Pantomorus crinitus (Boheman)

Lanteri, Analia A. & Rio, Maria Guadalupe Del, 2020, Revision of the Pantomorus albosignatus species group (Coleoptera: Curculionidae Entiminae) from Mexico and Central America, Zootaxa 4819 (3), pp. 557-570 : 565-568

Pantomorus crinitus (Boheman)

( Figs. 9–14 , 20, 24 , 26 )

Naupactus crinitus Boheman in Schoenherr 1840: 20 . Type material: lectotype female herein designated; [ México]; 7 mm long, pinned, at NHRS.

Pantomorus crinitus: Chevrolat 1879: 130 ; Sharp, 1891: 157.

Naupactus nobilis Boheman in Schoenherr 1840: 19 . Type material: lectotype female herein designated; [ México, Alvarado ] (Veracruz); 5 mm long, pinned, at NHRS. New synonymy.

Pantomorus nobilis: Chevrolat 1879: 130 ; Sharp, 1891: 158.

Pantomorus affinis Sharp 1891: 157 . Type material: lectotype male herein designated; [ México, Oaxaca, Höge]; 6.5 mm long glued on a card, at BMNH. Paralectotype male, with same data as lectotype, at BMNH. Syn. by Champion 1911: 334.

Pantomorus crinitus var affini s : O’Brien & Wibmer 1982: 30.

Redescription. Female ( Figs. 9-11 ) 5.5–7.0 mm long. Vestiture usually greenish or pinkish-grey, with two pair of light stripes along margins of pronotum and elytra, the later antero- posteriorly directed from base of interval 9 to middle length of interval 6; base of pronotum and suture of elytra pale or iridescent green; some specimens from Chiapas with one to three pairs of dark-brown maculae on elytra, usually on intervals 2–4; ventral surface often iridescent green. Scales rounded, broadly overlapped, covering entire integument. Setae fine, suberect, short and anteriorly directed on rostrum and pronotum, long and posteriorly directed on elytra, forming 3–4 irregular lines along each interval, longer on apical declivity.

Rostrum truncate-conical (WF/WR 1.35–1.40×), about as long as wide at apex; lateral carinae subtle, squamose. Eyes moderately protruding; postocular constriction feeble. Antennae short, slender, setose; scape not reaching hind margin of eye; funicle segment 2 twice as long as segment 1; club 2.6× as long as wide. Pronotum subcylindrical, widest near posterior two third, (WP/LP 1.25-1.35×); anterior margin feeble curved; disc slightly punctate; posterior margin almost straight, not beveled. Scutellum small, setose. Elytra broadly oval (LE/WE 1.35–1.40×; LE/LP 2.352.50×; WE/WP 1.35-1.45×); base almost straight, not thickened; humeri vestigial; apical declivity abrupt; punctures of striae small. Legs with profemora slightly wider than metafemora (PF/MF 1.20×); protibiae mucronate, with line of 8-9 large denticles on inner margin; meso and metatibiae lacking mucro and denticles; corbel of metatibiae moderately broad, squamose; distal comb about as long as dorsal comb.

Female genitalia. Spermatheca ( Fig. 20 ) subcylindrical; collum truncate conical, slightly curved towards gland entrance, which is slightly protruding; cornu shorter than spermathecal body. Spermathecal duct membranous, very slender, about 3.7X as long as spermatheca; spermathecal gland tubular, about gland 2× as long as spermatheca.

Male ( Figs. 12–14 ) 5.0– 6.5 mm long. Pronotum and elytra more slender and elongate than in female (WP/LP 1.20-1.25×, LE/WE 1.35-1.45×, LE/LP 2.10-2.20×, WE/WP 1.15-1.25×); profemora distinctly wider than metafemora (ca. 1.40×).

Male genitalia ( Fig. 24 ). Penis about as long as ventrite 1-5; penis body strongly curved, slightly shorter than its apodemes, broader than in remaining members of the species group, with semicircular ostium; apex tapered. Endophallus with pair of elongate sclerites and central oval sclerite ( Fig. 24 ).

Geographic distribution ( Fig. 26 ). El Salvador (Chalatenango), Guatemala (Guatemala city and Quetzaltenango) and Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz), between 100 and 1000 masl. The former two countries were added to the range of P. crinitus by Champion (1911) and were confirmed by O´Brien & Wibmer (1982: 30); however, two specimens from El Salvador (San Salvador and Izalco), labeled by Champion as P. crinitus and deposited at USNM, do not belong to this species. Pantomorus crinitus reaches southern latitudes and lower elevations relative to P. albosignatus , and mainly occurs in open oak pine forests, cloud forests and tropical deciduous forests.

Type material: When revising the type material at the NHRS, we only found a single female of Naupactus crinitus and a single female of N. nobilis labeled as typus. Since in Boheman in Schoenherr (1840) there is no information about the number of specimens studied by the author, we consider each one as a syntype and designated them as lectotypes. On the other hand, Pantomorus affinis was described by Sharp (1891) based on two males from Mexico, Oaxaca, without indication of locality. These males are at the BMNH, but only one has a label of type, and this one was herein designated as lectotype.

The synonymy of P. affinis with P. crinitus was established by Champion (1911) when he studied a large series from Mexico, Guatemala and El Salvador, and he realized that the species shows remarkable variation. In the checklist of O´Brien and Wibmer (1982) this species is considered as a variety of P. crinitus .

Other material examined: EL SALVADOR. Chalatenango: La Palma, 5-VI-1956, E Möhn (1♀ ASUCOB) . GUATEMALA. Guatemala: San Isidro , 487m, Champion (1♂ BMNH) . Quetzaltenango: 25.2 km SW Zunil , 800 m, 20-VI-1993, F Génier (1♀ CMNC) ; Retalhuleu, 18.23- VI-1986 (1♀ 1♂ MLP) . MEXICO. Chiapas : Escuintla , VI-1925 (1♀ ASUCOB, 1♀ 1♂ BMNH) ; 20km Motozintla, Comitan , 900 m, 8-VII-1988, A Cadena & L Cervantes (1♀ ASUCOB) . Tapachula, Höge (3♀ USNM, 7♀ 7♂ BMNH) ; Villaflores, Los Ángeles Campo, CONANP, Reserva Biosfera La Sepultura , 1615’49.7’’N, 9337’01.3’’W, 1000 m, 3.31- VII-2005, R Anderson, open oak pine forests, beating oaks (1♀ CMNC) . Oaxaca: 10.8 mi W Pinotepa Nacional , 7-VII-1987, Kovarik & Schaffner (3♀ CMNC) ; 8 mi N Jct 125/ 200, 195m, 19-VII-1986, S McClkeve (1♀ 1♂ CMNC) ; 5 mi W jct 190/185, IS Askevold, desert scrub (2♀ CMNC) ; San Gabriel Mixtepec , 762 m, 10-VII-1987, R Anderson, trop dec for (1♀ CMNC) ; San Gabriel Mixtepec , 1174m, 11-VII-1987, R Anderson, cloud forest (1♀ CMNC) ; Oaxaca, Höge (1♂ BMNH) . Veracruz: Atoyac (2♂ BMNH) ; Córdoba (2♀ BMNH) ; Barranca de Cayoapa, Teocelo , 800m, 26-VII-1980, K Luna (1♀ UBUNAM) ; Córdoba , F Knab, 12-VI-1937 (3♀ 5♂ USNM) ; Córdoba , 4-VII-1965, AB Lau (8♀ 3♂ USNM) ; Córdoba (2♀ BMNH) ; hwy 150, 3 km SE Cuitláhuac, on foliage of “ Tinaja ( Rutaceae ) (1♀ ASUCOB) ; El Palmar , 16km W Tetzonapa, 9.15- VI-1948, Werner-Nutting (1♂ ASUCOB) ; Lago Catemaco , 25-VIII1965, AR Gillogly (1♀ ASUCOB) ; Lake Catemaco , 8.16- IX-1960, H & A Howden (1♀ CMNC) ; Catemaco , 31-VII-1983, M Kaubars (3♀ 1♂ CMNC) ; Orizaba (1♂ BMNH) ; Playa Vicente (2♀ BMNH) ; Presidio , 28-VII-1965, A.B. és Tuxtla 460m, Lago Encantada, B&B Valentine (2♀ BMNH) ; Lau (2♀ 2♂ USNM) ; Santa Lucrecia (1♀ 1♂ BMNH) ; 18 mi W Tinaja , 26-VI-1971, CW & L O’Brien (14♀ ASUCOB; 3♀ 1♂ MLP) ; 2mi NE San Andrés Tuxtla , 460m, Lago Encantada, B & B Valentine (2♀ BMNH) ; Toxpan (4♀ BMNH) . MEXICO. No loc. (3♂ BMNH as P. nobilis ) .

Remarks. According to Sharp (1891: 158) P. nobilis ( Fig. 10 ), is very close indeed to some of the greenish-grey unicolorous examples of P. crinitus ( Fig. 9 ). We agree and observed that the only difference between both nominal species is in the color of the vestiture, usually almost uniformly grey or green, consequently, we consider Naupactus nobilis Boheman as a new junior subjective synonym of Naupactus crinitus Boheman.

We also agree with the synonymy of P. affinis ( Fig. 12 ) and P. crinitus ( Fig. 9 ) as established by Champion (1911: 334), after the examination of a larger sample of specimens, not only from southern Mexico but also from Guatemala and El Salvador. In the series from Tapachula (Chiapas), this author found females and males whose elytra show dark- brown maculae on a pale background, a variation described as fuco-maculate ( Champion 1911: 334) ( Figs. 11, 14 ).

After studying the types of the three species, we realized that the nominal species described by Boheman ( P. crinitus and P. nobilis ) are based on females, and they are distinguished from the type of P. affinis Sharp , described based on males, not only in the color of the vestiture, but also in the characters of sexual dimorphism (see Figs. 911 , and 12–14). Pantomorus crinitus differs from the remaining species of the same group, by the slender antennae, with funicle segment 2 about twice as long as segment 1; the presence of vestigial humeri in females; and the coarse penis, with sclerites in the endophallus of males. The maculation of the elytra, if present, looks like the opposite of the pattern seen in P. albosignatus and P. andersoni : brown maculae on a pale background, instead of white maculae on a dark background.

Figures

FIGURES. 9–14. Pantomorus albosignatus species group, P. crinitus (Boheman), variation, dorsal views. 9, P. crinitus, lectotype female; 10, P. nobilis (Boheman) (=P. crinitus), lectotype female; 11, P. crinitus, female from Tapachula, Mexico; 12, P. affinis Sharp (=P. crinitus), lectotype male; 13, P. crinitus, male; 14, P. crinitus, male from Tapachula, Mexico. Scales= 1 mm.

FIGURES. 15–25. Pantomorus albosignatus species group. Figs. 15-20 female terminalia. 15, Sternite VIII; 16, ovipositor; 17, P. albosignatus, spermatheca; 18, P. parvulus, spermatheca; 19, P. andersoni, spermatheca; 20, P. crinitus, spermatheca. Scales: 0.25 mm. Figs. 21-25 male genitalia. 21, P. albosignatus, penis, lateral view; 22, P. parvulus, penis, lateral view; 23, P. andersoni, penis, lateral view; 24, P. crinitus, penis, lateral view; 25, P. andersoni, dorsal view of apex. Figures 15–16, 21–25 scales= 0.50 mm. Figures 17–20 scales= 0.25 mm.

FIGURE. 26. Pantomorus albosignatus species group, map of distribution. Pantomorus parvulus, black triangle; P. albosignatus, white circle; P. andersoni n. sp., black square; P. crinitus, black star.