Smicronyx albosquamosus Wollaston 1854
Creators: name: Haran, Julien M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Smicronyx
Smicronyx albosquamosus

description: Smicronyx albosquamosus Wollaston, 1854
Fig. 2G; Table 1
Smicronyx albosquamosus Wollaston, 1854: 345.
Differential diagnosis
In southern Africa, S. albosquamosus is closest to S. fallax. See differential diagnosis section under this species for distinguishing traits.
Material examined
NAMIBIA • 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀; Epupa falls; 17°00′ S, 13°14′ E; alt. 660 m; 12 Apr. 2005; Ruth Müller leg.; at light; TMSA.
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA • 1 ♂, 1 ♀; Gauteng Province, Roodeplaat Dam Nature Reserve; 25.41 S, 28.18 E; 22 Feb. 1988; I.M. Millar leg.; SAMC • 7 ♂♂, 9 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; 26.08 S, 27.50 E; 8 Jan. 1990; S. Neser leg.; with pods and flowers of Cuscuta probably campestris; SANC • 4 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀; Gauteng Province, Pretoria; 25.45 S, 28.10 E; 21 Mar. 1989; S. Neser leg.; ex. fruits of Cuscuta sp.; SANC • 1 ♂, 2 ♀♀; Britstown CP; 30.35 S, 23.30 E; 9 Mar. 1989; S. Neser leg.; ex. flowers of Cuscuta campestris; SANC • 21 ♂♂, 14 ♀♀; Pretoria, Reitondale; 25°54′ S, 28°12′ E; 13 Feb. 2006; S. Neser leg.; from flowering and fruiting shoots of Cuscuta sp. Convolvulaceae; SANC • 1 ♂; Limpopo Province, Soutpans; 22.57 S, 29.17 E; alt. 1100 m; 27–30 Mar. 2008; Martin Krüker leg.; TMSA • 1 ♀; Limpopo Province, Meletse Reserve, Mamba Dam; 24.36 S, 39.13 E; Dec. 2015; E. Seamark leg.; TMSA • 1 ♂, 5 ♀♀; Kruger National Park, Skukuza rest camp; 24.59 S, 31.38 E; 23 Jan. 1995 – 7 Mar. 1996; Endrödy-Younga and C.L. Bellamy leg.; UV light collection; TMSA • 1 ♀; Kwazulu-Natal Province, Ntinini Nature Reserve; 28°17″ S, 30°56′ E; alt. 1025 m; 17 Nov. 2010; R. Stals leg.; rocky outcrop with trees; SANC • 2 ♀♀; Mpumalanga Province, Lake Chrissie Farm, 5 km SE Chrissiesmeer; 26°18′ S, 30°15′ E; alt. 1700 m; 25 Nov. 2002; E. Grobbelaar leg.; SANC.
Diagnosis
BODY LENGTH. 2.0– 2.1 mm.
COLOUR. Body integument black; vestiture of elytra consisting of recumbent, slightly overlapping brown scales, slightly longer than wide, concealing integument, and white scales usually forming a pale oblique band between humeri and apical third of elytral suture.
HEAD. Rostrum moderately downcurved in lateral view, as long as head capsule + prothorax.
PROTHORAX. Slightly wider than long (w/l ratio: 1.15), sides moderately rounded in basal ¾, constricted in apical ⅓, with spots of whitish scales near humeri and at base near scutellum.
ELYTRA. Subparallel in basal two-thirds (w/l ratio: 0.65), rounded toward apex in apical third.
LEGS. Covered with white and brown scales; femora moderately clavate, armed with small but distinct ventral tooth, tibiae straight; claws unequal in length, at least for fore tarsi.
GENITALIA. Body of penis elongate (w/l ratio: 0.30), 1.2× as long as apodemes, sides straight, subparallel, converging near apex; curvature moderate in lateral view (Fig. 5H).
Life history
Smicronyx albosquamosus is found across its distribution range on pods and flowers of Cuscuta spp. Adults were collected in southern Africa from November to April.
Distribution
This species is widely distributed across Africa and the Mediterranean region. In the Republic of South Africa, this species is only found in subtropical areas (Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces)
Remark
The identity of this species was established by comparisons of specimens with reference material from the Mediterranean region reported by Haran et al. (2017).
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 66-67, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2021.735.1239, http://zenodo.org/record/5707947