Scolytus rabaglii Smith and Cognato, new species
Creators: name: Smith, Sarah M.
name: Cognato, Anthony I.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Scolytus
Scolytus rabaglii

description: Scolytus rabaglii Smith and Cognato, new species   
(Figs. 12–23)  
 Type Material. Holotype,female, VENEZUELA: Táchira: 42km SE San Cristobal, 700m, 19.V.1974, H. & A. Howden (DEBC). Paratypes 18: VENEZUELA: Intercepted at Detroit, MI, 30. VI.1983, W. Waisanen, Detroit MI 003178, ex. in dunnage (MSUC-2, RJRC-2, USNM-14).   
 Diagnosis. Scolytus rabaglii has distinctive morphology: both sexes are easily distinguished from other Neotropical Scolytus by the combination of lateral teeth on the apical margins of sternites 2–4 (Figs. 16–17, 22–23), the absence of a callus or bulla on sternite 5 (Figs. 16–17, 22–23), the convex and reticulate frons that is impressed just above the epistoma (Figs. 14–15, 20–21), the apical margin of sternite 2 armed with a long, latitudinally flattened and wide spine with the base extending from the basal margin to at least ¾ the length of the segment, anterior height equal to longitudinal basal width (Figs. 12, 16–18, 22–23), by the minutely and obscurely punctured sternites 3–5 and by the dull and shagreened appearance of sternites 3–5 (Figs. 16–18, 22–23).   
 Description (Male). (Figs. 12–17). 3.0– 3.2 mm long (mean = 3.12 mm; n = 4); 2.13–2.46 times as long as wide. Head, pronotum, elytra, and abdominal venter dark red-brown; legs and antennae yellowbrown. Pronotum typically darker than elytra.   
Epistoma entire; epistomal process absent; median area above mandibles bearing dense patch of long, yellow, hair-like setae. Frons appearing convex when viewed laterally; apical third of frons transversely impressed above epistoma; surface moderately and coarsely longitudinally rugose-reticulate and punctate to just dorsally of inner apices of eyes; reticulations converging at epistoma; punctures small, coarse; surface slightly and uniformly covered by long, fine, yellow, erect, hair-like setae, setae longer than half width of eye. Antennal scape short, elongate, less than length of first 4 funicular segments; club flattened, oblong, about twice as long as wide, densely setose; sutures not evident.  
Pronotum about as long as wide; apical margin broadly rounded, area between eyes lined with scales; sides distinctly arcuate, strongly constricted near apex; basal half of pronotal surface smooth, shining, punctures on disc fine; apical half weakly strigose, punctures shallow and moderately abundant, larger, coarser and more abundant laterally and on apical constriction; apical and anterolateral margins bearing sparse, erect, yellow, hair-like setae; base weakly bisinuate.  
Elytral bases weakly elevated from interstriae 1–6. Elytral sides sub-parallel on apical half, narrowing to quadrate and smooth apex; apical margin of elytral apices smooth, shining; apex entire. Disc smooth, shining; interstrial punctures weakly impressed, interstriae more than twice width of striae, interstrial punctures uniseriate, equal in size to those of striae; strial punctures weakly impressed, punctures bearing sparse, long, semi-erect, pale yellow, hair-like setae from base to apex. Metepimeron less than half length of metepisternum.  
Apical margin of sternite 1 weakly elevated above base of sternite 2. Sternite 2 nearly perpendicular to sternite 1; surface smooth, shagreened, finely punctate with small, coarse punctures; face flattened; apical margin armed with long, latitudinally flattened and wide spine with base extending from basal margin to at least 3/4 length of segment, anterior height equal to longitudinal basal width, spine variable in shape but always long, flattened and apically hooked towards elytra; each lateral margin of sternites 2–4 armed with lateral tooth, lateral teeth progressively smaller from sternite 2 to 4. Sternite 5 with carinate ridge along apical margin of segment. Venter covered in moderately abundant, long erect, pale yellow setae.  
 Female. (Figs. 18–23). 2.0–3.0 mm long (mean = 2.9 mm; n = 15); 2.1–2.5 times as long as wide. Similar to male except setae more abundant on frons, spine on segment 2 smaller, shorter, narrower and less strongly flattened with its base extending from apical margin to 1/2 length of segment, spine uniformly falx-shaped.   
 Distribution. Venezuela (Táchira).   
 Biology. Unknown. This species was intercepted in transit to Detroit, Michigan, USA on 30 June 1983.   
 Etymology. The name rabaglii honors Robert Rabaglia’ s (USDA Forest Service) contribution to the knowledge of adventive bark beetles.   
 Notes. There is a large amount of variation observed in the shape of the median spine on male sternite 2. Of the four individuals examined, one has a median longitudinal carina instead of a spine, and the size of the spine is variable but is larger than those of the female.
description: Published as part of Smith, Sarah M. & Cognato, Anthony I., 2013, A New Species of Scolytus Geoffroy, 1762 and Taxonomic Changes Regarding Neotropical Scolytini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), pp. 547-556 in The Coleopterists Bulletin 67 (4) on pages 553-555, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065x-67.4.547, http://zenodo.org/record/10104065