Cycadophila (Strobilophila) hiepi Skelley, Xu & Tang

Skelley, Paul, Xu, Guang, Tang, William, Lindström, Anders J., Marler, Thomas, Khuraijam, Jibankumar Singh, Singh, Rita & Rich, Stephen, 2017, Review of Cycadophila Xu, Tang & Skelley (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting Cycas (Cycadaceae) in Asia, with descriptions of a new subgenus and thirteen new species, Zootaxa 4267 (1), pp. 1-63 : 50-53

Cycadophila (Strobilophila) hiepi Skelley, Xu & Tang , new species

Figs. 17 A–F

Adult diagnosis. A member of Cycadophila (Strobilophila) as discussed above, readily distinguished from the other member of the subgenus by the distally dilated protibia bearing narrowly spaced teeth along the apical third of the lateral margin, the distinct furrow on each side of pronotal base with basal margin weakly angulate at base of furrow, elytral disc being mostly glabrous, and the female abdominal ventrite V with distinct concavity at apex ( Fig. 17 D).

Adult description. Length 5.25–6.40 mm; width 2.00– 2.40 mm. Body in dorsal view elongate, sides nearly straight, greatest width at middle of elytra; in lateral view convex dorsally. General body and appendage color solid reddish-brown; dorsal surface distinctly punctate, surface appearing slightly dulled, dorsally appearing glabrous, with short procumbent hairs associated with punctation behind eyes and along lateral sides and declivity of elytra, ventrally mostly covered with short procumbent setae.

Head in dorsal view conical, gradually narrowed apically, surface flat to slightly convex, distinctly punctured; width 0.83–1.00 mm; dorsal interocular distance 0.50–0.62 mm, head width/dorsal interocular distance ratio 1.61– 1.66, ventral interocular distance 0.33–0.40 mm, head width/ventral interocular distance ratio 2.50–2.52. Eye globular; bordered dorsally with supraocular stria; projected laterally, with large black facets and short, inconspicuous interfacetal setae. Frons with short, dark, subcuticular suture on each side, approximately 1/4 width of frons in length, extending obliquely to lateral margin above and anterior to antennal insertion. Antennal length about 3/4 pronotal width, and slightly longer than head width, antennomere relative lengths from base to end approximately 18:13:14:10:10:10:11:11:17:17:21; antennomere I (scape) fairly large, slightly elongate, antennomere II slightly smaller than III; IV–VIII small, width equals length; club fairly large, IX–XI similar in length, XI globular. Clypeus truncate anteriorly, anterior margin with long setae; densely punctate; somewhat emarginate, with narrow margin. Maxillary palpomeres II and III slightly longer than wide; IV elongate oval, apex densely papillate; relative lengths of II–IV approximately 3:3:6. Labium with mentum pentagonal with carina forming triangular plate projecting medially, lacking distinct lateral pockets; labial palpomere III elongate-oval. Mentum and submentum with moderate punctation and setation, setae short. Gular area smooth, without setae or punctation, except near suture with submentum where a shallow transversely elongate fovea is present bearing dense setose punctures, fovea dark brown.

Thorax with pronotum transverse in dorsal view, with marginal beads on all sides; length/width ratio 0.69– 0.72, convex, nearly parallel-sided; anterior angles rounded; lateral carina with thickened bead, bead bearing scattered setose punctures; posterior angle exteriorly angulate, indented at pore; posterior margin projecting medially, margin weakly angulate at base of discal furrow; with narrow, short longitudinal furrow posterolaterally, beginning at pore on posterior margin, extending forward and ending abruptly, length of furrows relative to pronotal length 0.21–0.27. Prosternum with anterior margin slightly emarginate, finely denticulate with fringe of long, anteriorly directed setae; posterior prosternal process round and convex. Hypomeron with coarse punctures laterally, medially with longitudinal striations. Scutellar shield transverse, posterior margin projected, pentagonal. Elytra elongate, nearly parallel sided, convex; length/width 3.33–3.63, greatest width near midlength; with marginal bead basally, scutellary striole with 10–13 punctures; intervals of striae with distinct punctures. All elytral punctures bearing a single short seta; seta barely emerging out of puncture. Punctation on meso- and metaventrite distinct. Metaventrite long, laterally convex, slightly impressed medially, metathoracic discrimen extending slightly over half metaventrite length. Legs stout, similar in length; femora compressed laterally; tibiae shorter than femora, dilated to wide apex. Protibia triangularly dilated at apex, apex and apical 1/3 of lateral margin with stout spinules, marginal spinules separated by less than length. Meso- and metatibia less triangularly dilated.

Abdomen with 5 ventrites bearing fine punctures; anterior margin 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 lacking subcoxal line, slightly longer medially than II; I–IV each with pair short hairs located adjacent to midline (often abraded); II–IV subequal in length; V slightly longer than IV with lateral margins converging posteriorly to a rounded apex (male) or apical concavity (female), apex bearing row of short appressed, densely arranged setae.

Male genitalia (tegmen and median lobe of aedeagus) twisted approximately 45° toward the left side of animal and resting on side. Tegmen sclerotized, triangular, gently twisted; with anterior region ring-like, posterior region sheath-like, posterior margin slightly arcuate; lateral margins gradually converging posteriorly; dorsally with 2 large, elongate, somewhat coniform parameres. Parameres with long setae apically; length/width ratio 1:2.2. Aedeagus with median lobe short, slender, highly sclerotized, apex long and acuminate. Ratio of median lobe length to penile strut length 2:7. Extruded endophallus similar to that of C. (S.) tansachai (see Figs. 19 H–I), except with a cluster of spicules located beneath the basal hemisphere and spicules scattered along the central tubular portion. Female similar to male; with apical concavity on last abdominal ventrite.

Type locality. Vietnam: Khanh Hao , Tan Lap village.

Range. Vietnam (Binh Thuan, Khanh Hao).

Material examined. Holotype (by designation) female with the following labels: 1) [rectangular; white; printed in black ink] “ VIETNAM: Khanh Hao, Tan Lap vill., 140m, 11°58′27″N, 108°03′47″E, ex ♂ cone Cycas elongata , 5-VIII-2002, W. Tang & H.T.Nguyen ”; 2) [rectangular; red; printed in black ink] “ HOLOTYPE ♀ Cycadophila hiepi P. Skelley, G. Xu & W. Tang 2 0 1 7”. Deposited in the FSCA . Allotype and 69 paratypes: VIETNAM: [Binh Thuan] 2 km S. of Ca Na , 11°20'N, 108°51'E , 23 Feb. 1995, S.- L. Yang, ex ♂ strobilus of Cycas pachypoda in dry rocky open forest near sea, SYL 736(1); Khanh Hao, Tan Lap vill. , 140m, 11°58'27″N, 108°03'47″E, ex ♂ cone Cycas elongata , 5-VIII-2002, W. Tang & H.T. Nguyen (Allotype, FSCA, 54); 15 km N of Nha Trang, 12°18'N, 109°11'E , 66m, 20 Feb. 1995, S.-L. Yang, ex ♀ strobilus of Cycas elongata on limestone hills, SYL 721 (9); SYL 722 (3); SYL 723 (2). Paratypes deposited at ANIC, FSCA.

Etymology. In honor of Mr. Hiep Tien Nguyen, of the Center for Plant Conservation in Vietnam, for his assistance in the field and as co-collector of type specimens of this species.

Remarks. Unlike most other species we describe, C. hiepi has a female for a holotype because the female dimorphism is distinctive and unique. This species appears to be restricted to southern coastal Vietnam in Cycas elongata and C. pachypoda . Without locality data, the males are difficult to distinguish from C. tansachai , which occurs on Cycas clivicola lutea , C. elephantipes , C. pectinata and C. tansachana in Thailand. Some of these hosts also range into India, Myanmar, Cambodia and southernmost Vietnam.

Figures

FIGURE 17. Photographs of Cycadophila (Strobilophila) hiepi, paratype: A) dorsal habitus, female; B) ventral habitus, female; C) lateral habitus, female; D) head and prosternum, ventral, female; E) terminal abdominal segments, female; F) male genitalia.

FIGURE 19. Photographs of Cycadophila (Strobilophila) tansachai, paratypes: A) dorsal habitus; B) ventral habitus; C) lateral habitus; D) head and prosternum, ventral; E) male genitalia; F) male abdominal ventrite V; G) female abdominal ventrite V; H – I) inflated endophallus, lateral and ventral views.