Purealus beckelorum
| Notice: | This page is derived from the original publication listed below, whose author(s) should always be credited. Further contributors may edit and improve the content of this page and, consequently, need to be credited as well (see page history). Any assessment of factual correctness requires a careful review of the original article as well as of subsequent contributions.
If you are uncertain whether your planned contribution is correct or not, we suggest that you use the associated discussion page instead of editing the page directly. This page should be cited as follows (rationale):
Citation formats to copy and paste
BibTeX: @article{Anderson2018ZooKeys, RIS/ Endnote: TY - JOUR Wikipedia/ Citizendium: <ref name="Anderson2018ZooKeys">{{Citation See also the citation download page at the journal. |
Ordo: Coleoptera
Familia: Curculionidae
Genus: Purealus
Name
Purealus beckelorum Anderson, 2018 sp. n. – Wikispecies link – ZooBank link – Pensoft Profile
Diagnosis
Rostrum dorsally medially longitudinally tumescent, not distinctly carinate; elytra with humerus rounded, bases of intervals 3, 5, 7, and 9 elevated and variously convex, especially base of interval 3 which is markedly tumescent and distinctly asperate.
Description
Size. Length, male, 7.8–9.4 mm; female, 8.5–9.0 mm. Width, male, 3.5–4.2 mm; female, 3.5–4.2 mm. Head. Eye very slightly prominent and very slightly convex in dorsal view. Frons and vertex with moderately dense, moderately large, deep punctures. Frons also with sparse, short suberect golden or white hair-like scales densest immediately above eyes. Area immediately behind posterior margin of eye with small shallow indistinct punctures. Area above eyes not elevated above rest of frons (eyes not browed in anterior view). Width of frons subequal to width at apex of rostrum. Rostrum robust (width at apex 0.76–0.82 times length). Median longitudinal tumescence present, broad, low, not carinate. Dorsal and lateral punctation moderately dense, moderately deep. Dorsally, excluding epistoma, with moderately dense, short to long, recumbent elongate white hair-like scales. In lateral view with apical portion flat to very slightly declivous from point of antennal insertion to apex. Epistoma with apical margin very slightly, very broadly emarginate at middle. Pronotum. In dorsal view with lateral margins subparallel to slightly convergent from base to apical one-quarter; constricted at oblique angle anterior to apical one-quarter; apical one-quarter and base subequal in width; without distinct lateral tubercles. Dorsal and lateral punctation large, moderately dense, deep; punctures less distinct, sparser and smaller on flanks. Scales white, elongate-narrow, appressed, lacking medially from disk and dorsally from flanks, dense laterally in sinuate line and at lateral margins. Median carina slightly developed in anterior one-half or lacking. Dorsally with dense very short fine suberect white hair-like scales each situated within large puncture. Anterolateral margin with postocular rounded lobe distinct. Elytra. Very robust in general form (width at midlength 0.65–0.69 times length. In dorsal view with lateral margins arcuate throughout length. Humerus rounded, indistinct. Dorsally with bases of intervals 3, 5, 7, and 9 elevated and variously convex, especially base of interval 3 which is markedly tumescent and distinctly asperate, otherwise remainder of all intervals flat. Scales white, various in density and size; elongate-narrow, hair-like, pattern various but with larger and denser scales condensed in variously arranged patches. Wings absent. Legs. Ventral pilose vestiture of foretarsus present as fine elongate lines on apical one-half of articles I and II, and as oval pads covering apical one-half of article III; of mesotarsus present as minute apical tufts on article I, as apical small fine line on article II, and as very small oval apical pads on article III; of metatarsus present as minute apical tufts on articles I and II, and as very small oval apical tuft on article III. Abdomen. Ventral surface with uniformly moderately dense, elongate-fine recumbent white hair-like scales. Genitalia. Female. Abdominal sternum VIII with lateral arms narrow, divergent basally, markedly inwardly arcuate at about midlength then strongly convergent to apex. Gonocoxite II with stylus moderately large, apical in position. Male. Abdominal sternum VIII with paired sclerite with inner apices lacking ventral projections. Aedeagus elongate-narrow, in lateral view thickest near base; in ventral view with lateral margins slightly convergent to near apex, then strongly convergent subapically to acuminate tip. Internal sac not everted.
Specimens examined
Holotype male, labelled Texas: Gaines County, McKenzie Lake, N.E. shore, 32.72536 -102.32003, 929m, 19.x.2016, R.S. Anderson, beach washup, 2016-205 (CMNC). Paratypes, Texas: Gaines County, Highway 380, McKenzie Draw (Lake), 920m, 32 41.5’N 102 18.4’W, 19.x.2004, D. Brzoska (1 male, 4 females, CMNC, CWOB). Pecos County, Coyanosa Draw, [31.2882 -103.1216], Rte. 285, 11.iii.1990, B. Kondratieff & F. Welch (1 male, CMNC). New Mexico: Lea County, County Road 164 (Ranger Lake Road), 1.3 mi. E. Highway 206, 4007’, 33.358278 -103.295226, 25.xi.2016, D. & G. Pollock (1 female, CMNC). Quay County, Highway 278, ca. 13.8 mi. S.W. San Jon, Apache Canyon, 4600’, 34.934684 -103.460314, 27.iii.2016, D. & G. Pollock (1 female, ENMU); same except 11.xii.2016 (1 female, CMNC).
Derivation of species name
The species is named after the Beckel family of Vancouver, Canada. William Edwin and Dorothy (née Brown) Beckel, parents of Canadian Museum of Nature President, Margaret Beckel, graciously funded the field work in October of 2016 in an attempt to collect additional specimens of the species and to discover aspects of its biology and host plants. William Beckel was president of Carleton University (Ottawa, Ontario) for the years 1979–1989 and before that President of the University of Lethbridge (Lethbridge, Alberta). Previously William Beckel was the Head of the Entomology Lab and Dorothy Beckel was the Head of the Botany Lab at the Northern Defense Research Laboratory at Fort Churchill, Manitoba in the early 1950s.
Natural history
Specimens were collected in the months of October, November, December, and March. It is possible that the species is winter active and as such has not been discovered previously. One specimen was collected dead in beach wash-up and three other specimens were collected walking on the ground. There are no plant associations known.
Comments
This species bears a superficial resemblance to Scaphomorphuscanescens (LeConte), a species found in the same general area. The large, asperate swellings at the base of elytral interval 3 and widely separated procoxae are distinctive and apparently not known in other world Cleonini. Despite examination of thousands of specimens from almost all major museums, no specimens of this species were seen by Anderson (1988)[1].
This addition prior to couplet 1 in the key to North American Lixinae (Anderson 2002[2]) or North American Cleonini (Anderson 1988[1]) will accommodate Purealus (references are to figures in this paper):
Original Description
- Anderson, R; 2018: Purealusbeckelorum, a new genus and species of cleonine weevil from western Texas and eastern New Mexico (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Lixinae, Cleonini) ZooKeys, (785): 1-10. doi
Images
|
Other References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Anderson R (1988) Systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of New World weevils of the tribe Cleonini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae).Quaestiones Entomologicae23: 431–709.
- ↑ Anderson R (2002) Chapter 131. Curculionidae. In: Arnett J Thomas M Skelley P (Eds) American Beetles Volume 2.CRC Press, Gainesville, 722–815.
