Canuschiza insularis Lacroix 1999
Creators: name: Sehnal, Richard
name: Král, David
name: Bezděk, Aleš
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Melolonthidae
Canuschiza
Canuschiza insularis

description: Canuschiza insularis Lacroix, 1999   
(Figs 7A–I, 11B)  
 Canuschiza insularis Lacroix, 1999: 89, Figs 1, 3–11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27 (original description); LACROIX (2002): 401, Figs 1 –12, 18–21 (review); BEZDĚK (2006): 199 (catalogue); LACROIX (2010): 207 (catalogue).   
 Type locality. ʻSocotra, plaine d’Hadibuʼ [= Hadibo plain].   
 Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: J, labelled: ‘ Socotra 10.XI.1993 / Plaine d’Hadibu / Piège lumineux / J.-G. CANU legit [p] // HOLOTYPE [p, red label] // Canuschiza / insularis n.sp. / M. LACROIX det. 19 [p] 99 [h]’ (MNHN, Fig. 7E).   
 Additional material examined (84 specimens). YEMEN: SOCOTRA ISLAND: Hamadero, 20. –21.xi.2000, V.Bejček & K. Šťastný leg., 1 J 1 ♀ (NMPC); wadi Esgego, 300 m a.s.l., 12°28′18″N 54°00′34″E, 13.v.2004, A. Reiter leg., 4 JJ 5♀♀ (NMPC); sand dunes near Irisseyl, 18.i.2010, A. Saldaitis leg., 2 JJ in ISNB; Zemhon area, 270–300 m a.s.l., 12°20.58′N 54°06.39′E, 16.–17.vi.2010, V. Hula leg., 10 JJ 6 ♀♀ (NMPC), 2 JJ 2 ♀♀ (IECA), 2 JJ 2 ♀♀ (RSCV); Firmihin plato, 400–500 m a.s.l., 12°28′46″N 54°00′89″E, 18.–19.vi.2010, V. Hula & J. Niedobová leg., 2 ♀♀ (IECA); wadi Ayhaft, 200 m a.s.l., 12°36.5′N 53°58.9′E, 7.–8.xi.2010, J. Bezděk leg., 2 JJ 2 ♀♀ (IECA); same data but J. Hájek leg., 1 ♀ (NMPC); same data but L. Purchart leg., 1 ♀ (IECA); same data but P. Hlaváč leg., 1 ♀ (NMPC); same data but J. Batelka leg., 4 JJ 1 ♀ (JBCP); Shuab, mangroves – coast line, 23.xi.2010, M. Butkevičius leg., 4 JJ 4 ♀♀ (ISNB), 1 J 1 ♀ (RSCV); Kaza Kazihon vill. env., 900 m a.s.l., 12°31′13″N 53°55′36″E, 5.vi.2012, V. Hula & J. Niedobová leg., 1 J 4 ♀♀ (NMPC); Aloove vill. env., 221 m a.s.l., 12°31.2′N 54°07.4′E, J. Bezděk, J. Hájek, V. Hula, P. Kment, I. Malenovský & L. Purchart leg., 4 JJ 5 ♀♀ (IECA), 2 JJ 2 ♀♀ (RSCV), 1 J [specimen stored in pure alcohol] (ZFMK).   
 Redescription (J holotype). Body elongate, almost parallel, weakly convex. Dorsal and ventral surface moderately shiny, elytra somewhat alutaceous, chestnut brown, macrosetation pale (Fig. 7A). Dorsal surface of head, pronotum, scutellar shield and elytra covered with white short recumbent scale-like macrosetae, ventral surface of thorax and abdomen with white recumbent scale-like macrosetae. Head appendages and legs covered with yellowish moderately long macrosetae, mixed with a few white recumbent scale-like macrosetae on metafemora.   
Head. Labrum transverse, deeply bilobed, lobes rounded, irregularly and coarsely punctate, covered with long erect macrosetae. Clypeus transverse, anterior margin weakly upturned and shallowly sinuate, anterior angles rounded. Fronto-clypeal suture present, forming continuous shallowly bisinuate line. Clypeus and frons densely (to confluent), irregularly, coarsely punctate, each puncture with short, minute erect macroseta. Occiput sparsely regularly, moderately punctate. Eye-canthus narrow, short, bare. Eyes medium sized (width of both eyes combined approximately same as maximum width of frons between eyes), distinctly extending beyond eye-canthus. Antenna with ten antennomeres; club with three antennomeres, almost straight (Fig. 7D), distinctly shorter than antennal shaft (antennomeres I–VII combined). Antennomeres I–VII with sparse long macrosetae, club sparsely, shortly macrosetaceous. Terminal maxillary palpomere elongate, apically rounded, approximately as long as palpomeres II and III combined.  
Pronotum transverse, moderately convex, widest approximately at midlength. Basal and lateral borders complete, anterior border missing. Lateral outline regularly rounded, margins not crenate, bare. Anterior margin regularly, broadly sinuate. Anterior angles moderately produced, obtuse-angular; posterior angles weakly produced posteriad, approximately rectangular (Fig. 7C). Punctation consisting of coarse, umbilicate, almost regularly spaced punctures becoming somewhat denser laterad; each puncture bearing short, narrow, white scale-like, almost recumbent macroseta.  
Scutellar shield large, almost equilaterally triangular, sides and apex rounded; disc punctate, each puncture bearing short, narrow, white scale-like, almost recumbent macroseta.  
Elytra weakly convex, parallel-sided, rounded apically, apical angle approximately rectangular. Striae missing, excepting feebly visible sutural stria. Humeral umbones present, vaguely swollen. Surface finely microsculptured (shagreened), alutaceous; punctation coarse, almost regularly spaced, punctures separated by 1–2 their diameter. Each puncture bearing short, narrow, white scale-like, almost recumbent macroseta. Epipleuron distinct, complete, narrow, bare laterally. Macropterous.  
Legs. Femora narrow, shiny, irregularly punctate, macrosetaceous. Protibia narrow, distinctly tridentate, terminal calcar inserted against medial dent. Meso- and metatibia slightly expanded apicad, with two macrosetiferous longitudinal carinae. Upper terminal calcar of metatibia flattened, slightly curved, acute apically, almost two times as long as lower, apically trunctate chisel-shaped metatibial calcar. Claws bifid, with ventrobasal teeth (Fig. 7B).  
Ventral surface covered with mixture of short, recumbent, white scale-like macrosetae and long, semierect yellowish macrosetae. Pygidium slightly transverse, convex, all around bordered, apically broadly rounded, irregularly covered with coarse macrosetiferous punctures.  
Male genitalia. Parameres symmetrical, shorter than phallobasis, regularly curved in lateral aspect, rounded apically in dorsal aspect; apex with tuft of long yellowish macrosetae (Fig. 11B).  
 Sexual dimorphism. Female differs from male in the following characters: body slightly broadened posteriad (Fig. 7B); antennal club straight, distinctly shorter (Figs 7F,I); eyes medium sized (width of both eyes combined approximately the same as maximum width of frons between eyes) (Figs 7F,I); metatibia more strongly expanded apically; tarsomeres of all legs shorter (Fig. 7F).   
 Variability. Material of different populations studied (Aloove (= Zemhon), Ayhaft, Esgego, Firmihin, Hadibo (type locality), Hamadero and Kaza Kazihon – see BEZDĚK et al. 2012, for details) slightly varies in body length, colour and punctation of dorsal surface, length and distribution of scale-like macrosetation of pronotum and elytra. Only material originating from Irisseyl (most eastern area of Socotra – see BEZDĚK et al. 2012, for details) and Shuab (most western coast of Socotra – see BEZDĚK et al. 2012, for details) possesses quite different punctation (coarser, sparser and irregularly spaced) than exhibited in all other populations studied, while all other diagnostic characters used approximately fit to C. insularis.   
 Measurements. Total body length: JJ 9.4–14.9 mm (holotype 12.5 mm); ♀♀ 12.2–14.7 mm.   
 Differential diagnosis. Canuschiza insularis can be differentiated from all other species of the Canuschiza insularis species group mainly by combination of the following diagnostic characters in males: antennae with ten antennomeres (Fig. 7D); antennal club almost straight, shorter than antennal shaft (antennomeres I–VII combined) (Figs 7A,D); anterior margin of clypeus weakly upturned, shallowly sinuate medially (Figs 7A,D); eyes medium sized (width of both eyes combined approximately the same as maximum width of frons between eyes) (Figs 7A,D); lateral margins of pronotum bare; posterior angles of pronotum rectangular, moderately produced posteriad (Figs 7A,C); elytra densely irregularly punctate, each puncture bearing scale-like macroseta, longer than puncture diameter; scale-like macrosetae of pronotum and elytra short, narrow (Fig. 7C); macropterous. For tentative differentiation of females refer to the identification key below.   
 Collecting circumstances. As far as it is known, majority of specimens were captured attracted to light, some specimens from Firmihin were found after the dark feeding on Jatropha unicostata leaves (J. Hájek, pers. comm. 2014).   
 Geographical distribution. Species widely distributed in Socotra Island (Aloove, Ayhaft, Hadibo, Hamadero, Irisseyl, Kaza Kazihon, Shuab).
description: Published as part of Sehnal, Richard, Král, David & Bezděk, Aleš, 2014, Canuschiza of Socotra Island (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) Part 1. Canuschiza insularis species group, pp. 139-171 in Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 54 on pages 157-161, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5312012