Laohajekia uniformis Borovec and Anderson 2024, n. sp.
Creators: name: Borovec, Roman
name: Anderson, Robert
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Laohajekia
Laohajekia uniformis

description: Laohajekia uniformis Borovec and Anderson n. sp.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 38A02A43-458B-4B41-907B-67A0D2C71B71
(Figs 1, 2, 5–8)
Type material. Holotype: ♂, Laos, Vientiane Province, Phou Khao Khouay NBCA, N of Ban Vangheua (= Khua), 820 m, 18°21.148 N, 102°48.669 E, 28.v.2008, old-growth tropical hardwood forest, FMHD2008-020; berlese, log & leaf litter, A. Newton & M.Thayer, ANMT site 1222 (FMNH). Paratype: 1 ♀, same data as holotype (CMNC).
Body length: holotype 2.06 mm, paratype 2.13 mm. Body (Figs 1, 2) dark brownish, basal parts of scapes, funicles with clubs and tarsi slightly paler, reddish brown.Appressed scales on dorsal part of body star-shaped, not completely covering integument, 2–3 across width of one interstria. Elytra with regular row of erect, narrow, long, sparse setae, slightly longer at posterior declivity than on the disc; setae apically rounded, widest at middle, at posterior declivity almost as long as the width of each interstria, distance between two setae 2–3 longer than length of one seta.Anterior margin of pronotum, head with rostrum with similar erect setae, slightly shorter than those on elytra. Antennal scapes, femora and tibiae with same appressed scales and erect setae as body, funicles with tarsi with semi-erect piliform setae, clubs densely setose with short appressed setae.
Rostrum (Figs 5, 6) short and wide, 1.17–1.19× as wide as long, widest shortly before base, then slightly evenly tapering apicad with straight sides, apically broadly rounded; in lateral view regularly vaulted. Epifrons wide and flat, widest at base, distinctly evenly tapering apicad with straight sides, at base 1.36–1.41× as wide as at apex. Frons densely squamosa. Epistome small, U-shaped, glabrous, posteriorly faintly carinated. Antennal scrobes dorsally visible in anterior part of rostrum as narrowly reniform; in lateral view narrow, furrow-shaped, short, slightly curved, directed towards eye, separated from it by wide squamosa stripe. Eyes small, in dorsal view slightly prominent from outline of head; in lateral view distant from dorsal margin of head equal to eye diameter. Vertex flat, wide.
Antennae somewhat slender; scapes straight, evenly slightly enlarging apicad, 4.67–4.73× as long as at apex wide, at apex 0.8× as wide as club. Funicle of 7 antennomeres. Antennomeres 1 and 2 subequal in length, conical; antennomere 1 1.5–1.6× as long as wide; antennomere 2 1.7–1.8× as long as wide; antennomere 3 1.1× as wide as long; antennomere 4 isodiametric; antennomeres 5 and 6 1.1× as wide as long; antennomere 7 1.2× as wide as long; clubs 1.7–1.8× as long as wide.
Pronotum (Figs 1, 2) slender, 1.42–1.47× as wide as long, widest at midlength with slightly regularly rounded sides, equally narrowing anteriad and posteriad with anterior margin indistinctly narrower than posterior one. Disc weakly regularly domed, in lateral view regularly convex. Integument under appressed scales roughly densely punctured, punctures identical to those in elytral rows, distance between them very narrow.
Scutellum not visible.
Elytra (Figs 1, 2) in male subglobular, 1.21× as long as wide, in female oval, 1.28× as long as wide, widest at midlength, with distinctly regularly rounded sides, apically broadly rounded; in lateral view distinctly vaulted. Base equally wide as base of pronotum. Striae distinctly roughly punctured, about twice as wide as narrow, equally flat interstriae.
All femora edentate. Tibiae robust, mucronate, not denticulate. Protibiae 4.27–4.31× as long as at midlength wide, with lateral margin straight and mesal margin bisinuate, apically obliquely subtruncated, fringed with short yellowish setae. Tarsi short; tarsomere 2 1.1–1.2× as wide as long; tarsomere 3 1.3–1.4× as wide as long and 1.3– 1.4× as wide as tarsomere 2; onychium 0.9–1.1× as long as tarsomere 3. Claws fused in basal part.
Abdominal ventrites 1.03–1.07× as long as wide, densely squamose with appressed rounded scales, with metasternal process obtuse, wider than transverse diameter of metacoxa. Ventrite 1 large, in middle twice as long as ventrite 2; ventrite 2 slightly longer than ventrite 3 or 4; ventrite 5 in male subtrapezoidal, apically obtuse, in female subtriangular, apically narrowly tapering.
Penis (Fig. 7) in dorsal view widest at apical third, from base slightly evenly enlarging to this point, then slightly tapering apicad, apically broadly rounded; in lateral view distinctly regularly curved, evenly tapering apicad, tip narrow, elongate, slightly curved outside; endophallus with one short, straight sclerite; temones long, about twice as long as body of penis. Tegmen lacking parameres, its apodeme short, only faintly longer than diameter of ring.
Spermatheca (Fig. 8) with slender and regularly curved cornu; ramus isodiametric; collum wider than long, equally long as ramus but conspicuously wider, regularly rounded. Female sternite VIII not examined.
Etymology. This species is named ‘uniformis’ in recognition of the uniformly flat elytral interstriae.
Biology. The two known specimens were sifted from forest floor litter in a middle elevation fairly large (ca. 1 km 2) patch of minimally disturbed old-growth tropical hardwood forest on level or gently rolling ground. This patch was surrounded by cultivated fields or scrubby cut-over forest, with rice paddies to the south.
Differential diagnosis. Laohajekia uniformis is very similar to the only other known species of the genus, L. trachyphloeiformis Borovec described from Champasak province, also in Laos. It is possible to separate the two species by the following characters:
Laohajekia uniformis: Antennal scrobes clearly visible in anterior part of rostrum; eyes in dorsal view slightly prominent from outline of head; erect elytral setae almost as long as width of interstria at posterior declivity; all elytral interstriae flat; rostrum 1.17–1.19× as wide as long; pronotum slender, 1.42–1.47× as wide as long; scapes slender, 4.7× as long as at apex wide.
Laohajekia trachyphloeiformis: Antennal scrobes hardly visible as short and narrow furrows in anterior part of rostrum; eyes small, in dorsal view inconspicuous; erect elytral setae about as long as half the width of interstria at posterior declivity; interstriae 2, 4 and 6 slightly elevated, all interstriae with low, scarce bumps; rostrum 1.40× as wide as long; pronotum wider, 1.51× as wide as long; scapes more robust, 3.6× as long as at apex wide.
Remarks. The monotypic genus Tokara Morimoto described and known from Japan following the description of Laohajekia Borovec is very similar to Laohajekia. Based on its original description (Morimoto 2015) it is difficult to find any distinguishing characters except the funicle of 6 antennomeres and flagellate penis in Tokara. While the number of funicle antennomeres clearly distinguishes Tokara rotundipennis Morimoto from both Laohajekia species from Laos, it is difficult to use this as a basis for distinguishing the genus. The number of funicle antennomeres often varies in Palaearctic Trachyphloeini. For example, the nominal genus Trachyphloeus Germar contains species with funicles having 5, 6 or 7 antennomeres. Also, the existence of a flagellum varies within species of a genus. For example, species of Porophorus Schoenherr (Tanyrhynchini Schoenherr) or Glyptosomus Schoenherr (Embrithini Marshall) either contain a long and conspicuous flagellum or the flagellum is completely absent. In all other characters, including male and female genitalia, which are well-illustrated in the description of Tokara, the characters of the two genera are very similar. It is apparent both genera are very close, but without the possibility of examining material of Tokara, it is not possible to synonymize (distinguish) the two genera.
description: Published as part of Borovec, Roman & Anderson, Robert, 2024, Two new Trachyphloeini (Coleoptera; Curculionidae; Entiminae) from Laos, pp. 145-150 in Zootaxa 5506 (1) on pages 146-148, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5506.1.11, http://zenodo.org/record/13746092