Curculio nigra Pelsue and Zhang

Pelsue, Frank W. & Zhang, Runzhi, 2003, A Review of the Genus Curculio from China with Descriptions of Fourteen New Species. Part IV. The Curculio sikkimensis (Heller) Group (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Curculionini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (3), pp. 311-333 : 319

Curculio nigra Pelsue and Zhang , new species

(Figs. 15–16)

Holotype. China. Xiaozhongdian female[ China / Yunnan /Xiaozhongdian/ 3,500 m /

June or July 1983 / Z. Chen] ( IZAS) .

Description. Female: length: 2.8 mm (n ¼ 1). width: 1.4 mm (n ¼ 1). Head: small-sized; punctures small, glabrous, ventral macula of small, clavate, recumbent, white scales; frons 0.18 as broad as head across eyes; few narrow, elongate, white scales. Rostrum: length: 1.3 mm (n ¼ 1); 0.46 as long as body; cylindrical; evenly arced from base to apex; apex as broad as frons; punctures very small; scrobe lateral; scape inserted in basal half. Antennae: length: scape 0.5 mm. funiculus segment one 0.175 mm, two 0.11 mm, three 0.075 mm, four 0.075 mm, five 0.075 mm, six 0.075 mm, seven 0.075 mm; club 0.25 mm, funicle 0.66 mm (n ¼ 1); scape 0.76 as long as funicle; scape as long as funicular segments 1–5; club not as long as funicular segments 4–7. Thorax: length: 0.7 mm (n ¼ 1). width: 1.0 mm (n ¼ 1); 0.7 as long as broad; disc punctures small, clothed with narrow, elongate, white scales, flat in lateral view; margins rounded to constriction; pleuron with clavate, white scales; mesosternal intercoxal process not visible; scutellum small, piceous; mesepimeron, mesepisternum, metepisternum, and sternum evenly clothed with narrow, elongate, few clavate, white scales; base sinuate. Elytra: length: 1.9 mm (n ¼ 1). striae deep; disc flat in lateral view; humeri rounded; intervals narrow, flat, evenly clothed with narrow, elongate, white scales. Legs: length of hind femur 1.2 mm (n ¼ 1), tooth small, acute, reaches apex of abdomen; pro- and mesofemoral tooth small; base narrow, clava moderately robust; clothed with narrow, elongate, white scales; tibiae straight; pro-, meso-, and metauncus small. Abdomen: sternite 1 longer than 2 behind coxal cavity; sternite 3 longer than 4, combined longer than 5; sternite 5 truncate apically, with shallow apical concavity; sutures between metasternum and sternite 1 emarginate medially some what depressed; sternite 1 and 2 punctures with white circular ridge and narrow, elongate, white scales emerging medially, narrow, elongate, white scales laterally, remaining sternites with narrow, elongate, white scales. Pygidium : small-sized with fine seta-like scales. Genitalia: not dissected.

Remarks. This species is small-sized, similar to species of Archarius Gistel Alonso- Zarazqaga and Lyal (1999) and Koreacurlio Kwon and Lee (1990), but can be distinguished from Archarius by the shape of the thorax and antennal club, and from Koreaculio by a complete suture between abdominal sternites 1 and 2.