Laparocerus orone, Machado, Antonio, 2007

Machado, Antonio, 2007, New species of Laparocerus Schönherr, 1834 from La Gomera, Canary Islands (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae), Zootaxa 1643, pp. 1-38 : 3-5

Laparocerus orone n. sp.

( Figs. 1 A, 9A–B, 15C, 18A)

Dimensions, holotype (ɗ). Length: total (without rostrum) 4.65 mm, head 1.12 mm, rostrum 0.50 mm, scape 1.18 mm, funicle 1.26 mm, segments (1st/ 2nd/ 3rd/ 4th) 0.24 /0.30 /0.19 / 0.14 mm, club 0.48 mm, eyes 0.30 pronotum 1.02 mm, elytra 3.35 mm, tibiae (pro- /meso- /meta-) 1.26 /1.20 / 1.36 mm. Width: head (with eyes) 0.96 mm, head (between eyes) 0.58 mm, rostrum (with pterygia) 0.42 mm, rostrum (minimum dorsal /ventral) 0.36 / 0.56 mm, rostrum (base) 0.64 mm, scape 0.18 mm, club 0,14 mm, pronotum (anterior /maximum /posterior) 0.92 /1.28/ 1.12 mm, elytra (maximum) 2.20 mm. Height: abdomen 1.60 mm.

Male. Length 4.2–5.5 mm, oval-elliptical. Integument piceous, brilliant, beset with cinereous, linear, decumbent scales arranged in mosaic pattern on elytra, devoid of protruding setae; antennae and legs ferrugineous, commonly lighter than body. Antenna robust; scape moderately sinuate, a little longer than pronotum, smoothly capitate at apex (34% of length); funicle longer than scape, first segment usually smaller than second, third longer than fourth; club fusiform, as long as the three previous segments combined. Head transversely and markedly depressed at frons; median fovea pushed forwards, small and deep, rarely extended; metarostrum strongly trapezoidal, not or slightly canaliculate, with punctures and scales; prorostrum well defined, smooth; epistomal keel complete, elevated; pterygia large and open (base of antennae visible), moderately protruding. Eyes strongly protruding, almost hemispherical in dorsal view (convexity 55%). Pronotum moderately transverse (L/W ratio 0.80), 0.30 × length of elytra, sides evenly curved, widest at middle: disc with large deep punctures separated by approximately one diameter; interstices with small but deep micropunctures; sparsely covered with small linear and curved scales, laterally coalescent. Scutellum small, acute, without or with few scales. Elytra ovate with ogival apex, usually widest at middle (or slightly obovate); base not much wider than base of pronotum (shoulders absent); apical declivity smooth. Striae marked by large punctures similar in diameter to those of pronotum but not as deep; intervals more or less subconvex, smooth or feebly shagreened. Vestiture dominated by decumbent cinereous scales with greenish or coppery tint, alternating with patches of thinner brownish scales (3rd interval usually dark in apical half, in spike-like pattern). Legs normal, without internal brush; protibia straight, shortly incrassate internally at apex, with small mucro, outer angle blunt, inner side very smoothly notched (preapical sinuosity); mesotibia mucronate; metatibia without mucro and 12% longer. Ve n t e r with sparse covering of thin greyish linear scales, integument brilliant; inter-mesocoxal carina small and short, almost granular; apical ventrite shortly truncated. Abdominal convexity 73%. Aedeagus (figs. 9A–B) weakly curved, ending in a broad truncated plate protruding from ventral side, with small median point, dorsally with preapical hump sloping straight towards tip in lateral view; internal sac short, with reduced field of soft and short spines, not very conspicuous.

Female. As male but larger (length 4.9–5.9 mm), more robust and elytra uniformly more inflated, starting at base (shoulders rounded off). Elytra/pronotum L ratio 2.6 (instead of 3.2), punctures in striae much smaller. Preapical internal sinuosity of protibia less marked; last ventrite apically rounded. Sternite VIII as in fig. 15C, spermatheca as in fig. 18A.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a name in apposition and refers to the Guanche name of one of the four aboriginal districts of La Gomera, where the species is common.

Remarks. Laparocerus orone is easy to recognize by its trapezoidal rostrum with prominent pterygia, protruding rounded eyes, transversely depressed frons, heavily punctate pronotum combined with the ovateelliptical elytra devoid of protruding erect setae. Its closest relatives, L. acutipennis and L. benchijigua , have a similar head and prothorax but conspicuously extended and acuminate elytra (L ratio elytra /pronotum>3.7) bearing additional setae on all or part of the surface. Moreover, in L. orone the antennae are more robust, the inner excavation of the male protibiae less developed (just a sinuosity) and the scales covering the elytra slightly smaller, broader and more regularly distributed. Laparocerus orone , L. acutipennis and L. benchijigua constitute a superspecies related to the group of L. gracilis Wollaston, 1865 .

Material examined. Holotype: La Gomera: Valle Gran Rey, Ermita de San Antonio, 445 m (UTM = 28R 0 272865 3112512), 2-1-2005, leg. A. Machado, 1 ɗ ( TFMC, reg. CO-15528). Paratypes: same locality and collector, 65 exx.; Cementerio de Arure, 850 m, 31-3-2001, 1 ex.; Arure loma del túnel, 800 m, 12 exx. (and ca. 100 teneral exx.); 31-3-2001, 7 exx.; 5-12-2006, 40 exx.; Valle Gran Rey, Mirador César Manrique, 700 m, 31-3-2001, leg. A. Machado, 15 exx. ( AMC, TFMC, ZMUH, MNCN, NHM); Cementerio de Arure, 6-12- 2002, 50 exx.; Túnel de Arure, 5-12-2006, leg. R. García, 12 exx. (RGB); 5-12-2006, leg. A. Aguiar, 18 exx. ( AAC); Arure, Staudam, 860 m, 13-3-1989, leg. Demazer & Schmidt, 1 ex. ( DEI); Valle Gran Rey, 12-12- 1983, leg. G. Israelson, 1 ex. ( NRS). Other specimens: Las Hayas, 800 m, 17-4-2000, 1 ex.; 6-12-2002, 2 exx.; Teselinde, Ermita Santa Clara, 7-12-2002, 2 exx.; Taguluche, 250 m, 15-3-2003, 6 exx.; idem, 400 m, 39 exx.; Tegueguenche, 500 m, 15-3-2003, 16 exx.; supra Alojera, 250 m, 15-3-2003, 2 exx.; supra Tazo, 650 m, 2-1-2005, 2 exx.; Vallehermoso, Roque Cano, 7-12-2002, 62 exx.; Vallehermoso, Barranco del Clavo, 365 m, 17-2-2004, 3 exx.; Montaña de la Zarza E, 780 m, 17-2-2004, leg. A. Machado, 19 exx. ( AMC); Bosque de El Cedro, 3-11-1974, 1 ex.; Las Hayas, 20-12-2003, leg. P. Oromí, 22 exx. (POM); La Fortaleza, 4-4-1999, leg. Kirschbaum, 4 exx. ( DEI).

Distribution and ecology. Laparocerus orone occurs in the thermophilous scrub vegetation at middle elevations (250–850 m) in the northern half of the island of La Gomera. It is nocturnal and fairly abundant in late winter and spring, feeding on several woody plants, such as Kleinia neerifolia , Argyranthemum spp., Retama monosperma, Schyzogine sericea , Rubia fruticosa and Rumex lunaria but especially on Artemisia thuscula . A few specimens have been collected on Adenocarpus foliolosus and Cistus monspeliensis . The islands of El Hierro and La Palma are inhabited by differentiated populations of this species, to be described in future contributions.

Figures

FIGURE 1. New Laparocerus species from La Gomera, holotypes: (A) L. orone; (B) L. acutipennis. Scale = 2 mm