A new species of Dicordylus Lacordaire, 1863 from Brazil (Coleoptera, Belidae, Pachyurinae, Agnesiotidini), with a new record of D. serranus Vanin 1976 for Brazil

A new species of Dicordylus Lacordaire, 1863 from Brazil (Coleoptera, Belidae, Pachyurinae, Agnesiotidini), with a new record of D. serranus Vanin 1976 for Brazil

José Ricardo M. Mermudes

Departamento de Zoologia, IB, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, CEP 20550900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. e-mail: [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

A new species of Dicordylus (Coleoptera, Belidae, Pachyurinae, Agnesiotidini) is described from Brazil. Dicordylus vanini sp. nov. differs from the other three known species mainly by the presence of a dorsal, decumbent, reddish-orange pubescence, and by the absence of a rounded spot near the center of each elytron. An updated identification key as well as an illustration of new species are provided.

Keywords: Agnesiotidini, Belidae, Dicordylus, Neotropical, new species, taxonomy.

RESUMO

Nova espécie de Dicordylus Lacordaire, 1863 (Coleoptera, Belidae, Pachyurinae, Agnesiotidini). Dicordylus vanini sp. nov. do Brasil é descrita e ilustrada. A espécie nova difere das outras três conhecidas de Dicordylus principalmente devido à pubescência dorsal decumbente laranja-avermelhada, e pela ausência de uma mácula arredondada próximo ao meio do disco elitral. Uma atualização para a chave de identificação das espécies é fornecida.

Palavras-chave: Agnesiotidini, Belidae, Dicordylus, Neotropical, nova espécie, taxonomia.

INTRODUCTION

The genus Dicordylus is presently allocated in the tribe Agnesiotidini Zimmerman, 1994. The tribe is characterized by the presence of a longitudinal sulcus, on both sides of the front, near the inner margin of the eye. These sulci could be obliterated by vestiture (Zimmerman, 1994). The other six genera of the tribe Agnesiotidini have distributions restricted to Australia and New Zealand (Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal, 1999). Marvaldi (2005) corroborated the monophyly of the Agnesiotidini and Belidae, based on larval morphological characters.

The genus Dicordylus Lacordaire, 1863 comprises three species: two restricted to Chile and one registered to Brazil (Vanin, 1976). Dicordylus serranus Vanin, 1976 occurs in Brazil, from the central part of Minas Gerais to the eastern part of the State of Santa Catarina, and this range is probably related with Araucaria distribution (Vanin, op. cit.).

Recently, I analyzed two additional specimens material deposited in the Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ). The first specimen was identified as a female of Dicordylus serranus Vanin, 1976 from Passa Quatro, State of Minas Gerais (XII.[19]14, Jaeger leg.). This new specimen fills an important geographical gap between the southernmost record from Santa Catarina and the northern one in Minas Gerais. The second specimen represents a new species for the genus and is herein described. This specimen was collected by A. M. Parko from an unspecified locality in Brazil. Males of both Brazilian species remain unknown. I furnish below a key to the species of Dicordylus, modified from Vanin (1976:11) to include the new species.

1. Pronotum with three distinct longitudinal bands of light-colored pubescence. Elytra without tufts of dark, erect setae (Fig. 4 in Vanin, 1976) (Chile) ................................................................... D. marmoratus (Philippi, 1859)
Pronotum without distinct bands of pubescence. Elytra with sparse tufts of dark and erect setae ...................................................................................... 2 2. Elytra, near the middle of disk, with rounded spot of decumbent pubescence yellowish-white ..................................................................................... 3
Elytra without spot (Fig. 1) (Brazil) ....................................... D. vanini sp. nov. 3. Integument black. Decumbent setae of elytral spot oriented backwards (Figs. 1 and 2 in Vanin, 1976) (Chile) ...................................... D. binotatus (Philippi, 1859)
Integument reddish-brown. Setae of elytral spot inclined 45° in relation to longitudinal axis of body (Fig. 2) (Brazil: Minas Gerais and Santa Catarina) .............................................................................. D. serranus Vanin, 1976

Dicordylus vanini sp. nov.

(Fig. 1)

Diagnosis: Dicordylus vanini sp. nov. is distinguished from the other species of the genus by: 1) dorsal vestiture with dense, decumbent, shining, reddish-orange pubescence; 2) elytra, near suture of basal 1/4 with long, decumbent, ferruginous setae, conspicuously denser at the middle of disk; 3) lacking rounded spot on elytra.

Description: Female (10.5 mm). Integument reddish-brown, darker in three last antennal segments. Dorsal vestiture with dense, decumbent, shining, reddish-orange pubescence. Elytra, near suture of basal 1/4 with long, decumbent, ferruginous setae, conspicuously denser at the middle of disk; setae inclined 45° in relation to longitudinal axis of body. Ventral surface of body and legs with sparse, yellowish-white pubescence, denser at sides of the body.

Basal half of rostrum weakly punctuate-corrugate. Front slight convex. Pronotum without longitudinal depression; near the base, slightly impressed at sides of disk. Antennae exceeding the posterior margin of prothorax by apical half of segment IX; scape twice as long as segment II; III and IV subequals in length, three times as long as II; V at least 1/3 shorter than IV; VIIX subequals, weakly shorter than V; X slightly shorter than XI.

Elytra narrow, about 2.5x as long as wide; flattened in the middle of the disk; basal gibbosities weakly prominent. Dorsum with tufts of black, erect setae: one tuft antemedian; two before apical fourth, one outer with discrete setae; and apical declivity with two discrete tufts. Elytral apex feebly oblique, lacking abrupt declivity.

Holotype: a female from Brazil, without any additional information, collected by A.M. Parko, and deposited in the Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (MNRJ).

Measurements of the holotype: total length, 10.5 mm (from vertex to elytral apex); rostrum length, 2.5 mm; prothorax length, 2.5 mm; prothorax width, 2.0 mm; elytral length, 7.0 mm; humeral width, 3.0 mm.

Etymology: This species is named for Dr. Sergio Antonio Vanin (Museu de Zoologia, Universidade de São Paulo), in recognition of his many contributions to weevils taxonomy and for his enthusiastic encouragement of others to contribute to the study of Coleoptera.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am thankful to Miguel A. Monne (MNRJ) and Eugenio H. Nearns (University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida) for their review of the English. This study was supported by the CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, proc. nº 155671/2006-5).

Recebido em: 18.07.2006

Aceito em: 13.09.2006

• Alonso-Zarazaga, M.A. & Lyal, C.H.C. 1999. A World Catalogue of Families and Genera of Curculionoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) (Excepting Scolytidae and Platypodidae). Entomopraxis, Barcelona.
• Lacordaire, J.T. 1863. Histoire Naturelle des Insectes: genera des Coléoptères. Librairie Encyclopédique de Roset, Paris, Tome 6.
• Marvaldi, A.E. 2005. Larval morphology and biology of Oxycorynine weevils, and the higher phylogeny of Belidae (Coleoptera, Curculionoidea). Zoologica Scripta, 34:37-48.
• Vanin, S.A. 1976. Taxonomic revision of the South American Belidae (Coleoptera). Arquivos de Zoologia, 28(1):1-75.
• Zimmerman, E.C. 1994. Australian Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea). Vol. I. Orthoceri. Anthribidae to Attelabidae. The Primitive Weevils. CSIRO, East Melbourne.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  10 Oct 2006
• Date of issue
  2006

History

• Received
  18 July 2006
• Accepted
  13 Sept 2006