Table Of ContentElytra,Tokyo 37(2):367-372, November14.2009
NewFleaWeevilsof theGenusSphaerorchestes
(Coleoptera,Curculionidae) from Laos
Hiroaki KoJIMA
LaboratoryofEntomology,TokyoUniversityof Agriculture,
1737Funako, Atsugi, Kanagawa,243-0034Japan
Abstract Two new speciesof thefleaweevilsof the genusSphaerorchestes
MoRIMoT0etMIYAKAwA,1996aredescribedfromLaosunderthenamesS. laOkao
sp nov ands. laoenslssp nov.ProbablehostassociationofthegenuswithLauraceae
issuggestedforthefirsttime.
FleaweevilgenusSphaerorchestesisveryuniqueinthesphericalbodyformandthe
slenderrostrumamongthetribeRhamphini. Threespecieshaveeverbeenknownfrom
Japan,NepalandBorneo(MoRIMoTo&MIYAKAwA,1996).Sistergrouprelationship
wjth Imachra PAscoE, 1874 has been suggested based on several synapomorphic
charactersintheirphylogeneticanalysisandconstituteadistinctcladewithSynorchestes
Voss,1958amongthetribe(KoJIMA&MoRIMoTo,1996). Noinformationhasever
beenavailableonbiology.
TwonewspeciesofthegenuswerefoundfromLaos,theinterveningareaof their
knowndistribution. Bothofthemwerecapturedonthelaurel familytrees.
ThetypematerialsarepreservedintheLaboratoryofEntomology,TokyoUniver-
sityofAgriculture,Atsugi,Kanagawa,Japan.
Sphaerorchesteslaokaosp nov.
(Figs.1-4,9-13)
Male. Length:1.9-2.0mm;width:1.2-1.3mm.
Black,antennalscapeandoftenfunicle,apexofrostrumandtarsibrownish,elytra
reddishbrownexceptforapicalandsometimesbasalparts,undersideoftendarkreddish
brown,clothedwithgrayishhairyscales,whicharereplacedbydarkoneonreddish
brownpartsofelytraandthoseonmesosternumplumoseanddenseonmesePime「a.
Foreheadbetweeneyes linear, with rowofsetae. Eyesat lowermargincloSsto
ventralmargjnof rostrumatbaseinlateralaspect. Rostrumweaklycurved,1.8-1.9
tjmesaslongaspronotum,withantennal insertionatmiddle. Antennaewithlength
(wjdth)ofsegmentsfromscapetoclubas36(5):10(4):8(2):6(2.5):4(3):3(3):
3(4): 6(7):7(7.5): 14(6).
pronotum1.gtjmesasbroadaslong,roundedatposteriorcorners,dorsumdensely
368 Hiroaki KoJIMA
punctate, interstices between them much narrower than their diameter. Scutellum
ovate, similarly scaled as on neighboring areas. Elytraslightly longer thanbroad,
broadestalittlebehindhumeri,evenlyroundedatsidestoapex,evenlyconvexdorsally;
intervalsbroaderthanstriae,eachwiththreetofour rowsofscales.Pygidiumperpen-
dicular,weaklyconvex,anddenselypunctate. Foreandmiddlelegsalmostofthesame
sizeandshapetoeachother, hind femoraswollen,2.2timesaslongasbroad,tarsal
grooveofhindtibiafringedwithblackishspinesalongapicalmargin.
Presternal processsimpleat apex,sterne11umnoduloseoneach coner between
coxae. Mesosterna1processdeclivitous,subtruncateat apex,weaklyconvexateach
corner. Metasternumtrapezoida11ydepressed.
Fema1e. Length: 2.1-2.2mm;width:1.4-1.5mm. Similartomaleexcept for
antennaeinsertedbehindmiddleofrostrum,thelattertwiceaslongaspronotum,venter
withfirstventriteweaklyinflatedinmiddle.
Typematerial.Holotype:male,BanSaleui~PhouPan(alt.1,460m),Houaphan
Prov.,Laos,24-VIII-2009,H.KoJIMA.Paratypes:7malesand6females,samedataas
theholotype;3malesand1female, l2-VI-2009,H.KoJIMA;1male,21-VIII-200g,H.
KOJIMA.
Etymology. DerivedfromtheLaotiannameofalocal liquor.
Distribution. Laos(HouaphanProv).
Comments. Thisspecies ischaracterisedby the coloration. Onepair of Thai
specimensquitesimilar to thisspeciesareinmy collection, but theblack and red
contrastismorevividandIhereinhesitatetoregardthemasbeingconspecificwiththis
speciesuntilmorematerialsareavailable.
Biologicalnotes. Weevilswerecapturedonthelaurelfamilytrees.
Sphaerorchesteslaoensissp
nov
(Figs5-8,14-18)
Male. Length:2.4mm;width:1.6mm.
Reddishbrown,head,pronotum, femoradorsallyoftenslightlydarker,eyesand
antennalclubblackish,clothedwithgrayishhairyscales,whicharealittleshorterand
yellowishondorsalareaofelytraandthoseonventerbl-or trifid.
ForeheadandrostrumasinS. laokao.Eyesat lowermarginonmiddlelevelof
「estrumatbaseinlateralaspect. Antennaewithlength(width)ofsegmentsfromscape
toclubas42(6):13(5):10(3):6(3):5(3.5):4(3.5):4(5):8(8):8(9):g(8).
PronotumandscutellumasinS. laokaoexcept for the former twiceasbroadas
long.Elytraandpygidiumasins. laokaoexceptfortheformer1.1-12tjmesaslongas
b「cadandintervalseachwithfourtofiverowsofscales. Legsasins.laokaoexceptfor
hind femora2.1timesaslongasbroad.
Pro-, meso- andmetasternaand ventritesasinS. laokao.
Female. Length:2.5mm(2.2mminasmallspecimen);width:1.7mm(1.4mm
in aSmallSpecimen). Similar tomaleexcept forantennae insertedbehjndmjddleof
NewSphaerorchestesfromLaos 369
2
Figs.1-8. HabitusphotographsoftheLaotianSphaerorchestesspp. - 1-4,S. laokaosp nov. (1,2,
male;3,4, female);5-8,S.1aoensissp nov. (5,6,male;7,8, female).
370 Hiroaki KoJIMA
Figs 9-13. Male and female terminalia of Sphaerorchestes laokao sp nov. (9-11, male; 12, 13,
female). - 9,aedeagus,dorsal;10,aedeagusandtegmen, lateral;11,sternite8andspiculum
gastrale;12,spermatheca;13,sternite8.Scale=0.5mm
rostrum and venter with first ventrite inflated inmiddle.
Typematerials. Holotype:male.PhouPan (alt. ca. 1,500m), HouaphanProv.,
Laos,22-VIII-2009,H.KoJIMA.Paratypes 2malesand2 females,samedataasthe
holotype.
Etymology. Derived fromthenameofthelocality.
Comments. ThisspeciesisverysimilartoS nepalensisMoRIMoT0etMIYAKAwA,
l996intheconco1orouscoloration,buttheantennalclubisblackishandscalesonventer
aremostlybl- or trifidinS.1aoensis.
Biologicalnotes. WeevilswerecapturedonaClnnamomumtree.
KeytotheknownspeciesofSphaerorchestes
1(4) Elytrawithaconspicuousblackpatchformedbyblackishsetae.
2(3) Black patch onelytracrescent, withshort incisionsonsecond intervals from
anteriormargin: Length: 2.5mm.Japan
NewSphaerorchestesfromLaos 371
Figs.14-18. Maleand female terminaliaofSphaerorchestes laoetlsls sp nov. (14-16,male; 17,18,
female). - 14,Aedeagus,dorsal;15,aedeagusandtegmen, lateral;16,sternite8andspiculum
gastrale; 17,spermatheca;18,sternite8.
S kawasei MoRIMoT0 et MIYAKAwA. 1996
3(2) BlackpatchonelytraV-shaped. Length: 2.4mm.Borneo(Sabah)
S l'maiMoRIMoT0et MIYAKAWA,1996
4(1) Elytraconcolorousorbico1orouswithoutanyblackishsetaceouspatch.
5(8) Dormconcolorousyellowish redtoreddishbrown,elytra1intervalseachwith
four to six rows of scales
6(7) Yellowish redexcept forblackisheyes. Length: 2.5-2.8mm. Nepal
S nepalensisMoRIMOT0etMIYAKAWA,1996
7(6) Reddishbrownexcept forblackisheyesandantennalclub.Length:2.2-2.5mm
Laos S. laoensissp nov
8(5) Dermbicolorous,black,withreddishbrownelytra,whichareblackishonapical
and sometimes basal -Darts. intervals each with three to four rows of scales.
372 Hiroaki KoJIMA
Length:1.9-2.2mm. Laos S. laokaosp nov
HostAssociationofSphaerorchestes
Nobiological informationhaseverbeenavailable forSphaerorchestes. Twonew
Laotian representatives herein described were captured on the laurel family trees.
Recently, Japanese species, S kawasei was also captured on Litsea acuminata of
Lauraceae(K.KuME,pers.comm). Thesefactssuggestthat Lauraceaearelikelythe
hostoftheweevils. ThismayalsobesupportedbythefactthatsomespeciesofImachra,
a sister group of Sphaerorchestes are also known to associate with Cinnamomum
J'aponicum and Machlhis thunbergli of Lauraceae (K. KUMEand1. MAToBA, pers.
comm.).
Larvaeof fleaweevilsaremostly leaf-minersof youngleaves, but, thepeculiar
featuresofSphaerorchestessuchasthesphericalbodyformand theslender rostrum
suggestotherhabit.
Acknowledgements
I thank the following friends for their kind help in various ways: Mr. H.
WAKAHARAandhisfamilyinLaos,Dr.T.YoRo,Mr. K. KUMEandMr.1. MAToBA.
Theauthor alsothanksDr. K. MoRIMoToandDr. S.-I.UtNo fortheirkindreview of
themanuscriptandDr.S.0KAJIMAforhisencouragement. Thisstudyissupportedin
partbytheKAKENHI (19770065,21405019).
要 約
小島弘昭:ラオス産タマノミソウムシ属(コウチュウ目ソウムシ科)の新種. - タマノミソ
ウムシ属の分布の空白地帯であったラオスから本属の2新極を発見し, それぞれSphaerorchestes
1aokaosp nov.およびS. laoensissp nov.として命名記載した. 本属の生態的知見についてはこれ
まで知られていなかったが, ラオス産の両種ともクスノキ科の樹木から採集されたこと, 日本産
種も最近,クスノキ科の1極から見つかっていること(久米私信), さらに本属のa市妹群と考えら
れているクチブトノミソウムシ属の数種もクスノキ科から得られていることなどから勘案して,
本属とクスノキ科との関連性が示唆された.
References
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Cu「CulOinidae)fromEastAsia.1.Descriptionsofnewtaxaanddistributiondataofsomespecjes.Esakja,
.Fukuoka, (36):61-96.
KOJIMA, H・, & K.MORIMOTo, 1996.Systematicsof thefleaweevilsof thetribeRamphjnj (Coleoptera,
Cu「CulOinidae) fromEastAsia.11.Phylogeneticanalaysisandhigherclassification.Esakja,Fukuoka,
(36):97-134.
