Pactola proxima, Mazur, Miłosz A., 2014

Mazur, Miłosz A., 2014, Review of the New Caledonian species of the genus Pactola Pascoe, 1876 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Eugnomini), with description of two new species, Zootaxa 3814 (2), pp. 202-220 : 215-217

Pactola proxima sp. n.

(Figs.: 3a–d, 7, 11, 14b, 15b, 16b, 18a–c, 22a–c, 26, 30, 31a,b, 33)

Diagnosis. Front femora with distinctive tooth. Front tibiae distinctive constricted apically. Last ventrite of male truncate with pair of elongate setae at apical angle. Last ventrite of female rounded with pair of elongate setae at apex. Parameres of tegmen fused only medially.

Description. Body colour and vestiture (fig. 3a–d). Body covered with mixture of small, dense setae, tessellate to imbricate scales and longer, single erect setae. Adjoining setae subcircular, erect setae elongate, frequently paler than adjoining ones, both truncate. Colour of scales very variable. Integument usually dark brown. Tarsi, distal parts of femora and scape brightened; apical part of tibiae usually brightened. Funicle bright but darker than scape, first joint and club darkened. Ventrites dark brown, last segment brighter.

Head (fig. 11, 14b, 15b). Head capsule transverse (hw/hl =1.10–1.43). Forehead narrower than basal part of rostrum, flat; eyes gently protruding above. Vertex convex, sometimes medially with two small tubercles, each furnished with bundle of few adjoining elongate scales. Eyes rounded; longer than half length of head (eyl/hl ca. 0.60–0.70). Temples as long as half length of eyes in lateral view or little longer. Frons and inner margin of eyes with sparse, protruding, elongate scales. Rostrum almost straight, as long as wide at the apex or little longer. Apex of rostrum on female with visible sparse punctures, space between shiny; on male only with irregular sculpture, shiny. Rostrum before insertion of scape distinctly narrowed. Scrobes straight, not reaching front margin of eyes. Underside of rostrum glabrous, black, only with thin, piliform scales on prorostrum, directed to forepart of rostrum. Antennae inserted ca. on two thirds length of rostrum. Scape elongate, reaching beyond posterior margin of eyes. Funicle shorter than scape; first segment elongate, as long as 2+3+4; 2 longer than 3; segments from 3 to 6 subquadrate, almost as long as their width; 7 little wider than long. Club elongate, 2.3 × as long as its width, and almost as long as last six joints; covered with dense, piliform setae.

Pronotum (figs. 7, 11). Subquadrate (bpw/pl = 1.06–1.27), constricted before straight anterior margin and before basal margin. Base ca. 1.20 × as wide as anterior margin. Pronotal disc convex at midlength, with two tubercles, each furnished with bundle of a few elongate, erect scales; space between medial convexity, basal and anterior margin depressed. Surface on dorsal view with minute points, space between punctures glabrous, shining; surface from lateral view with irregular punctation, much bigger than those on dorsal part.

Elytra (figs. 7, 11). Parallel in anterior half, widest medially or between humeral calli. Elytra (dorsal view) 1.38–1.60 × as long as maximum wide (el/mew); Elytral base almost twice as wide as base of pronotum. Humeral calli well developed, protruding. Pronotal disc with generally strongly protruding tubercles; level of development of tubercles variable, from strongly protruding to fine. Arrangement of tubercles as in fig. 7; largest tubercles at middle of interstria 3; surface between them depressed. Striae with isolated, small, deep, suboval points. Interstria three or more times wider then striae with line of small, polished nodules; each nodule with one, erect, elongate scale. Scutellar shield about 1.2 × as long as wide.

Legs (figs. 16b, 18a–c). Front and middle tibiae robust, apically sinuate; with piliform scales, adpressed on inner margin, strongly protruding on outer margin; length of protruding setae as long as one third to one fourth width of tibia; strongly constricted before apex. Hind tibiae strongly, regularly curved, slightly constricted before apex.

Front and middle femora slender, with sharp tooth; tooth on front femora usually bigger than on middle. Hind femora with inner surface flattened, smooth and shiny to two thirds of basal length; medial tooth strongly extended; its outer margin with line of short setae, some of them elongate and hooked apically. First tarsal segment elongate, longer then 2; on hind legs as long as 2 and 3 together; tarsal claws untoothed, only extended basally, with single, protruding seta.

Abdomen. Abdomen subquadrate, almost as long as maximum wide at base. First two segments convex, medially with distinct, sparse, good isolated punctured; surface between them scabrous with visible small nodules, each bearing protruding, piliform scales. Sutures between ventrites 2–4 strongly depressed; last ventrite truncate apically, apical margin with dense setae and one or two strongly protruding, long setae at apical angle (fig. 31b).

Terminalia (22a–c, 26, 30, 33). Aedeagus constricted medially, distinctively curved in lateral view; parameres shorter than median lobe; apex truncate; endophallus with well visible lines of spinules. Male pygidium subquadrate, outer margin folded inwards, with good visible punctures; truncate apically with long, densely placed, erect setae; medial lobes with narrow base, on each single, elongate setae. Parameres of tegmen shorter than tegminal apodema, fused only medially for short distance, with well visible setae. Apex of spiculum gastrale with two, hooked process.

Female. Very similar to male. Abdomen longer than wide; last ventrite rounded, glabrous, with visible punctures and thin, piliform setae; at apex with pair of very long, piliform setae (fig. 31a). Spermatheca very similar to P. setacea (fig. 34). Spiculum ventrale with distinctive punctures and single setae at apex (fig. 33). Abdominal tergite 8 triangular, as long as maximum width at base; regularly narrowed to apex (fig. 30).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the Latin word proxima (“close”, “near”), to denote its close similarity to Pactola setacea .

Distribution. New Caledonia.

Biology. Unknown.

Remarks. This species is very similar to P. s e t a ce a but easy to distinguish by the shape of front femora, shorter rostrum in both sexes and presence of nodules on elytral interstriae.

Types. Holotype ♂— New Caledonia (N), 20 0 23.9’S 164 0 32.0’E, Manddjélia (subsummit), 11.01.2007, 700– 750 m, night beating, leg. M. Wanat (MNHW). Paratypes: 1♀— New Caledonia (S), -22.01431/166.45596, Dzumac Mts., road from jct to old mine, 850 m, (km 1–2), 29.10.2008, leg. Wanat (MNHW). 1♂ —21.17947/ 165.30182, Aoupinié, 730 m, Goipin road junction, 27.11.2008, leg. M. Wanat (MNHW). 4♂ 5♀—20 0 23.9’S 164 0 32.0’E, Manddjélia (subsummit), 11.01.2007, 700– 750 m, night beating, leg. M. Wanat (MNHW). 1♀—22.03188/166.46738, Dzumac Mts., 900 m, Mt Ouin road jct. day beating, 30.10.2008, leg. M. Wanat (MNHW). 4♂ 5♀—20 0 23.9’S 164 0 31.9’E, Manddjélia (summit), 12.01.2007, 750– 780 m, beating, montane rainforest, leg. M. Wanat & R. Dobosz (MNHW). 1♀—21 0 09.3’S 165 0 19.2’E, Aoupinié (S of sawmill), 20.01. 2007, 550 m, leg. M Wanat (MNHW). 1♀— -21.17539/165.30952, Aoupinié, 700 m, up of gravelpit, 27.11.2008, leg. M. Wanat (MNHW). 1♂ 2♀—Cold Rousseltes, 450-550m, 5.2.63, Kuschel leg. (NZAC).

MAP 1. Distribution of species from genus Pactola Pasc. on the New Caledonia.