderately punctured, average distance between closest punctures 1–2× width of puncture; head width 0.64–0.82 mm; dorsal interocular distance 0.40–0.52 mm, head width/dorsal interocular distance ratio 1.50–1.68, ventral interocular distance 0.29–0.39 mm, head width/ventral interocular distance ratio 2.00–2.39. Eye with large black facets, about 2× diameter of head punctures. Antennal length slightly shorter than pronotal width, 1.3× head width; antennomere I (scape) fairly large, slightly elongate; antennomere II equal in length to III; IV circular; V–VII same length as IV, gradually becoming wider with VIII transverse and flattened apically; club fairly large, IX and X similar in length; XI not enlarged, 1.3× longer than X, globular with rounded apex. Clypeus weakly concave anteriorly, moderately punctate. Transverse occipital line [vertexal line] long laterally in most, most with line surpassing half distance between stridulatory file and eye, often curving anteriorly near eye. Mentum and submentum somewhat coarsely punctured, 1/3–½ diameter of facet, distance between nearest punctures approximately 1× own diameter, each puncture with a short seta. Gular area smooth, without punctation or setae, border with submentum marked by change in punctation.

Thorax. With pronotum transversely rectangular in dorsal view, length/width ratio 0.66–0.72; with distinct marginal carina laterally and basally, anteriorly with fine marginal carina medially; dorsally flattened; anterior angles narrowly rounded in dorsal view, projecting forward; posterior angles obtuse, with small denticle at angle; lateral margin evenly shallowly arcuate for length, shallowly arcuate inward anteriorly and posteriorly; posterior margin slightly projecting medially, projection beginning approximately by pair of small, dark pores in margin located ¼ width from posterior angles, each pore marks base of a distinct sulcus extending anteriorly onto disc ¼ length of pronotum. Prosternum in ventral view convex, with few scattered punctures; anterior margin slightly emarginate, finely denticulate with row of long, anteriorly directed setae, longest setae approximately 1/3 length of eye; prosternal process convex apically, expanded and truncate at apex. Hypomeron smooth, few minute punctures.

Scutellar shield distinctly transverse, posterior margin weakly roundly pentagonal. Elytra in dorsal view elongate, flattened dorsally; length/width 1.67–1.84, greatest width near midlength; with distinct marginal line basally; 10 complete striae of moderate puncture size; scutellary striole extending ¼ elytral length, with 10–15 punctures; punctures of elytral striae 1.5× larger than pronotal punctures, striae weakly impressed; intervals of striae with fine, shallow punctures, ¼ size of strial punctures; all punctures of elytra bearing a single short seta; seta only visible in profile, extending slightly out of puncture. Mesoventrite with strong punctation, distance between nearest punctures approximately equal to diameter of punctures, puncture depth moderate. Metaventrite glossy, with strong lateral punctation separated by 1–2× own diameter; medial surface finely distinctly punctured, separated by 3–4× own diameter; surface medially flattened, metathoracic discrimen extending approximately ¾ metaventrite length. Legs broadened, relatively similar in length and shape. Procoxa oval; mesocoxa globular; metacoxa transversely elongate-oval; trochanters obliquely truncate apically; femora narrowly robust, compressed laterally; tibiae shorter than femora, narrowly triangularly dilated to obliquely truncate apices, obliquely truncate apical margin; protibia with apical lateral tooth small, with complete apical fringe of very short stout spinules on straight ventral apical margin; meso- and metatibia with apical fringe of short stout spinules on anterior margin, finer setae on posterior margins.

Abdomen. Ventrite apical margin bearing short, sparse setae; all ventrites bearing moderate, shallow punctation evenly distributed across surface, distance to nearest puncture approximately 2× diameter of puncture, punctures bearing mostly reclining setae; ventrite V with setae length nearly uniformly approximately 2× diameter of puncture; I–IV each with 2 or more median pairs of longer, semi-erect sensory hairs (difficult to see in poor lighting, often abraded). Male genitalia (n = 7): not distinctly dorsoventrally flattened; tegmen in dorsal view with basal piece ring-like; parameres in dorsal view gradually narrowing to narrowest point between 1/3–2⁄5 of length from base then expanding toward apex, inner margin straight, outer margin with slight curvature on apical half, apex rounded to slightly truncate, in lateral view length = 4.2–4.9× width; elongate cylindrical median lobe narrowing apically; long coiled flagellum ( Fig. 4G–I ).

Female. Similar to male, sexual dimorphism weakly evident with male protarsomere I more broadly dilated and male femora, tibia and protarsi slightly more robust. Genitalia (n = 7): gonostylus cylindrical, widest at apex, tapering slightly and gradually to base, set apically on gonocoxite, gonostylus length = 3.1–3.8× greatest width ( Fig. 4J ). Spermatheca C-shaped, approximately symmetrical, central third not rigid and easily deforming or collapsing during dissection, length = 4.7–5.8× width of basal third, basal third with faint longitudinal wrinkles, apical third weakly annulated, apical and basal ends rounded, apical end with slight taper ( Fig. 2G , 4K ).

Distribution. This species occurs in northeastern Mexico along the Atlantic drainage north of the Mexican Transvolcanic Belt in Querétaro, Nuevo León, San Luis Potosí and Tamaulipas on populations of Dioon recognized here for convenience as a single species, D. angustifolium , but also as D. edule and D. edule var. angustifolium by others ( González-Astorga et al. 2005; Gutiérrez-Ortega et al. 2018). Ongoing genetic analysis of these northeastern Dioon populations indicate that these may consist of two species, one in Nuevo León and Tamaulipas and another in Hidalgo, Querétaro, San Luis Potosí (Gutiérrez-Ortega, pers. comm.).

Material examined. Holotype (by designation) male of Pharaxonotha fawcettae with the following labels: 1) [rectangular; white; printed in black ink] “ MEXICO, N.L., 2400’, 16 mi. W. Linares, Hwy. 58, IX-11-1982, C.W. & L. O’Brien & G. Wibmer”; 2) [rectangular; white; printed in black ink] “ex male strobile Dioon edule ” [ D. angustifolium ]; 3) [rectangular; red; printed in black ink] “ HOLOTYPE ♂ Pharaxonotha fawcettae Skelley, Tang and Pérez-Farrera 2022 ”. Deposited in the FSCA.

Paratypes (total 58). Female allotype ( FSCA) and 54 paratypes with same data as holotype ; MEXICO: Nuevo León: 16 mi. W Linares 3600′, VIII-15-1971, O’Brien & Marshall (1) ; 29 km. W. Linares , 3.VI.1983, S. & J. Peck, 730m, ravine oak forest litter Berlese (2) . Paratypes to be deposited in ANIC, CNCI, CUIC, FSCA, IEXA, MTEC, NHMUK, NZAC, UNAM, USNM.

Additional specimens (total 423). Material studied presently considered to be P. fawcettae , but not designated as paratypes: MEXICO: Querétaro: Jalpan de Serra, San Juan de los Duran, [GPS omitted], 1218m, 16.VIII.2015, R. Jones, P. Skelley, P. Kovarik, ex Dioon “ edule ” male cone (82). San Luis Potosí: Hwy 70, 23k E. Cd. Valles, tunnel, [GPS omitted], 335m, Dioon sp. “minima” cone ♂, 13-XI-2014, W. Tang (294). Tamaulipas: Gómez Farias, tsinge limestone, [GPS omitted], 1690[m], cone ♂ Dioon angustifolium , 12-XI-2014, W. Tang (28); San Carlos, 12-VIII-2003, A. Vovides, 18A Collector: AV-1460, Dioon angustifolium (19). These will be deposited in institutions stated above.

Intercepted specimens. Texas: Laredo, XI-7-1947, on cycad plants ex. Tampa Mex., #47-16298 (2 USNM).

Etymology. Named for the late Priscilla Fawcett, the first to unravel the life cycles and feeding habits of some New World cycad beetles, Rhopalotria slossoni (Schaeffer) and R. mollis (Sharp) (now R. furfuracea O’Brien and

Tang) ( Belidae ) ( Norstog and Fawcett 1989; Norstog et al. 1992). She was a professional botanical illustrator with exceptional observational skills. The beetle named for her occurs together on the same host with a beetle named for her late husband, Knut Norstog. Together their work helped to establish the foundations of cycad reproductive biology and pollination.

Remarks. The five populations placed within Pharaxonotha fawcettae in this description possess wide interpopulational variation. Their widely distributed host populations also display substantial morphological and genetic variation ( González-Astorga et al. 2005; Gutiérrez-Ortega et al. 2018; Gutiérrez-Ortega, pers. comm.). We treat P. fawcettae as a complex in which varieties or possibly subspecies may be recognized in the future, if or when more detailed analyses become available. Pharaxonotha fawcettae has been found together on the male cones of D. angustifolium with two species of Allocorynina weevils, Parallocorynus (P.) norstogi O’Brien and Tang and P. (Neocorynus) inexpectatus O’Brien and Tang ( O’Brien and Tang 2015) .

Figures

Figure 2. Pharaxonotha body parts. A–C) Dorsal view of head. A) P. kirschii, Mpio. Jalpan, Querétaro, Mexico. Arrow points to temple. B) P. occidentalis, paratype, El Campanario, Chiapas, Mexico. C) P. vovidesi, paratype, Mt. Oscuro, Veracruz, Mexico.D) P. kirschii, abdominal ventrites, Mpio. Jalpan, Querétaro, Mexico. Arrow points to tooth on ventrite 5. E–F) Antennal clubs. E) P. kirschii, Santa Isabel, Chiapas, Mexico.F) P. sclerotiza, holotype. G) Spermatheca of Pharaxonotha fawcettae from Jalpan de Serra, Querétaro, Mexico indicating the diagnostic structures and orientations used in descriptions.

Figure 4. Pharaxonotha fawcettae from Linares, Nuevo Leon, Mexico (A–F, J–K: female allotype; G–I: male holotype). A–C) Dorsal, lateral and ventral habitus. D–F) Head female, dorsal, lateral and ventral views. G) Male genital capsule, ventral view. H) Tegmen attached to median lobe, ventral view top and lateral view bottom. I) Parameres of tegmen, ventral view top and lateral view bottom. J) Spermatheca with retracted ovipositor, ventral view. K) Spermatheca (fully inflated).