Scolytodes bicarinatus Jordal 2018, sp. nov.

Scolytodes bicarinatus Jordal, sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6EB59A17-F5AA-4DAF-9116-73132CE8C7E8

(Figs 57, 60, 63)

Type material. Holotype, female: Panama, Cerro Azul, Cerro Jefe, [GIS] 9.211, -79.377, 827m, 18.Aug.2008, SM Smith, AD Smith, AR Gillogly, leg, ex. very wet Cecropia petioles. Allotype, male: same data as holotype. Types deposited in MIUP.

Diagnosis. Interstriae 10 sharply elevated to apex; protibiae without additional mesal tooth. Female frons with a pair of broad, subcontiguous carinae which affiliates this species with those in the cecropiavorus species group (Jordal 1998b). Distinguished from all species in this group by the male frons having no impression just above the epistoma, and by the the female frons which has shorter vestiture and broader carinae.

Description, female. Length 1.9 mm, 2.2 × longer than wide; colour dark brown to black. Head. Eyes entire, separated above by 2.0 × their width. Frons weakly concave, with a pair of broad, round, parallel carinae on lower two-thirds; surface finely punctured above and between carinae, vestiture consisting of scattered fine setae in each puncture, and longer whitish sub-plumose setae surrounding the impressed area, none of which reaching the epistomal margin. Antennal club setose, no sutures marked. Funiculus 6-segmented. Pronotum very finely reticulated, shiny; punctures small, shallow, reaching anterior margin, separated on average by 2¯3 × their diameter. Glabrous, except six erect setae (4–0–2). Elytra smooth, shining, striae not impressed, punctures in rows, small, shallow, separated by 2 × their diameter; interstriae 4–5 × wider than striae, punctures in rows, almost as large as those in striae, more widely separated. Glabrous. Legs. Procoxae separated by 0.6 × and mesocoxae 0.8 × the width of one procoxa. Protibiae broaden distally, distal teeth 1 and 2 of subequal length and curved posteriorly, edge between these teeth slightly extended, with 3¯4 triangular rugae along lateral edge decreasing in size towards base; protibial mucro small, curved posteriorly. Meso- and metatibiae with 7–8 lateral, socketed teeth on distal half. Ventral vestiture. Scattered, fine, simple setae on ventrites, metasternum and metanepisternum.

Male. Similar to female except slightly smaller (length 1.7 mm), frons convex, smooth, flattened on epistoma, with fine punctures; vestiture consisting of scant minute setae, slightly longer and denser near epistomal lobe.

Key (Wood 1982). Keys to couplet 13 or 16, S. cecropiavorus Wood, or S. cecropii (Scedl) but differ in the female and male frons as noted in the diagnosis.

Etymology. The name bicarinatus is a masculine Latin nominative adjective, meaning bicarinate, referring to the two keels running in parallel in the female frons.

Biology and distribution. This species is only known from the type locality in Panama, in wet secondary forest at medium altitude dominated by Cecropia trees typical for forest gaps.