Turnerapion pondoense Wanat 2021, sp. n

Turnerapion pondoense sp. n. (Figs. 151–186, 293) Type material. Holotype ♂ (labels as in Fig. 186): a) S. Africa./ R. E.Turner./Brit. Mus./1923–547, b) Port St. John,/ Pondoland / Oct.1923, c) type label by M. Wanat [Eastern Cape] (BMNH) [abdominal ventrites glued on card near specimen, genitalia in glycerol—microvial pinned under specimen]. Paratypes (5 ♂ 6 ♀): R. S. A.: Eastern Cape: same labels as in the holotype (1 ♂, MWC; 1 ♂ 1 ♀, BMNH); same but date Aug.15-31.1923 (2 ♀, BMNH); same but date Sept.1923 (1 ♂ 1 ♀, BMNH); same but date Nov.1923 (1 ♂ 1 ♀, BMNH; 1 ♀, MWC); same but date Dec.1923 (1 ♂, BMNH). Three of the paratypes (2 ♂ 1 ♀) collected in September and October are teneral, with soft and deformed elytra. Diagnosis. As in genus. Description. Body 2.5–3.0 mm long, red-testaceous, with yellow-testaceous legs and antennae. Elytra usually with 3–4 indistinct and irregular transverse bands of slightly darker testaceous integument. Vestiture white to yellowish; underside of body with sparse semi-recumbent setae thinner and shorter than piliform scales on elytra. Morphological indices (n=8): rl/pl: 1.16–1.23; rl/mxrw: ♂ 3.84–4.19 (M: 4.04), ♀ 4.13–4.34 (M: 4.22); scl/ msrw: 1.08–1.33; msrw/mtrw: ♂ 1.04–1.12 (M: 1.09), ♀ 1.08–1.19 (M: 1.12); msrw/arw: 1.07–1.18; msrw/ minrw: 1.13–1.23; msrw/eyl: 0.60–0.75; brl/eyl: 1.28–1.41; eyl/hl: 0.60–0.67; frw/mtrw: ♂ 0.83–0.95 (M: 0.90), ♀ 0.96–1.10 (M: 1.01); hl/hw: 0.84–0.95; mpw/hw: 1.09–1.17; bpw/apw: 0.95–1.01; pl/mpw: 1.28–1.35; mew/mpw: ♂ 1.96–2.10 (M: 2.03), ♀ 2.08–2.20 (M: 2.14); el/pl: 2.82–3.00; el/mew: ♂ 1.80–1.94 (M: 1.87), ♀ 1.73–1.82 (M: 1.78); mew/bew: ♂ 1.36–1.48 (M: 1.43), ♀ 1.42–1.53 (M: 1.47); bew/mpw: 1.32–1.50; pft/msrw: 1.07–1.32; ptbl/pl: 1.19–1.29; ptbl/ptbmw: 8.25–9.84. Rostrum slightly longer than pronotum, nearly straight (Figs. 155–158), dorsally with fine, sparse punctures vanishing before apex, the punctures bearing microscopic setae especially on rostrum sides; sides of metarostrum impunctate, irregularly rugose; ventrally punctures on prorostrum base and flat septum of scrobes larger and denser than on rest of rostrum; scrobes broad and narrowly separated, with heavy scale-like microsculpture (Fig. 185). Mouthparts with both maxillary and labial palps distinctly elongate. Head in natural position with vertex and temples sharply divided into equally long sculptured anterior part and smooth and bare posterior part (Fig. 155); eyes strongly, regularly convex; epifrons between eyes gently convex, with well-developed median rib (at least), lateral ribs often obsolescent; temples in dorsal view slightly divergent, laterally at eye side rough and setose but impunctate (Fig. 158); gular region microreticulate, with several coarse, flat transverse wrinkles, laterally with short, appressed white setae (Fig. 185). Antennae as in Fig. 154, inserted (♂ ♀) 0.41–0.45 from rostrum base; length/width ratio: scape 4.4–5.0, fun1 1.6–2.3, fun2 1.8–2.1, fun3 1.7–1.8, fun5 1.1–1.5, fun6 1.0–1.1, fun7 0.85–0.90, club 2.9–3.3; length of scape/fun1 2.2–2.7, fun1/fun2 1.2–1.6, fun3 0.7–0.8 × as long as fun1, fun4–7 successively shorter; club besides recumbent pilosity with several longer, protruding setae. Pronotum elongate, at base slightly narrower than at apical margin (Fig. 159); disc with undisturbed vestiture directed obliquely inwards from both sides, leaving in middle a narrow uncovered longitudinal line; piliform scales based in minute punctures not much larger than single ommatidium and well distant from each other; anterior margin on sides and dorsally with several fine transverse wrinkles, partly obscured by vestiture; sub-basal dorsal line gently curved anterad at sides; prominent prosternellum rounded, not conical, separated from hypomeron by distinct superficial sutures forming Y-shaped junction with the longitudinal suture separating hypomeral lobes; hypomeron impunctate, with single transverse row of semi-recumbent setae. Elytra elongate and weakly convex, with poorly marked caudal part (Figs. 151, 152); intervals shiny, at most 1.5 × as broad as striae, distinctly convex except for basal portions of narrowed intervals 1–3; sutural interval often slightly darkened on its basal and subapical portions; striae shallowly impressed, with small setiferous punctures distant from each other by several puncture diameters; piliform scales in rows not touching each other like those on intervals; specialized setae extremely fine and difficult to observe. Wing as in Fig. 176. Mesoventrite laterally with 3–4 shallow punctures close to pronotal margin; base of mesoventral intercoxal process with several piliform scales. Metaventrite twice as long as mesocoxal cavity, in middle transversely microreticulate, shiny and bare, on sides sparsely punctate and with piliform scales becoming thinner and replaced with fine setae towards middle. Abdominal ventrites 1–2 with transverse net-like microsculpture, very sparsely punctate; intercoxal process of ventrite 1 broadly rounded and coarsely punctate; ventrites 3–4 strongly microreticulate, with 2–3 confused transverse rows of setae; ventrite 5 entirely microreticulate and with shallow setiferous punctuation. Metafurca narrow, Y-shaped with straight arms, anterior tendons not sclerotized (Fig. 184). Legs uniformly coloured except darkened claws. Coxae concolorous with the remaining parts of legs and clearly lighter than thoracic integument; procoxae densely microreticulate except for shiny extreme apices, on front side with just 3–4 piliform scales. Femora smooth, with sparse piliform scales, on underside replaced with fine appressed setae. Tibiae on inner side with microscopic asperities bearing fine setae. Tarsi unicolorous, latero-ventrally with dense semi-recumbent pilosity; protarsus 4.0–4.2 × as long as wide (Fig. 162); length/width ratio of tarsomeres: 1 st 4.0–4.3, 2 nd 1.3–1.5, 3 rd 0.8; onychium surpassing tarsomere 3 by 0.4 × length; claws as in Fig. 153. Male. Rostrum as in Figs. 155 & 157. Mesotibial mucro obtuse (Fig. 160). Metatibial mucro truncate apically (Fig. 161). Abdomen about 1.2 × as long as wide; ventrite 5 gently convex, 2.1 × as broad as long (Fig. 177). Pygidium transverse, roundly convex in profile, with very short exposed margin (Fig. 173), and semicircular, weakly sclerotized tongue-like process (Figs. 172, 174). Tegminal apodeme about twice as long as basal piece (Fig. 170); tegminal plate 1.7–1.8 × as long as wide, laterally with complete narrow stripes of slightly darker sclerotization from basal articulation to apices of apical lobes; parameral lobes short, almost entirely occupied by weakly sclerotized suprafenestral sclerites extended to surround median notch (Fig. 171); macrochaetae 10–12, hardly longer than parameral notch; transparent fenestral sector small and only lateral; postfenestral plate fully membranous and stainable with Chlorazol black; prostegium weakly and uniformly sclerotized, with indefinite anterior margin. Penis narrow; apodemes distinctly shorter than pedon; tectum entire, weakly sclerotized, shorter than two-thirds of pedon length; pedon in dorsal view gently narrowing along most of its length and narrowly rounded at apex, 3.8–4.0 × as long as wide, in profile nearly straight throughout, relatively thick apically (Figs. 168, 169); endophallus sparsely microspinose along most of its length, in addition to frena with 8–10 variably sized thorn-like sclerites spread through the part exposed from pedon in repose; frena large, hook-like, laying close to orifice in repose; ejaculatory duct fine, as broad as sub-basal parts of penile apodemes, entering endophallus at base of pedon, not at apex of exposed sac. Female. Rostrum slightly longer (Fig. 156, 158). Abdomen 1.3–1.4 × as long as wide; ventrite 5 flattened, 1.9 × as broad as long, (Fig.178). Tergite VII strongly transverse and broadly sclerotized, shortly and evenly setose (Fig. 182). Tergite VIII well over 3 × as broad as long, with continuous sclerotization constricted in middle and several variably long setae (Fig. 183). Spiculum ventrale 2.1–2.2 × as long as gonocoxite (Fig. 180). Gonocoxites 2.3–2.4 × as long as wide, with short abruptly narrowed apex; styli about twice as long as wide, shortly setose (Fig. 179). Genital sheath of ovipositor and bursa simply membranous. Bursa elongate, with several small thorn-like teeth (Fig. 181). Spermatheca with robust corpus and short cornu (Fig. 175). Distribution. R.S.A.: vicinity of Port St. Johns (Fig. 293). Etymology. The new species is named after Pondoland, the historical area of South Africa between Transkei and KwaZulu-Natal and one of the most relevant local biodiversity hotspots, hosting many ancient apionines, including Turnerapion.
Published as part of Wanat, Marek, 2021, New basal taxa of South African Apioninae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea: Brentidae), pp. 1-60 in Zootaxa 5035 (1) on pages 31-35, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5035.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5499024