16. Amasa aspersa (Sampson)

Xyleborus aspersus Sampson, 1921: 31 .

Amasa aspersus [sic] (Sampson): Wood & Bright, 1992: 682.

Thai distribution: S: Nakhon Sri Thammarat (Schedl 1936a as Xyleborus aspersus). The species has not been recorded again in Thailand.

Other distribution: Malaysia (E. and W.). The species also occurs in Brunei Darussalam (R. A. Beaver, unpublished records). (3)

Taxonomy: Alonso-Zarazaga and Lyal (2009) point out that the generic name, Amasa Lea, is female rather than male (contra Wood & Bright 1992, Bright & Skidmore 1997, 2002). Morphological species limits are often indistinct in Amasa, and this has led to conflicting interpretations and synonyms (see below).

Biology: All host records are from the genus Eugenia (Myrtaceae), and the species appears to have a fixed host association with this family (Browne 1961a). The gallery system has a radial, unbranched entrance tunnel leading to a single, large, more or less oblong chamber in the longitudinal plane (Browne 1961a).