Megaoculis, Pelsue, Frank W. & O’Brien, Charles W., 2011

Pelsue, Frank W. & O’Brien, Charles W., 2011, A redefinition of the Curculionini of the world, with a key to subtribes and genera, and two new genera: Pseudoculio and Megaoculis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae), Zootaxa 3102, pp. 27-49 : 45

Megaoculis gen. n.

Type species: Megaoculis egeri sp. n. Holotype 3 Brazil, Rondonia. ( DZUP).

Diagnosis: This genus is characterized by having large head and eyes, rostrum cylindrical, evenly deflexed, with large mandibles, several long seta-like hairs ventrodistad to apex; female rostrum longer than male, with scape inserted at midpoint in male and distad of midpoint in female; rostrum abruptly emerging from head differing from Timola in which it is continuous with head; very tumid metafemur; elytra with long suberect piceous seta-like scales and rather thick decumbent scales; distal margin of metafemoral tooth denticulate with 7–8 denticles from apex to base of tooth; tibiae robust, bisinuate, females with large to moderate unci, males lacking unci; tarsal claws bifid; male genitalia very atypical for Curculionini or Curculionidae , with 2 curved distal sclerotic arms that appear to be part of the tegmen. At this time we are placing this genus in the Timolina based on the characters that fit it into Timolina, scutellum not impressed, and pygidium covered, thus being the only Timolina found outside South Africa and probably the only indigenous Curculionini known from South America. A new species of Curculio has recently come to our attention. This species was described as Curculio rishwani Makhan (Makhan, 2009) . However, the new species clearly belongs to the genus Megaoculis , but to be able to place it in context with the other two species we would have to obtain a loan of the unique holotype for comparison. The senior author has identified two Curculionini labeled from South America, obviously introduced, those being Curculio villosus Fabricius (NHMB) collected in Sao Paulo, Brazil, introduced from Europe and Curculio proboscideus Fabricius (SMTD) collected in British Guyana ( Guyana) probably introduced from North America.