A new species of weevil discovered in La Palma

Researchers Rafael García and Heriberto López have discovered a species of weevil endemic to La Palma that has been named Ceutorhynchus castroi in honor of the late naturalist Juan Manuel Castro Martín. The new species has been located in the area of Tamanca and the researchers warn that the plant in which it lives is threatened.

An article published by the researchers Rafael García and Heriberto López, the latter member of the group of Ecology and Evolution in Islands of the IPNA-CSIC, in the December issue of the journal of the Canary Academy of Sciences describes this new weevil species that is present in a very limited area of the island of La Palma on the basis of morphological and molecular data. It also analyses the unfavourable conservation status of the weevil and its host plant, the dama palmera (Parolinia sp.). The study is based on a series of 30 specimens collected by Rafael García. The phylogenetic relationships of the specimens were analysed with respect to the other species of the genus Ceutorhynchus, which is represented in the Canary Islands by five species. The DNA of a fresh specimen of Ceutorhynchus castroi was amplified and sequenced to obtain the sequence of the barcode region. Through molecular analysis and comparing the Ceutorhynchus species present on the islands, the researchers were able to confirm the genetic uniqueness of the new species. This endemic species of the island of La Palma is distinguished from the other species of the genus present in the Canary Islands by its small size (1.72 - 2.15mm), funiculus of 7 desmomers, whitish clothing and simple nails.

The typical series was captured at the end of winter on the xeric slopes of the Malpaís de la Cruz Alta and in mid-autumn at Punta de Jedey, in both cases on the dama palmera, Parolinia sp. an endemic shrubby cruciferous that can reach 1.5m in height and grows in old terrains isolated among recent lava. The dama palmera has only about 100 specimens distributed over a hundred square meters on a steep slope and the vegetation of the area is also subject to the activity of wild goats and sheep, so the conservation status of this endemic plant is critical. The researchers insist in this article that "if this threat does not cease, we could face a case of cascading extinction, since the disappearance of the host plant would also automatically cause the loss of the Ceutorhynchus castroi population".

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Ceutorhynchus castroi