Ceratophila (Vovidesa) mixeorum Tang, Skelley & Pérez-Farrera, 2018

Tang, William, Skelley, Paul & Pérez-Farrera, Miguel Angel, 2018, Ceratophila, a new genus of erotylid beetles (Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting male cones of the cycad Ceratozamia (Cycadales: Zamiaceae), Zootaxa 4508 (2), pp. 151-178 : 171-172

Ceratophila (Vovidesa) mixeorum Tang, Skelley & Pérez-Farrera , new species

( Figs. 1G , 7 A–H)

Adult diagnosis. Distinguished from other Ceratophila (Vovidesa) species by male with subapical emarginations on tibiae, submentum of both sexes with sparse punctures and setae, female elytra glossy medially and strongly dulled laterally, male genitalia with median lobe nearly cylindrical not laterally flattened, and with a known distribution in Mexico, state of Oaxaca, on Ceratozamia mixeorum .

Adult male description. Length 4.58–4.82 mm, width 1.74–1.91 mm (n = 7). Body in dorsal view elongateoval, greatest width at middle of elytra; in lateral view convex dorsally. General body color brown ( Figs. 7 A–E), head and pronotum concolorous and slightly darker than the yellowish-brown elytra; dorsal surface punctate, shining, short procumbent hairs associated with punctation, ventrally shining and appearing glabrous except mesoventrite and abdomen mostly covered with long procumbent setae.

Head in dorsal view conical, gradually narrowed anteriorly, surface flat to slightly convex, finely, moderately punctured ( Figs. 7A, D ), average distance between closest punctures 2× width of puncture; width 0.86–0.92 mm; dorsal interocular distance 0.54–0.58 mm, head width/dorsal interocular distance ratio 1.49–1.61, ventral interocular distance 0.40–0.47 mm, head width/ventral interocular distance ratio 2.13–2.50. Eye with large black facets. Antennal length approximately equal to pronotal width, 1.5× head width; antennomere I (scape) fairly large, slightly elongate, antennomere II subequal to III; IV–VII small, width equals length; VIII slightly wider than long; club fairly large, IX and X similar in length, XI slightly longer, globular with acuminate apex. Clypeus truncate anteriorly, moderately punctate, with narrow margin. Mentum and submentum with moderate punctation, distance between nearest punctures ~ 1× own width, each puncture with a long seta ~ 2–3× width of eye facet and reclining anteriad (often abraded). Gular area smooth, without punctation or setae, border with submentum usually with a shallow depression without punctation, but usually with a shallowly impressed circular or semicircular border along anterior margin ( Fig. 7E ).

Thorax with pronotum transverse in dorsal view with marginal beads basally and laterally, anterior margin with weak bead, reduced to absent medially; length/width ratio (PL/PW) = 0.70–0.74, rectangular; anterior and posterior angles present, anterior angles projecting; lateral carinae expanding in basal 1/10 to parallel sides, sometimes slightly emarginated, parallel for 50% of length, then gradually converging to anterior angles; posterior margin slightly projecting medially, projection beginning approximately by pair of small, dark pores located 1/5 length of posterior margin from posterior corners and touching and just anterior to marginal bead, pores mark base of longitudinal furrows onto disc. Prosternum in ventral view convex; anterior margin slightly emarginate, finely denticulate with row of long, anteriorly directed setae, longest setae ~ 1/3 length of eye. Hypomeron laterally apparently lacking punctures, some with minute setae visible; medially with longitudinal striations. Elytra in dorsal view elongate-oval, convex; length/width 1.66–1.78, greatest width near midlength; without marginal line basally; 10 complete striae of moderate puncture size, scutellary striole extending ¼ elytral length, with 9–16 punctures; intervals of striae with fine, shallow punctures. All punctures of elytral bearing a single fine, procumbent seta; seta often only visible in profile, extending posteriorly to, over or beyond next puncture (often abraded), interval puncture setae longer than strial puncture setae. Punctation on meso- and metaventrites moderate to dense, distance between nearest punctures 1–2× width of punctures, puncture depth shallow. Metaventrite long, convex laterally, slightly impressed medially, metathoracic discrimen extending slightly over 3/4 metaventrite length. Legs with procoxa oval; mesocoxa globular; metacoxa transversely elongate-oval; trochanters obliquely truncate apically; in males all femora swollen, stout, dorso-ventral width greater than eye length; all tibiae with shallow medial subapical emargination, obliquely truncate at apex, with complete fringe of fine spinules on anterior and posterior margins; protibia swollen, not flattened in cross section notably larger than other tibiae, triangularly dilated to apex; mesotibia weakly swollen, moderately triangularly dilated to apex; metatibia narrowed, weakly dilating to midlength then nearly parallel to apex; pro- and mesotarsi greatly enlarged, corresponding tarsomere I width ~ 3× own length, metatarsomere I width ~ own length ( Figs. 7 B–C).

Abdomen. Ventrite I with intercoxal process narrow, with triangular point anteromedially, lateral edges slightly projected, lateral and posterior margins arcuate, converging posteriorly; anterior and posterior margins of ventrites more or less straight; ventrite I longer medially than II; II–IV subequal in length; V slightly longer than IV with lateral margins converging posteriorly to a rounded apex; apical margin bearing short, dense setae; all ventrites strongly alutaceous laterally, less so and glossy medially, bearing moderate, shallow punctation, distance to nearest puncture ~ 1× width of puncture, punctures bearing mostly reclining setae; ventrites I–V with setae length ~ 2–3× width of puncture; I–V each with 2 or more median pairs of longer, semi-erect sensory hairs (often abraded), V with additional 4–5 pairs of long semi-erect hairs located postero-laterally, but not at submargin. Male genitalia with genital capsule fringed with fine setae; tegmen sclerotized, triangular, not laterally compressed; anterior region ring-like, posterior region sheath-like, 2–3× wider than deep; lateral margins gradually converging posteriorly ( Figs. 7 F–G); apically with 2 elongate, somewhat bar-shaped parameres. Parameres dorso-ventrally compressed, height approximately half its own width, in dorso-ventral view length/width ratio = 1.7–2.2; apically with setae, length of longest setae> width of paramere in dorso-ventral view ( Fig. 7H ); median lobe not laterally compressed, somewhat cylindrical, sclerotized, in lateral view weakly curved, apex tapering to a point. Ratio of penile strut length to median lobe length 2.11–2.41 (n = 2) ( Figs. 7 F–G).

Female generally similar to male, except for sexual dimorphism. Female pronotum slightly more transverse than male, PL/PW = 0.65–0.69; elytra dulled (alutaceous) laterally; legs unmodified, fore and middle legs not swollen, femora dorso-ventral width about equal to eye, all tibiae gradually dilating to narrowly triangular apex; tibiae lacking median subapical emarginations; all legs with tarsomere I width ~ own length; metaventrite flattened medially, not impressed; abdomen less densely punctate and setose.

Type locality. Mexico, Oaxaca State, Sierra Mixe , [GPS coord. omitted], 1918m .

Range. Oaxaca, Mexico in the Sierra Mixe, known to inhabit only male cones of Ceratozamia mixeorum .

Material examined. Holotype (by designation) male C. mixeorum with the following labels: 1) [rectangular; white; printed in black ink] “ MEXICO, Oax., Sierra Mixe , [GPS coord. omitted], 1918m, ex Ceratozamia mixeorum ♂ cone, 4-IV-2016, W. Tang ”; 2) [rectangular; red; printed in black ink] HOLOTYPE ♂ Ceratophila mixeorum Tang, Skelley & Pérez-Farrera 2018 . Deposited in the FSCA . Allotype ( FSCA) and 41 adult paratypes (same label data as holotype): deposited at ANIC, BMNH, FSCA, IEXA, INBio, MNHN, NZAC, UNAM, USNM .

Etymology. This species is named for the host species on which it was discovered, applied as a noun in apposition.

Remarks. The only known host of this beetle is Ceratozamia mixeorum . This cycad inhabits isolated cloud forest in the eastern Sierra Mixe where it occurs together with C. (C.) gregoryi (see remarks under C. (C.) gregoryi ). In two cones sampled C. ( Vovidesa ) accounted for 16% of 273 adult Pharaxonothinae collected, compared to 84% for C. (C.) gregoryi that coinhabit cones. In other species of Ceratozamia adult individuals of subgenus Vovidesa typically make up a smaller fraction of the adult beetles in cones.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Key characters of adults: base of head, pronotum and base of elytra, dorsal view: A) Pharaxonotha sp. collected from Ceratozamia tenuis; B) Ceratophila (C.) chemnicki; pronotal left lateral margins: C) Pharaxonotha sp. from Ceratozamia tenuis; D) Ceratophila (C.) sanchezae; E) Ceratophila (Uovidesa) chiapensis from Ceratozamia vovidesii; right metatibiae of male individuals, posterior view: F) Ceratophila (C.) gregoryi; G) C. (U.) mixeorum; b: basal bead of elytra; s: stridulatory files.

FIGURE 7. Photographs of Ceratophila (Uovidesa) mixeorum (A–E: male holotype): A–C) dorsal, ventral and lateral and habitus; D–E) head, dorsal and ventral views; F) (left to right) male genital capsule, median lobe and tegmen, ventral views; G) (top to bottom) median lobe and tegmen, lateral views; H) close up of parameres of tegmen, ventral view.