Hirsutopes pajnii, Christoph Germann, 2017

Christoph Germann, 2017, On the genus Hirsutopes Pajni, 1990, (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Entiminae), with the description of a new species, Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine 153, pp. 253-259 : 253-257

Hirsutopes pajnii sp. n.

( Figs 2 , 3–5, 10–11 , 14)

Description

Holotype, ♂, body length (rostrum excluded): 5.9mm. Paratypes, ♂♂, body length (rostrum excluded): 5.3–7.3mm, ♀♀, body length (rostrum excluded): 6.5–7.2mm. Body colour: reddishbrown to dark brown. Habitus: Figs 10 &11 .

Head and rostrum:eyes large, oval, convex. Frons narrower than diameter of an eye, foveola elongate between eyes. Rostrum longer than wide, pterygia about as wide as head with eyes. Fore margin of epistome V-shaped. Rostral dorsum with three carinae, laterally with an obliquely curved carina from inner edge of scrobe towards middle of eye. Mentum set with two setae. Vestiture consisting of roundish to fan-shaped, green-bluish scales, densest between eyes and laterally below eyes. Antennae:scape long and slender,reaching behind fore margin of pronotum. Funicle long and slender,first two funicular segments of same length, as long as following three segments together,segments 3–7 twice as long as wide, club fusiform, as long as first or second funicular segment.

mm

1.0 mm Hirsutopes species: 12, H. andamanensis ; 13, H.

Pronotum:transverse, laterally rounded, without ocular lobes but several fine vibrissae; basal margin bisinuate. Surface chagrinated and punctured, with bright recumbent bristles arising from punctures. Vestiture consisting of two types of scales: first type roundish to fan-shaped, greenish scales; second type narrower,oval to hair-like copper-coloured scales. Roundish scales denser along margins and around central area of disc, two stripes running vertically along disc margin set with narrower scales, therefore appearing dark. Scutellum :of body colour,bare, only with minute recumbent hairs, rectangular with hind margin rounded.

Elytra:more than twice as long as wide, widest in middle, elytra in ♂♂ narrower than in ♀♀; fore margin wider than pronotum, shoulders pronounced, hind wings present, completely developed. Striae with small, deep, regular standing punctures with minute recumbent hairs arising from their fore margins. Striae much narrower than intervals, these weakly vaulted. Intervals with regularly protruding minute tubercles, from which raised and weakly bowed bristles arise, these about half the width of an interval. Vestiture of elytra consisting of same two types of scales as on pronotum, apparently dark spots consisting of narrow scale type from 1st to 5th, and 8th and 9th intervals. The sutural interval and intervals 6and 7, by comparison, entirely set with the roundish scale type. Sternites with roundish and greenish scale type.

Legs:strong, femora clavate, all femora ventrally toothed within apical third, ventral sides of ♂ femora set with long whitish curly hairs, reaching in length about 2/3 of width of femora; hairs more dense, shorter and bifid to trifid at apex on second half of femora around femoral tooth. Tibiae more or less straight, apex with dark brown spines, prolonged and uncinate at inner apex, corbels of metatibiae open. Tarsi strong, underside densely set with hairs, first tarsal segment twice as long as second, third bilobed and as wide as length of claw segment, claws free and simple. Vestiture of femora on apical third with spots of roundish and greenish scale type dorsally; tibiae dorsally with same scales, ventrally with whitish hairs, these longer in ♂♂.

♂ g enitalia:penis with median lobus elongate and parallel sided, as long as apophyses ( Fig. 3). Apex of median lobus broadly triangular and with prolonged tongue at tip ( Fig. 4); internal sac clothed with rasp-teeth, containing three sclerites, one roundish, one tubular and the third hookshaped ( Fig. 5). ♀ genitalia:spiculum ventrale with apodeme very long (six times as long as width of plate) and slender,attenuated towards plate; plate semi-circular,apical margin weakly bisinuate, densely set with sensillae. Ovipositor tube-shaped, very long, unsclerotised tube in total one sixth shorter than spiculum ventrale, apex with one pair of weakly sclerotized segments, these acute-angled, with 3–5 shorter setae at base and 5–9 denser erect, longer setae. Spermatheca with hook-shaped cornu, apex elongate-pointed, nodulus very short, ramus tube-shaped, recurved and as long as width of base of spermatheca.

Material examined

Holotype, ♂, INDIA: Andaman Islands, Havelock Island , Ratanagar Beach No. 7 , beach forest, N11º59′09″ / E92º57′13″, 21.xii.2006 ( NMBE) // red label: Holotype Hirsutopes pajnii sp. n. des. C. Germann 2017.

Paratypes, 11♂♂, 8 ♀♀ same data as holotype; 2♂♂, 2♀♀, INDIA: Andaman Islands, Havelock Island , Elephant-Beach , N12º00′35″ E92º56′49″, 22.xii.2006. All with additional red labels: Paratype Hirsutopes pajnii sp. n. des. C. Germann 2017 (cCG, NHML, NMBE, NMSO) . Etymology:Iam pleased to dedicate the new species to Dr Hans Raj Pajni (Panjab University) renowned Indian entomologist, author of the comprehensive book Cyphicerini of India and Adjacent Countries, and an expert in Bruchinae (Chrysomelidae) .

REMARKS ON PAJNI’S 1990 DESCRIPTION

Pajni (1990) provided a thorough description of Hirsutopes and included two apomorphic characters that are unique within the Cyphicerini :

1. The lateral area of the rather long rostral dorsum has an oblique carina that reaches from the middle of the eyes to the inner edge of the scrobes.

2. The ventral sides of the male femora are covered with very long whitish hairs

( Figs 1&2 ).

The second of these two characters (an obvious male secondary sexual character) was studied in detail on the specimens Iexamined (see Material examined below), and on the strength of this, Iadd further information to Pajni’s(1990) description. Namely,the hairs in the apical half around the femoral teeth are denser,shorter and bifid to trifid at the apex ( Fig. 2 ). Interestingly,in the majority of the specimens examined, the remains of acertain wax-like substance could be found, which might indicate the purpose of the hairs; they could assist in retaining and spreading sexually attractive substances. However, it is unclear if this waxy substance is produced by the males themselves, or if it originates from other sources (e.g. plants visited by the males for its collection). Observations of living Hirsutopes might help answer this question.

In addition, my examinations have provided two further corrections to details given by Pajni (1990). The first concerns the male genitalia of H. andamanensis and H. megaoculatus ; their drawings have been obviously confused in Pajni (1990). Drawing no. 101 belongs to H. megaoculatus and no. 102 to H. andamanensis (see Figs 6–7 & 8–9). Comparison of his description of the male genitalia with the drawings supports this observation. Pajni (1990: p. 360) correctly states: ‘broadly triangular and pointed at apex’ for the H. andamanensis genitalia versus simply ‘broadly triangular at apex’ for the H. megaoculatus genitalia (p. 363).

The length of the apophyses of the median lobus of the penis [= aedeagus apodemes] is correctly described (p. 363): for H. andamanensis aedeagal apodemes are described as ‘somewhat shorter than aedeagus’; for H. megaoculatus ‘apodemes as long as aedeagus’. And in this case the drawings are correct. However,close study of my material suggests that the apophyses of the penis are variable in length and not areliable diagnostic character; they can be about the same length as the median lobus in all three species.

The other correction concerns the body colour of the collected specimens. Pajni (1990) used ‘reddish brown’ versus ‘dark-brown’ to separate species. In the series examined in the present work Ifound that different shades of brown were associated with degree of sclerotisation; colour is not useful for species discrimination. Therefore I provide an updated key to Hirsutopes based on reliable diagnostic characters.

Figures

Figs 1 – 2. — Femora in ♂♂ of two Hirsutopes species: 1, H. andamanensis, profemur; 2, H. pajnii sp. n., profemur. The longer curling hairs at base and the shorter bi- or trifid hairs around the tooth (almost hidden to the right by shorter hairs) are visible; awax-like substance is present.

Figs 10 – 11. — Hirsutopes pajnii sp. n., habitus: 10, ♂; 11, ♀.