Tapinomorphus verunkae Borovec & Nakladal 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Borovec, Roman
name: Nakládal, Oto
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Tapinomorphus
Tapinomorphus verunkae

description: Tapinomorphus verunkae Borovec & Nakládal, sp. nov.
http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 8D372B78-4E99-4AB0-843A-54AAFF178BE5
(Figs 4, 19–21)
Type locality. Zimbabwe, Mt. Selinda, forêt de Chirinda.
Type material. Holotype: ♀, ‘I. R.S.A. C.-MUS. R.A. C., S. Rhodesia [Zimbabwe]: Mt. Selinda, forêt de Chirinda, 1300 m. VII.1960, N. Leleup [lgt.], Récolté dans l´humus’ (RMCA). Paratypes: 3 ♀♀, the same data as holotype (RMCA).
Description. Body length 2.25–2.44 mm, holotype 2.44 mm. Because the species is extremely similar to the previous one, T. latipennis sp. nov., the following descriptive part states only measurement and characters different from the description of T. latipennis sp. nov.
Elytra with irregularly sparsely scattered drop-shaped appressed scales, 4 scales across width of one interval. Each interval with one regular row of erect setae, setae weakly enlarged apicad, before the tip about as wide as one appressed scale, slightly longer than half the width of one interval, distance between setae separated by about twice their length (Fig. 4).
Rostrum (Figs 19, 20) 1.38–1.46 × as wide as long, at base 1.14–1.23 × as wide as at apex. Funicle 7-segmented, segment 1 2.1–2.3 × as long as wide and 1.7–1.9 × as long as segment 2, which is 1.7–1.8 × as long as wide; segments 3–5 isodiametric; segment 6 1.2–1.3 × as wide as long; segment 7 1.3–1.4 × as wide as long; club 1.8–1.9 × as long as wide. Pronotum very wide and short, 1.67–1.88 × as wide as long, 0.53–0.59 × as wide as elytra. Elytra rounded, flat, 1.02–1.05 × as long as wide. Intervals slender, about as narrow as half diameter of puncture. Tarsi with segment 2 1.3–1.4 × as wide as long; segment 3 1.3–1.4 × as wide as long and 1.4–1.6 × as wide as segment 2; onychium 1.3–1.4 × as long as segment 3. Spermatheca as in Fig. 21.
Etymology. In 2017, a small, beautiful daughter named Veronika Nakládalová was born to the junior author. In the Czech language, “Verunka”, is often used as a diminutive of the first name of “Veronika”. The species was named in her honor and the specific name verunkae is derived from this diminutive.
Biology. Type material was collected by sifting of forest litter.
Differential diagnosis. Tapinomorphus verunkae Borovec & Nakládal, sp. nov. is by general habitus, mainly by rounded and flat elytra, short and wide pronotum, rostrum with very wide, densely squamose epifrons and sternite VIII in females not pointed apically without longitudinal sclerites similar only to T. latipennis Borovec & Nakládal, sp. nov. From this species it can be distinguished mainly by elytra with erect setae, slightly longer than half of width of one interval, in lateral view 3–4 × as long as setae on pronotum (vs. semiappressed setae, about as long as a quarter of width of one interval, in lateral view equally long as setae on pronotum in T. latipennis Borovec & Nakládal, sp. nov.), rostrum shorter, 1.38–1.46 × as wide as long (vs. rostrum longer, 1.28–1.33 × as wide as long in T. latipennis Borovec & Nakládal, sp. nov.), and smaller punctures in elytral striae with intervals about as narrow as half diameter of puncture (vs. striae with bigger punctures with intervals very slender, narrower than half diameter of puncture in T. latipennis Borovec & Nakládal, sp. nov.).
description: Published as part of Borovec, Roman & Nakládal, Oto, 2020, Four new Tapinomorphus Hartmann species from Angola, Zambia and Zimbabwe (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae: Sciaphilini), pp. 128-136 in Zootaxa 4838 (1) on page 135, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4838.1.7, http://zenodo.org/record/4403723