Cryptolarynx falciformis Haran & Marvaldi & Benoit & Oberlander & Stals & Oberprieler 2023, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Haran, Julien M.
name: Marvaldi, Adriana E.
name: Benoit, Laure
name: Oberlander, Kenneth
name: Stals, Riaan
name: Oberprieler, Rolf G.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Cryptolarynx
Cryptolarynx falciformis

description: 14. Cryptolarynx falciformis Haran sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6A1E6036-9863-440A-B4AF-CD8AD094AABA
Figs 1N, 2N, 3N, 4N, 5N
Differential diagnosis
Cryptolarynx falciformis sp. nov. is most similar to C. oberprieleri sp. nov.; see Differential diagnosis section under that species for details.
Etymology
The species name falciformis refers to the falcate (sickle-shaped) copulatory sclerite in the endophallus of this species. The specific epithet is an adjective in the masculine form.
Material examined
Holotype REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA • ♂; “ South Africa. [REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA – Western Cape], Tulbagh [33.28° S, 19.14° E]. Nov. 1952. J.G. Theron ” “Holotype. Cryptolarynx falciformis. Haran 2023”; SAMC.
Description (♂)
MEASURMENTS. Body length 3.2 mm.
COLOUR AND VESTITURE. Body integument black, antennae and tarsi reddish. Dorsal vestiture (pronotum + elytra) consisting of overlapping, recumbent, parallel-sided clothing scales, 2–3 × as long as wide, rounded or truncate at apex; colour of scales greyish and pale brown; greyish scales concentrated laterally of elytral interstriae 4 and in two ill-defined pale spots at apical ⅔ of interstriae 3; scales of striae recumbent, in lateral view not distinct from rest of vestiture.
HEAD. Forehead wide, slightly wider than epifrons near antennal insertions, almost 2× as wide as width of an eye, scales recumbent. Eyes convex, in dorsal view slightly exceeding outline of head, surrounded by a ring of short pale scales, on forehead directed towards occiput; distance between eye and scrobe smaller than width of antennal club. Epifrons with distance between antennal insertions as large as length of scape, scales in middle of epifrons at most 2× as long as wide, recumbent, not contiguous. Frons with a pair of long erect lateral setae. Epistome without median seta. Antennal funicles with segments 1–2 elongate, subequal; 3–6 isodiametric, 4 slightly angular ventrally; 7 wider than long.
PRONOTUM. Transverse (W:L ratio 1.4), widest anteriorly of midlength, sides arcuate; apex slightly narrower than base.
ELYTRA. Broadly ovate, isodiametric (W:L ratio 1), sides convex, widest near midlength.
LEGS. Protibiae with outer margin straight and inner margin bisinuate, expanded proximally of apical mucro; meso- and metatibiae with apical mucro; metatibiae with inner setal fringe, setae shorter than segment 5 of metatarsus and with small ventral carina near base. Tarsi with segment 2 wider than long.
ABDOMEN. Ventrites with creamy-white, rounded, plumose scales not concealing integument; with long suberect deeply divided setae concentrated medially; ventrite 1 slightly concave medially; ventrite 5 devoid of scales in apical ¾, there bearing only erect setae.
TERMINALIA. Body of penis moderately elongate (W:L ratio 0.5), almost 1.5 × as short as temones, sides subparallel, converging in apical quarter; in profile almost straight, dorsoventrally narrowed before apex. Copulatory sclerite shaped like a pair of sickles. Parameroid lobes separate, divided by modest median notch, each lobe narrowing apicad, bearing two long setae apically. Spiculum gastrale with basal arms long, regularly curved.
Sexual dimorphism
Female unknown.
Life history
No data on host plants are available. The single known specimen was collected in November.
Distribution
The species was only found at the type locality, Tulbagh in the Western Cape province (Fig. 13).
description: Published as part of Haran, Julien M., Marvaldi, Adriana E., Benoit, Laure, Oberlander, Kenneth, Stals, Riaan & Oberprieler, Rolf G., 2023, Revision of the enigmatic South African Cryptolaryngini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), with description of a new genus and twenty-two new species, pp. 1-89 in European Journal of Taxonomy 877 (1) on pages 45-46, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.877.2151, http://zenodo.org/record/8110586