Cryptolarynx oberprieleri 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 oberprieleri

description: 15. Cryptolarynx oberprieleri Haran sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 92F63525-1018-4C50-BA14-3284DCFAC09A
Figs 1O, 2O, 3O, 4O, 5O, 7A–C, 8J
Differential diagnosis
Cryptolarynx oberprieleri sp. nov. can be distinguished from other species of the genus by the combination, in males, of apically expanded protibiae, deeply divided setae on ventrite 1 and arrowhead-shaped copulatory sclerite. It differs from the most similar congener, C. falciformis sp. nov., by the structure of the apex of the parameroid lobes and the copulatory sclerite in the endophallus (Fig. 2O). Among the species for which fresh tissue was obtained, C. oberprieleri was found to be genetically closest to C. marshalli sp. nov., the two species showing uncorrected p-distances ranging from 19.8% to 22.1% for COI and from 3.4% to 3.6% for EF1, whereas intraspecific distances were up to 3.5% for COI (JHAR01246; JHAR02585) and 0.6% for EF1 (JHAR02340; JHAR02585) (Supp. file 1).
Etymology
Cryptolarynx oberprieleri sp. nov. is dedicated to Rolf G. Oberprieler for his substantial contribution to weevil taxonomy and classification, not least regarding the South African fauna. The specific epithet is a noun in the genitive case.
Material examined
Holotype REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA • ♂; “REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA. Western Cape Province, Stellenbosch [Paradyskloof]. 26.vii.2018. J. Haran leg.” “ 33.964° S 18.876° E. at base of Oxalis glabra. J. Haran leg., JHAR01201_0101. Cirad-CBGP coll.” “Holotype. Cryptolarynx oberprieleri. Haran 2023”; SAMC.
Paratypes REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA – Western Cape • 2 ♂♂, 17 specs (preserved in ethanol); same collection data as for holotype; CBGP • 1 ♂, 19 specs (preserved in ethanol); Stellenbosch, Jan Marais Nature Reserve; 33.931° S, 18.875° E; 27 Jun. 2019; J. Haran leg.; at base of Oxalis glabra; JHAR02340; CBGP • 1 ♂; same collection data as for preceding; 33.930° S, 18.875° E; 6 Sep. 2018; J. Haran leg.; at base of Oxalis glabra; JHAR01485; SAMC • 1 ♂, 1 ♀, 20 specs (preserved in ethanol); same collection data as for preceding; CBGP • 1 ♀, 3 specs (preserved in ethanol); Stellenbosch, Coetzenburg; 33.9416° S, 18.8722° E; 9 Aug. 2018; J. Haran leg.; at base of Oxalis spp.; JHAR01246; CBGP • 1 ♂, 4 specs (preserved in ethanol); Somerset West, Helderberg Nature Reserve; 34.061° S, 18.874° E; 14 Oct. 2019; J. Haran leg.; at base of Oxalis glabra; JHAR02585; CBGP • 1 ♂, 5 specs (preserved in ethanol); Klipheuwel 3 km E; 33.725° S, 18.739° E; 10 Sep. 2019; J. Haran leg.; at base of Oxalis glabra; JHAR02558; CBGP • 1 spec. (preserved in ethanol); Cape Town, Penhill; 33.990° S, 18.729° E; 5 Jul. 2019; J. Haran leg.; at base of Oxalis glabra; JHAR03200; CBGP • 1 ♂; Kogel Bay; 34.212° S, 18.835° E; 5 Aug. 2018; J. Haran leg.; at base of Oxalis livida; JHAR01230; CBGP • 1 ♀; De Hoop Nature Reserve, western side; 34.496° S, 20.420° E; 29 Oct. 2019; R. Borovec leg; sweeping low vegetation in coastal sand dunes; FFWS.
Description (♂)
MEASUREMENTS. Body length 1.9–3.2 mm.
COLOUR AND VESTITURE. Body integument black, scapes and tarsi reddish in fully sclerotised specimens. 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 pale to dark brown; pale scales concentrated in two lateral stripes on pronotum and on elytra from interstriae 4 laterad, as well as forming a pair of white spots surrounded by darker scales at apical ⅔ of interstriae 2–3; scales of striae recumbent, in lateral view not distinct from rest of vestiture.
HEAD. Forehead slightly wider than epifrons near antennal insertions, as wide as 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 slightly smaller than length of scape, scales in middle of epifrons at least 3× 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 moderately elongate, subequal in length, 1.5–1.8× as long as wide; 3 isodiametric; 4 slightly angular ventrally; 5–7 globular, isodiametric.
PRONOTUM. Transverse (W:L ratio 1.3–1.4), widest near midlength, sides arcuate; apex slightly narrower than base.
ELYTRA. Broadly ovate or bullet-shaped, wider than long (W:L ratio 1.1), sides convex, widest near or anterior of midlength.
LEGS. Protibiae with outer margin straight and inner margin slightly bisinuate, with small expansion proximally of apical mucro; meso- and metatibiae with small apical mucro, metatibiae with inner setal fringe, setae shorter than segment 5 of metatarsus, and with small inner carina near base. Tarsi with segment 2 wider than long.
ABDOMEN. Ventrites with creamy-white plumose scales, partly concealing integument; with long suberect setae and elongate scales 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 0.45), slightly shorter than temones, sides subparallel, converging in apical quarter; curvature in profile moderate and regular, dorsoventrally narrowed at apex. Copulatory sclerite sagittate. Parameroid lobes separate, divided by modest median notch, each lobe bilobate, with median sublobes bearing two long setae apically. Spiculum gastrale with basal arms long, right arm angulate at its midlength.
Sexual dimorphism
The sexes can be distinguished by the shape of the elytra (wider than long in male, longer than wide and more broadly ovate in female), by the shape of ventrite 1 (medially concave in male, convex in female) and by the protibiae (with small expansion near mucro in male).
Life history
Specimens of C. oberprieleri sp. nov. were collected at several localities in monospecific stands of Oxalis glabra and, at one location, at the base of a plant of O. livida Jacq. Larvae and teneral adults were found inside bulbs of O. glabra. Adults were collected between late June and late October, found to be active during the day at the base of their host plant but at sunset retreating into small holes in the soil, which they formed under debris and under the leaves of Iridaceae.
Distribution
This species was found on the western slopes of the Hottentots Holland Mountain range and adjacent valleys, from Stellenbosch and Klipheuwel in the north to Kogel Bay beach in the south. A single specimen was discovered in the De Hoop Nature Reserve (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 48-49, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2023.877.2151, http://zenodo.org/record/8110586