Khoisan albogibbosus Meregalli & Borovec, 2025

Meregalli, Massimo & Borovec, Roman, 2025, Khoisan, a new genus of Cyclominae from South Africa, with nine new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Zootaxa 5646 (1), pp. 1-37 : 14-17

Khoisan albogibbosus Meregalli & Borovec , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:464A2A59-BB48-428E-9B07-3233573BA34A

Figure 7

Type locality: South Africa, Northern Cape, nr. Danielskuil .

Material examined: Holotype: ♂, RSA, Northern Cape, 1431 m, Danielskuil env., pr. Postmasburg 28°15.544'S 23°34.784'E [-28.25906° 23.57973°], 4.xi.2023 R. Borovec leg., sifting under various plants in perennial vegetation ( TMSA) . Paratypes: 10 ex., same data as the holotype ( MMTI, RBSC) ; 10 ex., RSA Northern Cape, 1452 m S of Danielskuil, Lime Acres , 28°21.503'S 23°32.300'E [-28.35839° 23.5383°], 5.xi.2023 R . Borovec leg., sifting under various plants in perennial vegetation ( NHMUK, CMNC, RBSC); 1 ♂, South Africa, Northern Cape bor. or., Michael Košťál leg., Danielskuil env., pr. Postmasburg 1450 m, 28°15.7S' 23°34.8'E [-28.2617° 23.58°], 24.x.2023, sifted ( MKSS) ; 10 ex., S. Africa, C.P., Holpan 125, Kimberley, SE 2824 Cb [-28.74° 24.76°], 20 Oct. 1988, Entomology Dept., NMBH 35221 , BMSA (C) 156302-311 ( BMSA); 3 ex., same data as previous one, but 7 Feb. 1989, NMBH 35228 , BMSA (C) 156312-314 ( BMSA).

Description. Body length 2.32–2.75 mm, holotype 2.65 mm. Body red brownish to blackish, scapes, femora and tibiae in some specimens paler, brownish. Scales angular or C-shaped, as long as wide or slightly longer than wide, brown, appressed to integument, dense, partially imbricate on dorsum of elytra, brown, suberect, incised at apex, not imbricate on dorsum of pronotum, white, compact on top of tubercles, sharply contrasting with brown scales below, white scales erect, spatulate on posterior fringe of pronotum and basal fringe of elytra, round with thickened margins, disposed in one–two rows on lateral elytral interstriae and on declivity, spatulate or triangular, suberect on legs, long bifid, appressed to integument on head and subcircular on dorsum of rostrum and anterior part of scapes, lateral and supra-orbital strips very thick; setae brown, slender, erect, inserted on top of tubercles and sparse on tibiae.

Rostrum in males 2.7–2.8× as long as wide at base, in females 2.9–3.1× as long as wide at base; in lateral view in males 0.8× as long as pronotum, in females 0.9× as long as pronotum. Basal half of rostrum in dorsal view in both sexes evenly tapered apicad, apical part of rostrum with slightly concave sides, slightly broadened; rostrum at base 1.43–1.53× as wide as at apex. Antennae inserted at about 3/5 of rostrum length. Interocular space transversely deeply depressed, with ill-defined margins, in lateral view head distinctly concave.

Scapes 1.5–1.8× as long as funicle, at apex as wide as club; funicles with 3 segments, segment 1 conical, 2–2.6× as long as wide and 1.5–2× as long as segment 2, this 1.4–1.5× as long as wide; segment 3 1.1–1.2× as long as wide; clubs 2–2.2× as long as wide.

Pronotum 1.07–1.12× as long as wide, in anterior third distinctly constricted; dorsum with two conical tubercles before midlength and two lower tubercles near base, anterior margin with four small tubercles, sides with large tubercle at point of maximum width, before anterior constriction, followed by a lower and longer tubercle at midlength between anterior tubercle and base. Pronotum in lateral view with tubercles obtusely raised, deeply sinuate before swollen anterior margin. Base straight.

Elytra in males 1.09–1.13× as long as wide, in females 1.15–1.18× as long as wide. Interstriae 2 with a round tubercle slightly beyond middle and another on posterior declivity, interstriae 3 with three round tubercles, one at base, one at middle and one on declivity, interstriae 5 with small basal tubercle, another at anterior third and one beyond middle, interstriae 7 with three, laterally prominent, tubercles. Interstriae narrow, on side slightly convex; striae distinctly punctate, punctures wider than width of interstriae, curved around tubercles.

Legs robust, protibiae 3.5× as long as wide at apex, apex obliquely cut, slightly broadened laterally.

Penis in dorsal view 2.3–2.6× as long as wide, subparallel-sided, in apical portion evenly tapered apicad, with slightly concave sides, tip narrowly rounded; in lateral view narrow, regularly curved, evenly tapered apicad. Endophallus with two short parallel transverse sclerites.

Spermatheca with cornu almost straight; corpus elongated; ramus extremely short and wide, hardy visible; collum longer than wide, slightly tapered distad, directed upwards.

Bionomics. The type specimens from Danielskuil were sifted from roots of various small shrubs and dry grasses in the low, sparse, perennial vegetation, on a plain with sandy soil.

Derivation of the name. The characteristic white-scaled elytral tubercles, contrasting with the dark surface, suggested the specific epithet, which is derived from the Latin terms albus, white, and gibbosus, with tubercles. The name is an adjective.

Distribution. Central part of South Africa, in the eastern part of Northern Cape, up to the border with the Free State, where it may also be present ( Figure 8 ).

Remarks. Khoisan albogibbosus shares the character of 3-segmented funicles with K. triarthrus , which differs in having the elytra with narrow, inconspicuous punctures, the tubercles with orange or brown to black scales, the elytral scales erect, often pedunculate and the basal dorsal tubercles broad, elongate.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Khoisan albogibbosus. Body, dorsum (a), side (b); head with rostrum, dorsal view (g), lateral view (j); antenna (i); pronotum, dorsal view (h), lateral view (e); elytra, dorsolateral view (d), dorsal view (f); protibia (c); ventrites (1); penis, dorsal view (k), profile (m). Scale bar 1 mm; figures not to scale.

FIGURE 8. Distribution map. Symbols with a black dot indicate the locality of the holotype. Map generated from https://www. openstreetmap.org.