Smicronyx namibicus Haran 2018, sp. n.
Creators: name: Haran, Julien
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Smicronyx
Smicronyx namibicus

description: Smicronyx namibicus Haran sp. n.
Figs 2A, 4E, 5M
Material examined. Holotype ♂: [Namibia] ‘ Namib’ ‘Museum Paris. Collection Léon Fairmaire. 1906’ ‘ Raffray’ ‘ Smicronyx namibicus Haran’, (MNHN).
Description. (♂) Body length 2.4 mm. Colour. Body integument black, antennae, femora and tibiae dark reddish; vestiture of elytra consisting of recumbent, rounded or slightly longer than wide scales, aligned in two or three lines on each interstria, forming a sharp dark-brown square in basal half and between interstria 5 on each elytron, rest of elytral scales greyish to brown, paler near dark-brown square; each interstria with a series of semierect elongate scales, similar in colour to scales of background; vestiture of prothorax consisting of brown recumbent and elongate scales oriented toward the median line, forming 5 longitudinal strips, 1 along the median line and 2 on each side. Head. Rostrum slightly longer than head capsule plus prothorax, downcurved, curvature stronger at base and near antennal insertion, densely covered by scales and punctate between base and antennal insertion, punctures and vestiture less dense beyond antennal insertion, transverse furrow at base of rostrum shiny, glabrous in middle, head capsule with a slight cover of scales dorsally; eyes flat, sub-contiguous ventrally, space between eyes equal to the diameter of one ommatidium; antennae dark-reddish, scape slightly bisinuate at base, moderately clavate at apex, segment 1 elongate, longer than 2+3, 4 quadrate, 5–7 wider than long; club paler than funicle. Prothorax. Slightly wider than long (w/l ratio: 1.06), widest before middle, sides greatly rounded in basal 2/3, narrowed at apex; integument shiny, punctuate and coarsely granulate, mostly concealed by scales. Elytra. Sides distinctly rounded, widest before middle (w/l ratio: 0.79); humeri raised; striae much narrower that interstriae, visible through scales, interstriae flat, wide, shiny and reticulate, apex of interstria 5 with moderate depression; scutellum small but visible, glabrous. Abdomen. Underside mostly covered with slightly overlapping greyish scales. Legs. Dark reddish, covered with whitish semi-erect elongate scales; femora clavate, armed ventrally with small but visible tooth; tibiae straight, slightly bisinuate ventrally in basal third. Genitalia. Penis elongate (w/l ratio: 0.47), sides sub-parallel, slightly converging toward apex, apex truncate, curvature regular in lateral view, tapering toward apex (Fig. 5M). Females not known.
Life history. Unknown. The single known adult was collected in November.
Distribution. Namibia
Discussion. Smicronyx namibicus has a greatly contrasting scale pattern on the elytra, which makes it distinct from other species. Among the Afrotropical Smicronychini, some specimens of Afrosmicronyx dorsomaculatus Cox show a similar black pattern, but specimens of the latter species are much longer (3.6–3.8 mm) and have the protibiae armed with an acute ventral tooth.
Name derivation. Named in reference to the country where this species was found.
description: Published as part of Haran, Julien, 2018, A review of the genus Smicronyx Schoenherr (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Curculioninae) in tropical Africa, pp. 267-287 in Zootaxa 4508 (2) on page 282, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4508.2.9, http://zenodo.org/record/2607088