Baezia aranfaybo Garcia & Lopez, 2021

Garcia 1, Rafael, Andujarx, Carmelo, Oromi, Pedro, Emerson, Brent & Lopez, Heriberto, 2021, Three new subterranean species of Baezia (Curculionidae, Molytinae) for the Canary Islands, Subterranean Biology 38, pp. 1-18 : 1

Baezia aranfaybo Garcia & Lopez sp. nov. Figs 2A-H , 5I, J

Type locality.

Spain, Canary Islands, El Hierro, Frontera: Cueva de Longueras (27°44'46.03"N, 18°1'32.04"W, 470 m a.s.l.) .

Type material.

Holotype: 1♂, El Hierro , Frontera, Cueva de Longueras (27°44'46.03"N, 18°1'32.04"W, 470 m a.s.l.), emerged from roots, 9 February 2011, code H680, H. López leg. ( DZUL) . Paratypes : same locality as for the holotype , 1♀, emerged from roots, 20 October 2006, P. Oromí leg. ( IPNA-CSIC) ; 1♀, 20 August 2007, code H681, H. López leg. ( RGB) .

Other material.

same locality as the holotype, remains of six individuals, washing samples of soil from inside the cave, 4 February 2020, H. López leg. ( IPNA-CSIC) .

Description.

Male. Total length (including rostrum) 3.5 mm, 2.7 mm without rostrum and head, and maximum width 1.1 mm. Body bright reddish-brown (Fig. 2A ); apex of rostrum, antennae and legs covered with scattered yellow-testaceous erect setae, and pronotum and elytra with short fine testaceous pilosity denser and aligned on whole surface. Apterous.

Head partially retracted into pronotum, microreticulated with abundant irregular punctation, lacking eyes.

Rostrum robust, similar in both sexes, widest at antennal insertion, 2.04 × as long as wide at scrobes level, 0.75 × as long as pronotum. In lateral view lower margin concave, and upper margin slightly convex, more declivous near apex; apex smooth, shiny, with testaceous erect setae. Scrobes deep, their apical third visible from above. Mandibles smooth and black. Rostrum slightly more depressed than forehead, with dorsal surface irregular with longitudinal sulci separated by fine keels; ventral surface smooth.

Antennae. Scapes straight, increasingly widened towards ¼ of apex, 6.5 × as long as its maximum width and 1.4 × as long as funicule, covered with small erect setae. First funicular antennomere conical, 2.25 × as long as wide, as long as next four antennomeres together; 2nd to 7th funicular antennomeres obconical, transverse. Club oval, 1.78 × as long as wide and 1.3 × as long as the last six funicular antennomeres.

Pronotum isodiametric with slight median keel, sides somewhat convex, constricted behind apex, with a slight sinuation at middle, anterior margin 0.93 × as wide as posterior (Fig. 5J ). Surface smooth and shiny, with traces of microreticulation around well-defined punctures; setae decumbent and scattered, little more erect towards edges.

Scutellum small, triangular.

Pterothorax with elytra elongate, lacking humeral calli; 2.6 × as long as pronotum and 1.86 × as long as wide, base wider than base of pronotum; maximum width at middle, basal margin 0.64 × that width. Surface smooth and shiny; interstriae smooth; striae very fine, slightly defined by aligned punctures coinciding with small, erect setae. In lateral view, apical declivity somewhat pronounced, slightly projecting in peak.

Abdomen with integument surface shiny, slightly microreticulate; with fine, short setose pilosity; well-defined punctures separated by a distance of 0.6 × to 1.0 × of their diameter. First and second ventrites with wide median depression (as in all Typoderini ); remaining ones slightly convex, a little but increasingly elevated towards apex, suddenly cut down at end, giving stair-like appearance. Ventrite 5 2.6 × as wide as long, with strong punctation.

Legs moderately elongate, with shiny surface, microreticulate with abundant semierect setae. Procoxae separated by distance of 0.25 × of their diameter. Mesocoxae separated by distance of 0.75 × of their diameter. Femora slightly dilated at middle, strongly narrowed towards apex (Fig. 5I ); pro-, meso- and metafemora 3.1 ×, 3.3 × and 4.9 × respectively as long as their maximum width. Pro- and mesotibiae straight, external edge slightly convex, with weak internal apical sinuation; metatibiae slightly concave on external edge (Fig. 5I ); tibiae uncinate, apex with spiny short comb; pro-, meso- and metatibiae 5.37 ×, 5.7 × and 6.25 × respectively as long as their maximum width (excluding uncus). Protarsi with tarsomeres I 1.5 ×, II 0.8 ×, III 0.6 × and V 3.3 × respectively as long as wide, tarsomeres III clearly bilobed, onychium bearing two free simple claws; tarsal brushes with long sparse hyaline hairs.

Aedeagus. Median lobe dorsally almost symmetrical, with slightly convex sides and rounded apex (Fig. 2B ); clearly curved in lateral view, with acute apex (Fig. 2C ). Internal sac with abundant, densely arranged teeth and spicules in two elongated groups. Spiculum gastrale robust and bowed with highly asymmetric arms (Fig. 2D ). Tegmen with short manubrium; quite wide, with two small transparent ovals and hairy parameroid lobes separated by a notch (Fig. 2E ).

Female. Similar to male with slight sexual dimorphism. Total length 3.1 mm, maximum width 0.9 mm. Elytra 2.45 × as long as pronotum, 1.74 × longer than wide. 5th ventrite 1.9 × as wide as long. Pro-, meso- and metafemora respectively 3.4 ×, 3.1 × and 3.8 × as long as wide. Pro-, meso- and metatibiae respectively 5.9 ×, 6.3 × and 6.8 × as long as wide.

Spiculum ventrale bearing about 16 macrosetae (Fig. 2F ); manubrium with short median arm forking into two longer arms forming an acute angle. Ovipositor with free conical apical styles, bearing 7-8 apical macrochaetae; coxite with numerous sensilia (Fig. 2G ); spermatheca with ramus and collum not developed, and hook shaped cornu (Fig. 2H ).

Differential diagnosis.

This new species is morphologically close to its allopatric species Baezia bimbache García & López, 2007, also from El Hierro. However, B. aranfaybo can be differentiated by its larger size and brighter body surface, proportionally longer antennae, longer scapes increasingly widened towards a ¼ of the apex, and the isodiametric pronotum (slightly transverse in B. bimbache ). In addition, its elytra are proportionally longer with a pronounced apical declivity slightly projecting in peak in lateral view. The femora and tibiae are proportionally longer with less pronounced dilations on inner sides. Median lobe of the aedeagus with dorsally slightly convex sides (slightly diverging in B. bimbache ) and rounded apex (slightly acute in B. bimbache ), and less concave in lateral profile. In females, the spiculum ventrale has a larger manubrium and arms, these latter forming an acute angle (obtuse in B. bimbache ).

Etymology.

Specific name in apposition of Aranfaybo, considered by the Bimbaches (aboriginal people of El Hierro) as a sacred animal that lived in the cave Asteheyta (in the locality of Tacuytunta). This animal, with a pig-like appearance, was invoked as a magical intermediary to attract rains ( Abreu 1848).

Habitat and distribution.

This new species lives in Cueva de Longueras, a lava tube discovered in the 1980's on the northern slope of El Hierro island. It is located in a moderately old lava flow covered by thermo-sclerophyllous vegetation, which is partially degraded by long-abandoned agricultural activity in the locality. Despite its relatively short length (300 m), it offers good conditions for the subterranean fauna due to its high humidity and stable low temperature during the whole year, as well as roots hanging from the ceiling at several cave parts ( Oromí et al. 2001). The cave-adapted fauna found in this cave is composed of the pseudoscorpion Paraliochthonius martini Mahnert, 1989, an undescribed spider species probably of the genus Robertus (C. Ribera, pers. comm.), an undescribed species of the planthopper genus Cixius , the thread-legged bug Collartida anophthalma Español & Ribes, 1983, the cockroach Loboptera ombriosa Martín & Izquierdo, 1987, the rove beetle Alevonota hierroensis Assing & Wunderle, 2008, and the ground beetle Trechus minioculatus Machado, 1987. In the last 15 years, the cave has been visited and sampled with pitfall traps several times but no additional specimens of B. aranfaybo were collected. The three so far known specimens emerged from dead roots collected on three occasions, and stored in glass recipients in dark conditions. In 2020, we found the remains of six individuals by washing soil collected from the vicinity of roots inside the cave. Therefore, within the cave, this subterranean weevil seems to live associated with patches of roots that penetrate downwards from above-ground vegetation.

Figures

Figure 2. Baezia aranfaybo sp. nov. A dorsal habitus B, C aedeagus in dorsal and lateral view D Spiculum gastrale E tegmen F Spiculum ventrale G ovipositor H spermatheca.

Figure 5. Hind leg and pronotum of A, B Baezia litoralis C, D B. vulcania E, F B. madai sp. nov. G, H B. tizziri sp. nov. I, J B. aranfaybo sp. nov. K, L B. martini M, N B. bimbache.