Argoptochus sappho Germann, Borovec & Braunert, 2015, sp. n.
Creators: name: Germann, Christoph
name: Borovec, Roman
name: Braunert, Carlo
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Argoptochus
Argoptochus sappho

description: Argoptochus sappho sp. n.
(Figs 1, 2, 5, 22, 23, 34, 40)
HOLOTYPE. ♂ "249_15.21 GREECE, Lesbos Isl., 5km SE Aspropotamos, N39°15′10″ E26°25′26″, 5m, rocky coast, 1.5.2015, leg. C. Germann " (NMBE). Red label: Holotype Argoptochus sappho sp. n. Germann, Borovec & Braunert, 2015.
PARATYPES. In total 9: 3 ♂♂, 6 ♀♀, same data as holotype (CBML, CGTS, RBSC). All with red labels: Paratype Argoptochus sappho sp. n. Germann, Borovec & Braunert, 2015.
Description. Body length: 2.01–2.41 mm, holotype 2.02 mm (Figs 1, 2).
Elytra blackish with 2–3 lateral intervals paler, pronotum and head blackish, fore margin of pronotum brownish, antennae brownish with basal half of club blackish, legs yellowish to brownish. Elytra without appressed vestiture, glabrous, with one dense and conspicuous row of setae on each interval. Inner seven intervals with greyish-white, slender, parallel-sided, perpendicularly erect setae a little longer than width of one interval, distance of two setae shorter than half of their length. Outer three intervals with distinctly shorter semierect setae, about as long as half the width of one interval or shorter. Each puncture of striae with very short and fine, greyish seta. Pronotum on disc with identical erect setae as on elytra, densely irregularly scattered, in lateral part with distinctly shorter, appressed setae of similar shape, directed upwards. Head dorsally with similar setae as pronotum, only slightly shorter; rostrum with similar erect setae, but of half the length of setae covering head, lateral part with appressed short setae directed anteriad. Antennal scapes, femora and tarsi with slender, inconspicuous, semiappressed setae; funicles and outer edge of tibiae with semiappressed to semierect slender setae, moderately short, brownish on funicles and yellowish on tibiae; clubs finely setose.
Rostrum robust, 1.39–1.45 times as wide as long, widest at base, 1.13–1.16 times wider at base than at apex, evenly tapered apicad with slightly concave sides; rostrum laterally at the same level as head, weakly vaulted. Epifrons very narrow, at middle of rostrum 0.4 times as wide as rostrum at the same place, enlarged anteriad with concave sides, longitudinally shallowly depressed, irregularly finely punctured, moderately shiny. Frons and epistome not developed. Antennal scrobes in dorsal view well visible, reniform; laterally short, subtriangular, dorsally placed. Head wide and weakly vaulted, irregularly finely punctured, moderately shiny. Eyes small, dorsally weakly vaulted and prominent from outline; laterally subcircular, placed about at middle of head.
Antennae moderately robust but long; scape 1.1 times as long as funicle, 5.1–5.8 times as long as wide, at apex slightly narrower than club, at midlength weakly curved, in apical half weakly evenly enlarged towards apex. Funicle segment 1 conical, 1.6–1.7 times as long as wide, 2.0–2.2 times as long as segment 2, which is isodiametric; segment 3 1.1 times as wide as long; segments 4 and 5 1.2–1.3 times as wide as long; segment 6 1.4 times as wide as long; segment 7 1.4–1.5 times as wide as long; club 1.8–2.0 times as long as wide (Fig. 5).
Pronotum 1.26–1.33 times as wide as long, widest at midlength with distinctly rounded sides, about equally tapered at apex and base, with anterior and posterior borders about equally wide. Disc moderately shiny, densely, irregularly punctured; punctures with ill-defined borders, shallow, with visible bottom, distance between two punctures shorter than their diameter. Pronotum laterally vaulted, behind anterior border somewhat flattened.
Elytra oval, 1.29–1.31 times as long as wide, widest at midlength, with regularly rounded sides, broadly rounded at apex, conspicuously more shiny than pronotum and head with rostrum, smooth. Striae narrow, finely regularly punctured, intervals flat, wide. Elytra in lateral view distinctly vaulted.
Femora of all legs edentate. Protibiae moderately robust, 5.3–5.8 times as long as wide, at apex mesally straight, laterally weakly enlarged, apex rounded with fringe of fine yellowish setae, in lateral part somewhat longer than at inner side. All tibiae lacking mucros. Tarsi slender, segment 2 1.1 times as wide as long; segment 3 1.2 times as wide as long and 1.2–1.3 times as wide as segment 2; onychium 1.1–1.2 times as long as segment 3.
Ventrites shiny, smooth, with semi-appressed, long and slender piliform setae.
Male genitalia. Penis short, widest at midlength, evenly tapered apicad with weakly rounded sides, tip shortly rounded. In lateral view penis weakly curved, with apex slightly curved dorsally (Figs 22, 23).
Female genitalia. Sternite VIII with spade-shaped plate, faintly sclerotized along margins, stronger crossshaped sclerotization in the middle, apodeme long and slender. Spermatheca with C-shaped, short and thick cornu, tube-shaped and raised nodulus, and short ramus (Fig. 34).
Sexual dimorphism. Males are more gracile than females, in which the elytra are much more robust (Figs 1, 2).
Remarks. A number of the types are teneral, their body is lighter and thus brownish instead of blackish.
Etymology. The new species is dedicated to the ancient Greek poet Sappho from Lesbos Island, and is a noun in apposition.
Differential diagnosis. Argoptochus sappho sp. n. is similar to A. albisetus (Borovec, 1998) and A. hystricus (Borovec, 1998) in the glabrous, shiny, blackish elytra without appressed setae or scales. It is possible to distinguish all three species according to the following set of characters:
1. Funicle and short basal part of club yellowish, rest of club dark. Last three funicle segments longer than wide, at most segment 7 isodiametric. Raised setae on funicle whitish, fine, inconspicuous. Elytral striae impressed. Tibiae clearly mucronate.................................................................................... A. hystricus (Borovec, 1998)
- At least last two funicle segments and basal part of club darker. Last three funicle segments wider than long. Raised setae on funicle blackish, bristle-shaped, conspicuous. Elytral striae not impressed. Tibiae not mucronate...................... 2
2. First funicle segment 2.0–2.2 times as long as wide and 1.6–1.8 times as long as segment 2, which is 1.3–1.5 times as long as wide. Antennal scape 6.1–6.3 times as long as wide. Protibiae 6.8–7.2 times as long as wide. Tarsal segment 2 1.1 times as long as wide. Rostrum 1.24–1.32 times as wide as long. Apex of penis acute (Fig. 24)........ A. albisetus (Borovec, 1998)
- First funicle segment 1.6–1.7 times as long as wide and 2.0–2.2 times as long as segment 2, which is isodiametric. Antennal scape 5.1–5.8 times as long as wide. Protibiae 5.3–5.8 times as long as wide. Tarsal segment 2 1.1 times as wide as long. Rostrum 1.39–1.45 times as wide as long. Apex of penis broader with short rounded tip (Figs 22, 23)......... A. sappho sp. n.
Bionomy. The new species was discovered while sifting leaf litter under flowering Cistus salviifolius and Lavandula stoechas on a rocky plateau at the east coast of Lesbos Island (Fig. 40). In a feeding experiment five specimens of A. sappho sp. n. were kept alive during one week. Only withered leaves of tested Asteraceae, Brassicaceae, Caryophyllaceae Cistaceae and Lamiaceae were accepted. The feeding traces are minute. We thus conclude that A. sappho, and very likely also other species of the A. vindobonensis Formánek, 1908 -species group with glabrous elytra with long setae, are detritivorous and hence are rarely collected in the field mainly because of their discrete lifestyle. Other Argoptochus mostly with coloured and metallic dense appressed scales (e.g. A. bisignatus (Germar, 1824) or A. cretensis (Pic, 1904)) are usually very actively crawling and feeding on the vegetation (grasses and herbs) during their rather short period of occurrence.
description: Published as part of Germann, Christoph, Borovec, Roman & Braunert, Carlo, 2015, Four new Entiminae from the Mediterranean region (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae: Phyllobiini, Trachyphloeini), with additional data on the distribution of some poorly known species, pp. 345-358 in Zootaxa 4040 (3) on pages 346-349, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4040.3.6, http://zenodo.org/record/233130