Lissorhoptrus insularis Kuschel 1951

Lissorhoptrus insularis Kuschel, 1952 new rank (Figs. 15, 16, 26, 35b)

Lissorhoptrus chapini insularis Kuschel 1952: 34. Holotype female, John’ s Island, South Carolina, USA (USNM).

Redescription. Male. Body medium-sized; robust. Rostrum: Moderately long, 0.73X as long as prothorax; black, broadly subcylindrical; dorsum nearly straight, apex abruptly depressed; flattened along midline; venter straight, lacking carina; basal 2/3 completely clothed, scales contiguous, moderately rough, agglutinate; apical 1/3 clothed with contiguous, rough, plumose scales; sides parallel; suprascrobal groove strongly developed. Head: Weakly convex; agglutinate scales nongranulate, subcontiguous, brownish; plumose scales whitish, on articulating area and around and behind eyes; frons without submedian setae, broad, 0.50X as wide as head across eyes, flattened, indistinctly set off from rostrum by shallow impression. Antennae: Inserted just in front of apical 1/3; scape moderately short, moderately slender, strongly clavate, with 1–2 subapical setae; scape and funicle reddish brown; funicle long, 1.57X as long as scape, club elongate-oval, slightly asymmetrical, 0.43X as long as funicle, reddish brown, 1 st club segment ca. 2/3 total club length, glabrous. Pronotum: Transverse, 0.85X as long as broad; sides sinuately subparallel, weakly expanding from base; apical constriction strong, in apical 1/5; scales dense, roughened, agglutinate; apical constriction dorsally distinct and uniform, weakly rounded behind constriction, sides slightly impressed behind round area; disc transversely weakly convex, not undulate, rugulose; pleuron brown; ocular lobes weakly developed. Elytra: 1.24X wider at humeri than pronotum; 1.47X longer than wide at humeri; gradually expanding behind humeri to declivity, declivity at 60° (in relation to dorsal plane); moderately wider than prothorax; apices nonacuminate, conjointly rounded; humeri poorly developed, weakly obliquely angulate, not at all produced or projecting; intervals uneven in width, flattened to very weakly convex, odd-numbered intervals with setae lacking; indistinct swellings only posteriorly on declivity; strial grooves distinct, deep, narrow, punctures small and medium-sized, narrow, deep, not wider than strial grooves; scales subgranulate, contiguous, round, arranged irregularly, usually with 3 or more scales across intervals, brown, tan, and whitish; indistinctly maculate; cuticle black. Venter: Prosternum medially clothed, broadly in front of coxae and broadly behind coxae, with plumose scales. Abdominal ventrites: Ventrite I with median impression deep, broad, uniformly impressed for entire length, not narrowed apically, impression continued on basal 1/2 of ventrite II, ventrite I with apical margin weakly declivous, 1.33X as long as II; II medially impressed, with impression broad, shallow, apical 1/2 unevenly declivous, not impressed on declivity, 3.00X as long as III and IV together; ventrite V basally flat; transversely impressed apically, impression deep, broad, lacking median subapical carina or tubercle; with cluster of 3–4 coarse, erect apicolateral setae; 3.33X as long as III and IV together; 1.11X as long as II; 0.83X as long as I; I and II completely clothed, with contiguous, agglutinate scales; III and IV completely clothed, with dense, suberect, plumose scales, and lacking, erect setae. Tergite VII: Apical margin weakly, medially emarginate. Legs: Moderately long; femora clavate, reddish black; tibiae moderately slender, reddish brown; fore and hind tibiae with inner margin straight, with outer margin slightly arcuate toward apex (in lateral view), few inconspicuous bristles on inner surface, short inconspicuous bristles on outer surface; middle tibiae with short, coarse swimming bristles, on inner and outer margins; hind tibial mucro 3-toothed, basal tooth moderately large, acute, posteriorly directed, median tooth small, acute, posteriorly directed, apical tooth large, strongly curved, acute, parallel to apex of tibia; tarsi moderately long, sublinear, reddish brown, slightly widened toward apex; tarsomere 3 distinctly wider at apex than 2, subemarginate; claws reddish brown. Standard length: 3.00 mm.

Female. Rostrum: 0.62X as long as prothorax. Elytra: 1.25X wider at humeri than pronotum; 1.84X longer than wide at humeri. Tergite VII: Apical margin moderately emarginate medially. Abdominal ventrites: Ventrite I lacking median impression; 1.25X as long as II; II flattened, not impressed on declivity, apical 1/2 steeply declivous; V transversely convex basally, transversely impressed apically, impression moderately deep, broad, lacking median subapical carina or tubercle. Standard length: 3.50 mm.

Intraspecific Variation. The few specimens available of this species are quite uniform. The body ranges in length from 3.00– 3.70 mm.

Remarks and Comparative Notes. This species is similar to L. chapini which, in addition to the key characters, has tarsomere 3 short and cordate, with the lobes very short, not elongate and nearly bilobed. The distributional ranges of L. chapini and L. insularis overlap in New Jersey, so they do not meet the condition of allopatry important to subspecies rank. In addition to these characters, which alone would distinguish L. insularis as a valid species, the differences in the hind tibial mucro of the male (Figs. 25, 26) validate the change in rank to species.

Biological Notes. This is a rarely collected species, associated with saltwater cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora Loisel (Spartinaceae).

Distribution. Known only from coastal areas of South Carolina, Georgia, and New Jersey.

Material Examined. Four specimens including holotype. GEORGIA: Sapelo Island, VII-1960 (1), Salt marsh, Spartina alterniflora, 24-IV-1961 (1). NEW JERSEY: Sea Id. City, 22-V (1). Specimens are in CWOB and MCZC.