Afrosmicronyx nebulosipennis, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Haran, Julien M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Afrosmicronyx
Afrosmicronyx nebulosipennis

description: Afrosmicronyx nebulosipennis sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 7AF87EB3-BC0C-486C-849B-8A4A1B681A4E
Figs 1E, 3E, 5E; Table 1
Differential diagnosis
Afrosmicronyx nebulosipennis sp. nov. is mostly similar to A. umbrinus Hustache, 1940, a species widely distributed from West to East Africa (Anderson & Cox 1997). The body length of A. nebulosipennis sp. nov. (3.6–3.8 mm) is slightly shorter than in A. umbrinus (3.8–4.0 mm) and its general appearance is more robust. Segment 3 of the antennal funicle is wider than long in A. nebulosipennis sp. nov. while it is isodiametric in A. umbrinus. The penis in A. nebulosipennis sp. nov. is more elongate and its sides more rounded (Fig. 5E) than in A. umbrinus.
Etymology
Afrosmicronyx nebulosipennis sp. nov. is named in reference to the ill-defined shades of its elytral vestiture.
Material examined
Holotype ZIMBABWE • 1 ♂; “ Salisbury [Harare]; Oct. 1903; G A K M [Marshall]” / “Pres. By; Imp. Inst. Ent.; BMNH(E) 1996” / “HOLOTYPE; Afrosmicronyx nebulosipennis; Haran 2021”; BMNH.
Paratypes ZIMBABWE • 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; BMNH.
Description
BODY LENGTH. 3.6–3.8 mm.
COLOUR. Body integument black; vestiture consisting of rounded recumbent scales, elliptical, twice as long as wide, forming grey, brown and/or white, ill-defined transverse bands on elytra.
HEAD. Rostrum distinctly longer than head capsule + prothorax in lateral view, downcurved at base, almost straight in the rest of the length, covered by scales on the upper face only in basal ½ (♂) or in basal ⅓ (♀); integument punctuate; antennae inserted at apical ⅓; transverse furrow at base of rostrum covered with whitish scales, with two spots of semi-erect whitish or brownish scales on sides near eyes; head capsule glabrous except near transverse furrow; eyes flat, subcontiguous ventrally, distance between eyes equal or shorter than width of 1–2 ommatidia; antennal scape slightly bisinuate at base, moderately clavate at apex, segment 1 of funicle elongate, as long as 2 + 3, 3–5 isodiametric, 6–7 wider than long.
PROTHORAX. Isodiametric (ratio w/l: 1), widest slightly before middle of length, greatly narrowed at apex, sides strongly rounded; integument shiny, densely granulate; scales brownish, 3× as long as wide, converging to the median line.
ELYTRA. Sides subparallel in basal half, widest near middle (ratio w/l: 0.74), convex in apical half; humeri raised; striae narrow, interstriae flat, 4× as wide as striae, integument shiny and rough, covered with two or three series of aligned scales, apex of interstria 5 with a declivital callosity, followed by a depression; base of interstria 3 with a spot of white scales; scutellum rounded, small but visible.
ABDOMEN. Underside covered with elliptical greyish scales, not concealing the integument; ventrite 2 as long as 3–5.
LEGS. Integument black, femora clavate, armed with a strong ventral tooth; tibiae bearing an acute tooth ventrally, before middle of length, facing femoral tooth when legs are folded; claws equal in length.
GENITALIA. Body of penis short (ratio w/l: 0.55), as long as apodemes, sides parallel, apex flat with an acute cuticular expansion, curvature in lateral view moderate and regular (Fig. 5E).
Life history
Unknown.
Distribution
Zimbabwe (Harare).
description: Published as part of Haran, Julien M., 2021, The Smicronychini of southern Africa (Coleoptera, Curculionidae): Review of the tribe and description of 12 new species, pp. 34-73 in European Journal of Taxonomy 735 on pages 44-45, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2021.735.1239, http://zenodo.org/record/5707947