Ceratophila (Vovidesa) vazquezi 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 : 174-176

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

( Figs. 8 A–H)

Adult diagnosis. Distinguished from other Ceratophila (Vovidesa) species by male with subapical emarginations on tibiae, submentum of both sexes with dense punctures and setae, male submental setae projecting laterally, female elytra similarly dulled medially and laterally, male genitalia with median lobe nearly laterally flattened and curved, and with a known distribution in Mexico, state of Veracruz, on Ceratozamia tenuis .

Adult male description. Length 4.12–4.90 mm, width 1.57–1.84 mm (n = 10). Body in dorsal view elongateoval, greatest width at middle of elytra; in lateral view convex dorsally. General body color brown ( Figs. 8 A–F), 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. 8A, D ), average distance between closest punctures 2× width of puncture; width 0.81–0.91 mm; dorsal interocular distance 0.52–0.59 mm, head width/dorsal interocular distance ratio 1.45–1.56, ventral interocular distance 0.38–0.42 mm, head width/ventral interocular distance ratio 2.04–2.17. 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–VIII small, width equals length; 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 with moderate punctation, distance between nearest punctures ~ 1× own width; submentum finely, densely punctate, each puncture with a long seta ~ 2–3× width of eye facet, setae projecting laterally. 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. 8E ).

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) = 0.76–0.79, 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 1.75–1.85, 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 of similar size to strial 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 elongateoval; trochanters obliquely truncate apically; in males all femora swollen, stout, dorso-ventral width greater than eye length; protibia with shallow medial subapical emargination, meso- and metatibia with a distinct medial subapical emargination; all tibiae 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 slightly narrowing to apex; pro- and mesotarsi greatly enlarged, corresponding tarsomere I width ~ 3× own length, metatarsomere I width ~ own length ( Figs. 8 A–C, F).

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 dense, 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 obscured in dense setation, 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, laterally compressed; anterior region ring-like, posterior region sheath-like; lateral margins gradually converging posteriorly ( Figs. 8 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 = 2.1–2.8; apically with setae, length of longest setae> width of paramere in dorso-ventral view ( Fig. 8H ); median lobe laterally compressed, sclerotized, in lateral view strongly curved, apex tapering to a point. Ratio of penile strut length to median lobe length 1.82–1.83 (n = 2) ( Figs. 8 F–G).

Female generally similar to male, except for sexual dimorphism. Female pronotum slightly wider than male, PL/PW = 0.70–0.76; submentum densely punctate, setae short, not projecting; elytral surface dulled medially and laterally; legs unmodified, fore and middle legs not swollen, femora dorso-ventral width about equal to eye length, all tibia gradually dilating to narrowly triangular apex; tibia 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, Veracruz, Jilotepec, El Esquilón .

Range. As currently understood, this species is known to inhabit Ceratozamia tenuis (Dyer) D.W.Stev. & Vovides , which occurs in the vicinity north of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.

Material examined. Holotype (by designation) male of C. vazquezi with the following labels: 1) [rectangular; white; printed in black ink] “ MEXICO, Veracruz, Cerro Coacoatzintla, ♂ cone Ceratozamia tenuis , 28-II-1 995, Y. Sanchez Tinoco”; 2) [rectangular; red; printed in black ink] HOLOTYPE ♂ Ceratophila vazquezi Tang, Skelley & Pérez-Farrera 2018 . Deposited in the FSCA. Allotype (FSCA) same data as holotype and 535 adult paratypes: MEXICO: Veracruz, Jilotepec, El Esquilón, ex male cone of Ceratozamia mexicana [now C. tenuis ], 10-III-1989, A. P. Vovides 1300m, (97); Cerro Coacoatzintla, ♂ cone Ceratozamia tenuis , 28-II-1995, Y. Sanchez Tinoco (77); W. of Mafafas, [GPS coord. omitted], 1321 m., ex ♂ Ceratozamia tenuis late shed cone, 15- IV-2018, M.A. Perez Farrera & W. Tang (359): Paratypes deposited at ANIC, BMNH, FSCA, IEXA, INBio, MNHN, NZAC, UNAM, USNM.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Dr. Mario Vázquez Torres for his work on the taxonomy, ecology and conservation of the cycads of Mexico.

Remarks. Type specimens assigned to this species are limited to those collected on Ceratozamia tenuis , a species recently described by Vovides et al. (2016). Prior to 2016 this host had been erroneously identified as C. mexicana Brongn. , a species now understood to occur only in the vicinity of El Mirador, further south in Veracruz. Besides Ceratozamia tenuis , several other species of Ceratozamia occur in the rugged terrain of western Veracruz, including C. brevifrons , C. delucana , C. haustecorum , C. mexicana and C. morettii . The possible occurrence of C. (Vovidesa) vazquezi in these species is currently being investigated by the authors. In one male cone of Ceratozamia tenuis sampled at the end of its pollen shed near the town of Mafafas, C. (Vovidesa) vazquezi accounted for 86% of 417 adult Pharaxonothinae collected, while an undescribed species of Pharaxonotha accounted for the remaining 14% of adult beetles in the cone. Adult Ceratophila (C.) sanchezae , which are often found with these other two Pharaxonothinae in cones of Ceratozamia tenuis , were absent, but see Remarks under Ceratophila (C.) sanchezae .

Figures

FIGURE 8. Photographs of Ceratophila (Uovidesa) vazquezi (A–D, F: male holotype): A–C) dorsal, ventral and lateral and habitus; D) head, ventral view; E) head, female, ventral view; F) head lateral view; G) median lobe still attached to tegmen, ventral and lateral views; H) male genital capsule, ventral view; arrow indicates tuft of erect setae on mentum and submentum.