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PAT1ALUS A NEW GENUS OF SUBFAMILY CIONINAE FROM INDIA AND THE
DESCRI, PTION OF A NEW SPECIES (CURCULIONIDAE: COLEOPTERA)1
H.R. Pajni2 Dalip Kumar and H:S. Rose3
,
(With a text-figure
Patialus tecomella a new species under a new genus of subfamily Cioninae has been described. The diagnos-
,
tic features ofthe new genus have been included.
Introduction AKEYTOTHEORIENTALGENERAOF
SUBFAMILYCIONINAE
During the course of extensive collections 1. Tarsus with a single claw 2
underthe two 5-yearPL-480projectson Indian Cur- - Tarsus with paired claws 3
v.
culionidae, we collected six species of subfamily
2. Fore-coxae separated. Prostemum
Cioninae. One of the species marks the record of a
canaliculated Stereonychidius Morimoto
new genus from this country. The important charac-
ters of the new genus, Patialus and complete - Fore-coxae contiguous. Prostemum flat or
, depressed Stereonychus Suffrian
description of the new species, tecomella are given
in this communication. The Indian materi, al of this 3. Prostemum canaliculated Patialus Gen. nov.
subfamily is so far represented by eight species - Prostemum non-canaliculated 4
under the genus Cionus Clairv. (Klima 1934). 4. Elytra with a sutural spot
Tibiae unarmed in both sexes; claws equal in
Observations
female,innerclaw shorterthan outerone in
The subfamily Cioninae includes medium male Cionus Clairville
sized curculionids with five segmented funiclc and Elytra without a sutural spot.
concealed pygidium. The abdominal sternites 2-4 Tibiae mucronate in male; claws of same length
in both sexes Cleopus Stephens
are curved backwards on lateral sides.
The subfamily includes four Oriental genera, striae. Hind femora not exceeding elytral apices,
out ofwhich only Cionus Clairv. has been recorded each armed with short tooth. Prosternal canal reach-
from this country. The new genus has paired tarsal ing up to middle of mesosternum. Abdominal ster-
claws but carries a canal on the sternum that runs up nite 1 longer than 2 and 3 combined. Male genitalia
to the middle of mesosternum. The prosternum of with aedeagal apodemes as long as aedeagus; en-
the two known genera with paired claws is not dophallus with rod-shaped flagellum; phallobase
canaliculated. The prosternum is canaliculated in with parameres. Female genitalia with coxites
the genus Stereonychidius Morimoto which, tubular; spermatheca with collum and ramus indis-
however, falls in the category of the single clawed tinct.
A
genera. revised key to the Oriental genera, as Type-species: Patialus tecomella sp. nov.
modified from Morimoto (1962), is given Distribution: India.
Patialus gen. nov. Patialus tecomella sp. nov. (Fig. 1)
Head large, coarsely punctate; frons broad; Head piceous, moderately shiny, closely
eyes large, ovate. Rostrum as long as pronotum. An- punctate, covered with dark brown broad scales
tennae inserted at apical one- third of rostrum; sparsely variegated with dull whitish narrow scales;
funicle with segment 2 longer than 1. Prothorax frons with median shallow depression; eyes black-
transverse, with basal margin bisinuate. Elytra ish with golden tinge, ovate. Rostrum rufus, stout,
oblong; striae narrow; intervals much broader than as long as prothorax, laterally compressed, gently
widened after antennal insertion towards wedge-
Accepted October 1990.
2 shaped apex; surface coarsely punctate, covered
Dept. ofZoology, Punjab University, Chandigarh 160014
3Dept. ofZoology, Punjabi University, Patiala 147 002. with dark brownish scales up to antennal insertion
NEW' DESCRIPTIONS 87
CX
3
Fig. 1. Patialus tecomella sp. nov.
1-3. Male genitalia - 1. Aedeagus, 2. Phallobase; 3. Gastral spiculum, 4. Female genitalia, 5. Spermatheca.
thereafter sparsely covered with long setae. Anten- scales sparsely variegated with blackish and white
nae testaceous, inserted at apical one-third of linear scales, laterally clothed with closely ap-
rostrum; scape as long as funicular segments taken presscd whitish scales. Scutellum piceous, semicir-
together, gradually clavate; funicle with segment 1 cular and clothed with dark brownish scales.
and 2 elongated, segment 2 nearly 1.5 times as long Elytra piceous, oblong, their dorsal outline
as 1, 3-5 as long as broad, all segments covered with convex, running parallel from base to behind mid-
suberect setae; club fusiform, finely and uniformly dle in male and widening in female, shoulders
pubescent. prominent and roundly rectangular, with apices
Prothorax piceous, subconical, broader than emarginate; striae narrow, formed by small deep
long, its sides moderately rounded, with constricted punctures, each studded with a minute recumbent
and arcuate anterior margin and bisinuate posterior seta; intervals broad, flat, closely and coarsely
margin; pronotal surface closely and coarsely punctate; vestiture formed of dark brown and light
punctate, transversely depressed in apical half; ves- pale recumbent scales, intervals 3 and 5 with small
titure formed of broad median stripe of dark brown patch ofblackish scales.
)
88 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. 88
Legs testaceous, densely covered with dull straight with tip dilated. Spermatheca with cornu
whitish linear scales; femora laterally compressed, curved; ramus and collum indistinct.
mm
each with a sharp tooth; tibiae slender, each with a Measurements: Length Male body 4.0 - 4.2
: mm :
fringeofbrownishbristles; tarsi densely setose,hind rostrum 1.1-1.2 mm. Female body: 4.2 - 4.5
: :
mm
tarsus with joint 1 somewhat longer than 2, 3rd rostrum : 1.1-1.3
mm
bilobedand spongy beneath; claws long, curved and Breadth Male body 2.3 - 2.5 rostrum
: : : :
mm
connate at base and free towards apex. 0.5 mm. Female body: 2.4 - 2.6 rostrum 0.5
: :
mm
Thoracic sterna piceous, punctate, each beset
with whitish linear recumbent scale; prostcmum Holotype: male; India; Punjab, Patiala (Punjabi
canaliculate, canal reaching upto middle of University, Patiala, near Zoology Department);
mesostemum and closed behind. Abdominal ster- Tecomella undulata 5. V. 1989; H.S. Rose.
;
nites piceous, closely and compactly punctate, Paratypes: Males 3, females 4; same data as for
uniformly clothed with whitish scales; stcrnite 1 holotype; Males 5, females 6; 12-18. IV. 1990;
longer than 2 and 3 taken together. Tecomella undulata AvtarKaur. Material deposited
:
Male genitalia with aedeagus tubular, lateral in Zoology Department, Punjab University, Chan-
walls thick; aedeagal apodemes as long as aedeagus; digarh.
endophallus beset with rows of spines, flagellum
Acknowledgements
shorter than each aedeagal apodeme. Phallobase
ring-shaped; phallobasic apodeme shorter than each We thank USDA for financing two 5-year
aedeagal apodeme,parameres as long asphallobasic projects under which this work was done. The
apodeme. Gastral spiculum stout with dilated tip; laboratory facilities provided by the Chairman of
lateral arms short and weakly sclerotized. Female Zoology Department, are also gratefully acknow-
genitalia with coxites tubular; styli 2 times as long ledged.
as broad with tip beset with settle. Ventral spiculum
References
Klima, A. (1934): Coleopterorum Catalogus, Pars. 138: 61 pp. eluding Scolytidae, Platypodidae and Cossoninae. J. Fac.
Morimoto, K. (1962): Key to families, subfamilies, tribes and Agric. Kyushu Univ., 12 : 21-66.
genera of the super-family Curculionoidca of Japan ex-
COPIDOGNATHUS EBLINGl, A NEW SPECIES OF HALACARIDAE (ACARI) FROM
ANDAMAN ISLANDS (INDIAN OCEAN)1
2
Tapas Chatterjee
(With eleven text-figures
Anew halacarid species, Copidognalhus eblingi, collected among the thalliofAcetabularia sp. in the intertidal
region of Ross Island (Andaman Islands), Bay of Bengal, is described. Its similarities and dissimilarities with the re-
lated species ofthe genus are discussed.
Lntrqduction Ganapati 1968, Rao and Misra 1983 a,b). The only
biosystematic study of Halacaridae from the Indian
Taxonomic researches on the marine mites of coast is thatofRao (1970) from the interstitial sands
the Indian coast mention a few species names in the of Visakhapatnam coast. Recently Sarma and Chat-
classified faunal lists prepared for meiofaunal ecol- terjee (in press) reported the occurrence ofCopidog-
ogy studies (Rao 1969, 1972, 1980, Rao and nalhus hartwigi andAtelopsalispacifica for the first
time from Indian seas. The present paper describes
Accepted July 1990. a new species ofthe genus Copidognathus C. eblin-
r.G. Dept, of Life Sciences, Regional College of Education, ,
Bhubaneswar751 007, Orissa. gi collected among the thalli ofAcetabularia sp. in
