Bulirschius tesinskyi Borovec, 2025

Borovec, Roman, 2025, Two new and one enigmatic genus of Oosomini from South Africa with description of seven new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Zootaxa 5642 (2), pp. 101-126 : 115-118

Bulirschius tesinskyi Borovec , sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9D7D99BE-F170-4806-B226-2A87846DF280

Figs (7, 23, 24, 25, 28, 33, 34, 39, 42, 43)

Type locality. South Africa, Western Cape, Marloth NR, Duiwelsbos.

Type material. Holotype: ♂, RSA [ South Africa], Western Cape, Marloth NR , Duiwelsbos , indig. forest, 33°59.6′ S 20°27.6′ E, 22.x.2013, P. Bulirsch lgt. ( TMSA) . Paratypes: 119 specs., same data as holotype ( BMNH, CMNC, JGLU, NMPC, RBSC, SANC) ; 26 specs., ditto, but J. Janák lgt. ( JJRC) ; 2 specs., ditto, but 25.x.2019, P. Bulirsch lgt. ( RBSC) ; 10 specs., ditto but 28.xi.2022, J. Janák lgt. ( JJRC) ; 45 specs., RSA [ South Africa], Western Cape, Marloth NR, Koloniesbos , indig. forest, 33°59.5′ S 20°27.1′ E, 22.x.2013, P. Bulirsch lgt. ( RBSC) ; 83 specs., ditto but J. Janák lgt. ( JJRC) ; 130 specs., South Africa, Western Cape, Marloth NR , Wamakersbos , ca 33°59.5′ S 20°28.6′ E, 23.i.2020, P. Bulirsch lgt. ( RBSC) ; 1 spec., South Africa, Western Cape, Marloth NR, Koringlandsrivier banks, 33°59.9′ S 20°27.2-4′ E, 20-27.x.2019, P. Bulirsch lgt. ( RBSC) ; 99 specs., South Africa, Western Cape, Swellendam, Marloth Nat. Res. , 34°00′75″ S 20°27′34″ E, 6.xi.2005, G. Osella lgt. ( MSNV); 112 specs., South Africa, Western Cape, Swellendam, Marloth Nat. Res., 34°00′75″ S 20°27′34″ E, 500 m, 15.xi.2005, G. Osella lgt. ( MSNV) ; 136 specs., South Africa, Western Cape, Swellendam, Marloth Reserve , 19.xi.2007, G. Osella lgt. ( MSNV) ; 11 specs., ZA [ South Africa], W [Western] Cape, Swellendam, Marloth N. R., 33°58′58″ S 20°26′18″ E, 400 m, 19.xi.2007, E. Colonnelli lgt. ( ECRI) ; 2 specs., ZA [ South Africa], W [Western] Cape, Swellendam, Marloth n. r., waterfall, 33°58′58″ S 20°26′18″ E, 450 m, 6.xi.2005, sifting, E. Colonnelli lgt. ( ECRI) ; 4 specs., ZA [ South Africa], W [Western] Cape, Swellendam, Marloth n. r., waterfall, 33°58′58″ S 20°26′18″ E, 450 m, 14.xi.2005, sifting, E. Colonnelli lgt. ( ECRI) ; 1 spec., RSA [ South Africa], W. [Western] Cape Pr., Swellendam, Marloth Nature Reserve , Doktorsbos , 300 m, afro-montane forest, ex. f.i.t., 17-31.xii.1997, S.&J. Peck lgt., S&JP 1997-83 ( CMNC) ; 2 specs., ditto, but Koloniesbos instead of Doktorsbos and S&JP 1997-81 ( CMNC) ; 4 specs., South Africa, Western Cape, Hottentots Holland NR borders, Mt. Rochelle – Perdekloof, nr. Franschhoek pass, 33°54.2′ S, 19°9.8′ E, 26.x.2013, J. Janák lgt. ( JJRC) ; 3 specs., ditto but P. Bulirsch lgt. ( RBSC) ; 2 specs., South Africa, Western Cape, Grootvaderbosch NR, creek banks, 33°58.95′ S 20°49.75′ E, 24.i.2020, P. Bulirsch lgt. ( RBSC) .

Diagnosis. Rostrum widest in apical portion, with concave sides; antennal scapes with tip subequal in width with clubs; elytra widest at basal quarter, with laterally prominent posthumeral callus.

Description. Body length 2.18–3.09 mm, holotype 2.25 mm. Body ( Fig. 7 ) dark brownish, basal part of scapes, entire funicles with clubs and tarsi paler, reddish brown, tibial setae yellowish. Appressed scales covering entire body irregularly oval to partially angular, shortly fringed on circumference, about 3–4 across width of one interstria. Semi-appressed scales on inner six interstriae of elytra short, spatulate, distinctly enlarging distad, forming one dense regular row on each interstria, about as long as half width of one interstria, distance between two setae about twice longer than their length. Pronotum and head with rostrum with similar semi-appressed setae, densely irregularly scattered, hardly visible primarily in lateral view. Elytral vestiture marbled with small spots of light and dark brownish scales, pronotum with two longitudinal wide stripes.

Rostrum ( Figs 23, 24 ) 1.12–1.18× as wide as long, in dorsal view with concave sides, in apical portion widest, rounded around scrobes, here 1.04–1.07× as wide as at base. Epifrons moderately wide, subparallel-sided, at base 0.7× as wide as rostrum in relevant part, dorsally with longitudinal furrow. Frons short, deepened, smooth. Eyes in dorsal view hardly prominent from outline of head. Head under scales with fine longitudinal ridges converging towards median ridge separated by narrow grooves, giving vertex a lirate appearance.

Antennal scape ( Fig. 7 ) 5.25–5.56× as long as wide at tip, in apical part as wide as club. Funicle slender, article 1 1.8× as long as wide and as long to 1.1× as long as article 2, this is 2.0–2.2× as long as wide; articles 3–6 isodiametric; article 7 1.1× as wide as long; clubs spindle-shaped, 1.8–1.9× as long as wide.

Pronotum ( Fig. 7 ) 1.38–1.42× as wide as long, widest at posterior third, with sides rounded, distinctly more tapering anteriad than posteriad, behind anterior margin weakly constricted. Disc regularly domed, with hardly visible, slender median longitudinal furrow along the entire length.

Elytra ( Fig. 7 ) long oval, 1.31–1.37× as long as wide, widest at basal quarter; interstria 9 with small posthumeral callus, laterally prominent, dorsally visible; interstriae 3, 5 and 7 in short basal part slightly more elevated.

Tibiae ( Fig. 25 ) robust, 5.3–5.7× as long as at midlength wide; protibiae apically obliquely subtruncated, fringed with fine, moderaly long and dense, yellowish setae, indistinctly finely denticulate in apical half of length of inner margin; mesotibiae with long mucro, metatibiae with very short, unobtrusive mucro. Tarsi with tarsomere 2 1.6–1.7× as wide as long; tarsomere 3 1.3–1.4× as wide as long and 1.4× as wide as tarsomere 2; onychium of protarsi 1.1–1.2× as long as tarsomere 3, of metatarsi 1.3–1.4×.

Abdominal ventrites ( Fig. 28 ) short and wide, 1.1–1.2× as wide as long, densely squamose. Metaventral process 1.5× as wide as transverse diameter of metacoxa.

Penis ( Fig. 33 ) slender, subparallel-sided, apically broadly rounded with small median tip; in lateral view weakly regularly curved, slightly evenly tapering apicad and basad, with only indistinctly separated short tip; endophallus with three very short, irregularly shaped sclerites. Tegmen ( Fig. 34 ) with short parameres.

Sternite VIII ( Fig. 42 ) with apodeme 2.8–3.1× as long as plate; plate about as long as wide, apically rounded. Gonocoxites ( Fig. 43 ) subtriangular with long apical styli. Spermatheca ( Fig. 39 ) with long and only weakly curved cornu; corpus rounded with small top bump behind collum; ramus oval, about 1.5 × as long as wide; collum distinctly shorter and narrower than ramus, tubular-shaped, slightly obliquelly placed.

Derivation of name. The newly described species is dedicated to Marek Těšínský (Prague, Czech Republic), who accompanied Petr Bulirsch on his two trips to South Africa and helped him during the collection of material, including most types.

Biology. Type material was sifted from forest litter in indigenous forest.

Distribution. South Africa (Western Cape).Almost all material of this species was collected by several collectors in the Marloth Nature Reserve, the majestic Swellendam Mountains, which is predominantly mountain fynbos with patches of forest. The species seems to be very abundant there.

Differential diagnosis. This is an unusual species, very easily separated and different from all others by the following set of unique characters: elytra with laterally prominent subhumeral bumps visible in dorsal view, rostrum in apical portion slightly wider than at base and antennal scapes with tip subequal in width with clubs.

Figures

FIGURES 5–8. 5–7: Dorsal habitus. 5. Bulirschius inconspicuus 6. B. ruiterbos. 7. B. tesinskyi. 8: Ventral habitus. 8. Kostalius rotundisetis. Not to scale.

FIGURES 13–24. 13–24: Head including rostrum in dorsal and lateral view. 13, 14. Andringitrabius polymitus. 15, 16. Bulirschius densatus. 17, 18. B. dysommatiformis. 19, 20. B. inconspicuus. 21, 22. B. ruiterbos. 23, 24. B. tesinskyi. Scale 0.50 mm.

FIGURES 25–43. 25: Right protibia. Bulirschius tesinskyi. 26–28: Abdominal ventrites. 26. B. densatus. 27. B. ruiterbos. 28. B. tesinskyi. 29–33: Penis in dorsal view. 29. B. densatus. 30. B. dysommatiformis. 31. B. inconspicuus. 32. B. ruiterbos. 33. B. tesinskyi. 34: Tegmen. B. tesinskyi. 35–39: Spermatheca. 35. B. densatus. 36. B. dysommatiformis. 37. B. inconspicuus. 38. B. ruiterbos. 39. B. tesinskyi. 40–42: Female sternite VIII. 40. B. densatus. 41. B. inconspicuus. 42. B. tesinskyi. 43: Ovipositor. B. tesinskyi. Scale 0.50 mm for 25–28, 34, 40–43; 0.25 mm for 29–33, 35–39.