Wallacellus minutus (Blandford)

Beaver, R. A., Sittichaya, W. & Liu, L-Y., 2014, A Synopsis of the Scolytine Ambrosia Beetles of Thailand (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Zootaxa 3875 (1), pp. 1-82 : 61

128. Wallacellus minutus (Blandford) * n. comb.

Xyleborus minutus Blandford, 1894a: 116 .

Thai distribution: N: Chiang Mai; S: Nakhon Sri Thammarat. New to Thailand.

New records: Chiang Mai, Doi Pui , 1400 m, EtOH trap, 21–25.iii., 6–27.vii.2005 (W. Puranasakul) (2); Nakhon Sri Thammarat, Namtok Yong NP, 8° 10.434' N, 99° 44.508' E, 80 m, MT, 5–12.viii.2008 (U-prai, K.) (1) .

Other distribution: Indonesia (Java), Japan, Korea, Malaysia (E. & W.), Solomon Is, Taiwan. The species also occurs in Brunei Darussalam and China (Yunnan) (R. A. Beaver, unpublished records). This species has an unusual distribution and is difficult to place in one of the faunal elements used in this paper. It is tentatively assigned to the Malaysian element. Most locality records are from that area, although the species was originally described from Japan. (3)

Taxonomy: As a result of an error, this species was listed as a new combination under Planiculus ( Beaver & Liu 2010) . It should have been transferred to Wallacellus Hulcr & Cognato from Xyleborus . It is closely similar to Wallacellus piceus (see below), from which it differs primarily in the proportions of the elytra, which are relatively shorter in W.minutus .

Biology: Polyphagous ( Browne 1961 a, Beaver & Browne 1979). The gallery system has irregularly branched tunnels in one transverse plane. The records from Japan and Korea indicate that the species can survive in a cold temperate climate as well as in the tropics.