Cotithene melanoptera Franz, sp. n.

Cotithene melanoptera Franz, sp. n.

Diagnosis. Length 4.8–5.7 mm; rostrum in male in lateral view angulate and expanded near apical 2/5, slightly impressed along basal 1/5, head with small, posterior, triangular projection and dense, longer, recurvate setae directed anteromediad, pronotum expanded, orange, prosternum with small obtuse elevation in front of each procoxal cavity, elytra dark-reddish-brown to black, aedeagus (Fig. 12 B) apically evenly narrowed, internal sac ventrally with irregular subquadrate structure; female with color pattern similar to that of male, procoxal cavities separated by less than width of antennal club, posterior margins of furcal arms of sternum VIII (Fig. 12 B) evenly rounded, spermatheca (Fig. 12 B) C-shaped; occurring in Venezuela. Cotithene melanoptera may be distinguished from similarly sized members of the leptorhamphis-trigaea clade by the particular combination of modifications on the head and prosternum in males and the shorter and wider rostrum in females. This South American species furthermore differs from C. globulicollis by its color pattern and from the Central American C. melanoptera by the presence of a basal impression on the rostrum and more densely arranged frontal setation in males, as well as characteristics of the male and female terminalia.

Description. Male. Length 5.0– 5.7 mm, width 2.3–2.5 mm, l/w = 2.1–2.3 (N = 3). Color light reddishbrown to orange, rostrum and head slightly darker, legs yellowish-brown to orange, elytra dark-reddish brown to black. Rostrum 1.4–1.6 mm, r/p = 0.7; dorsally slightly arcuate, angulate and tumescent near apical 2/5, ventrally slightly arcuate, dorsally slightly impressed along basal 1/5; antennal insertion at apical 1/3 to 2/5. Head with slight elevation extending between posterodorsal edges of eyes, with small, posterior, triangular projection, setation dense, long, recurvate, directed anteromediad. Pronotum expanded (with apparent positive allometry), anterolaterally shallowly impressed. Prosternum anteriorly transversely impressed, anterolaterally of each procoxal cavity with obtuse tumescence; procoxal cavities separated by width of antennal club or slightly more. Elytra posteriorly attenuate, widest at humeri, subparallel-sided in anterior third, then gradually narrowing; anterior elevation along basal 1/5 of I–V; striae narrower than intervals. Spiculum gastrale shorter than aedeagus; furcal arms slightly arcuate-sinuate, apically narrowed. Aedeagus (Fig. 12 B) l/w = 3.0–3.2 (N = 2), subparallel–sided to slightly widening in basal half, sinuate in apical half, gradually narrowing in apical 1/4, apex rounded, spatulate, medially with transverse, apically rounded projection; in lateral view apically gradually narrowed, dorsal and ventral margins straight; internally with a symmetrical, subparallel pair of explanate sclerites; sclerites apically converging and connected via plicate membrane into complex, subquadrate, weakly sclerotized structure; in lateral view irregularly triangular, ventrally more sclerotized, ventral region with membranous connection to subquadrate structure, margins undulate; apodemes distinctly shorter than body.

Female. Length 4.8–5.1 mm, width 2.2–2.4, l/w = 2.1–2.2 (N = 3). Rostrum 1.5–1.7 mm, r/p = 0.9–1.0; narrow, width similar throughout, light reddish-brown to orange; antennal insertion at middle to basal 2/5. Pronotum less expanded. Prosternum without anterior impressions or tumescences; procoxal cavities separated by less than width of antennal club. Elytra posteriorly rounded, widest near anterior third, subparallelsided in anterior half, gradually narrowing in posterior half; anterior elevation less distinct. Sternum VIII (Fig. 12 B) with furcal arms straight to arcuate, subparallel to slightly diverging, apices with 4–6 setae. Spermatheca (Fig. 12 B) C-shaped, apical 2/5 triangularly narrowed, apex narrow-acuminate, slightly deflected.

Material examined. Holotype male " Venezuela, Aragua, Selva de Tiara, Sanidad, 1200 m, on Evodianthus funifer, leg. H. Escalona, VI-07-2002 " (MIZA); male paratypes " VENEZ: [Venezuela] Merida, La Azulita, 12–28.VII.86, B. Gill, 1600 m " (CMNC, 2); female paratypes, same label data as holotype (MIZA, 1), " VENEZ: [Venezuela] Merida, La Azulita, 12–28.VII.86, B. Gill, 1600 m " (CMNC, 4).

Etymology. Named for the dark eltyra, from the Greek melanos (black) and pteron (wing).

Natural history. As the currently only South American representative of the genus, Cotithene melanoptera has been collected at two Venezuelan localities (Fig. 13 B), i.e. Selva de Tiara and La Azulita. At the Selva de Tiara locality a pair of adults was collected on Evodianthus funifer Poiteau.