Conotrachelus squamifrons Champion, 1904

Chamorro, Maria Lourdes & Barclay, Maxwell V. L., 2018, On the identity of a U. S. intercepted Conotrachelus Dejean (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) with avocado (Perseaamericana), Biodiversity Data Journal 6, pp. 26362-26362 : 26362

Conotrachelus squamifrons Champion, 1904

Conotrachelus squamifrons Champion, 1904; - Champion 1904: 403. Lectotype here designated. [Type locality: Guatemala, Zapote; BMNH; male]. - O'Brien and Wibmer 1982: 132 [annotated checklist]. - Salas-Araiza et al. 2001: 52 [regional checklist].

Materials

Type status: Lectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: NHMUK010801259 ; sex: male; otherCatalogNumbers: BMNH(E)#715654; Taxon: scientificName: Conotrachelussquamifrons Champion, 1904; Location: country: Guatemala; stateProvince: Escuintla; locality: El Zapote ; verbatimLocality: Zapote, Guatemala; maximumElevationInMeters: 609.6m; locationAccordingTo: Selander and Vaurie 1962; locationRemarks: Settlement about 12km northwest of Escuintla and south of Volcán de Fuego; 2000 ±; 14°23', 90°52'. The settlement was formerly considered to be in the department of Sacatepéquez.; decimalLatitude: 14.83333; decimalLongitude: -90.86667; georeferencedBy: ML Chamorro; georeferenceSources: Selander and Vaurie 1962; Identification: identifiedBy: George Charles Champion; dateIdentified: 1904; Event: eventRemarks: Champion; Record Level: institutionID: BMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: NHMUK010801262 ; sex: male; Taxon: scientificName: Conotrachelussquamifrons Champion, 1904; Location: country: Guatemala; locality: Zapote ; verbatimLocality: Zapote, Guatemala; locationAccordingTo: Selander and Vaurie 1962; locationRemarks: Settlement about 12 km northwest of Escuintla and south of Volcán de Fuego; 2000 ±; 14°23', 90°52'. The settlement was formerly considered to be in the department of Sacatepéquez; decimalLatitude: 14.83333; decimalLongitude: -90.86667; georeferencedBy: M.L. Chamorro; georeferenceSources: Selander and Vaurie 1962; Identification: identifiedBy: George Charles Champion; dateIdentified: 1904; Event: eventRemarks: Champion; Record Level: rightsHolder: British Museum of Natural History; institutionID: BMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: NHMUK010801263 ; sex: female; Taxon: scientificName: Conotrachelussquamifrons Champion, 1904; Location: country: Guatemala; locality: Zapote ; verbatimLocality: Zapote, Guatemala; locationAccordingTo: Selander and Vaurie 1962; locationRemarks: Settlement about 12 km northwest of Escuintla and south of Volcán de Fuego; 2000 ±; 14°23', 90°52'. The settlement was formerly considered to be in the department of Sacatepéquez; decimalLatitude: 14.83333; decimalLongitude: -90.86667; georeferencedBy: M.L. Chamorro; georeferenceSources: Selander and Vaurie 196; Identification: identifiedBy: George Charles Champion; dateIdentified: 1904; Event: eventRemarks: Champion; Record Level: institutionID: BMNH; ownerInstitutionCode: BMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: NHMUK010801264 ; sex: female; Taxon: scientificName: Conotrachelussquamifrons Champion, 1904; Location: country: Guatemala; locality: Zapote ; verbatimLocality: Zapote, Guatemala; locationAccordingTo: Selander and Vaurie 1962; locationRemarks: Settlement about 12 km northwest of Escuintla and south of Volcán de Fuego; 2000 ±; 14°23', 90°52'. The settlement was formerly considered to be in the department of Sacatepéquez; decimalLatitude: 14.83333; decimalLongitude: -90.86667; georeferencedBy: M.L. Chamorro; Identification: identifiedBy: George Charles Champion; dateIdentified: 1904; Event: eventRemarks: Champion; Record Level: rightsHolder: BMNH; institutionID: BMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: NHMUK010801265 ; sex: male; Taxon: scientificName: Conotrachelussquamifrons Champion, 1904; Location: country: Guatemala; locality: Zapote ; verbatimLocality: Zapote, Guatemala; locationAccordingTo: Selander and Vaurie 1962; locationRemarks: Settlement about 12 km northwest of Escuintla and south of Volcán de Fuego; 2000 ±; 14°23', 90°52'. The settlement was formerly considered to be in the department of Sacatepéquez; decimalLatitude: 14.83333; decimalLongitude: -90.86667; georeferencedBy: M.L. Chamorro; georeferenceSources: Selander and Vaurie 1962; Identification: identifiedBy: George Charles Champion; dateIdentified: 1904; Event: eventRemarks: Champion; Record Level: institutionID: BMNH; institutionCode: BMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: NHMUK010801266 ; sex: male; Taxon: scientificName: Conotrachelussquamifrons Champion, 1904; Location: country: Guatemala; locality: Zapote ; verbatimLocality: Zapote, Guatemala; maximumElevationInMeters: 609.6 m; locationAccordingTo: Selander and Vaurie 1962; locationRemarks: Settlement about 12 km northwest of Escuintla and south of Volcán de Fuego; 2000 ±; 14°23', 90°52'. The settlement was formerly considered to be in the department of Sacatepéquez; decimalLatitude: 14.83333; decimalLongitude: -90.86667; georeferencedBy: ML Chamorro; georeferenceSources: Selander and Vaurie 1962; Identification: identifiedBy: George Charles Champion; dateIdentified: 1904; Event: eventRemarks: Champion; Record Level: institutionID: BMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: NHMUK01801267 ; sex: female; Taxon: scientificName: Conotrachelussquamifrons Champion, 1904; Location: country: Guatemala; locality: Cerro Zunil ; verbatimLocality: Cerro Zunil 1000m (first number illegible); maximumElevationInMeters: 1219; locationAccordingTo: Selander and Vaurie 1962; locationRemarks: Volcán Zunil, Quezaltenango, Guatemala. Volcanic mountain on the Pacific slope about 12 km. southeast of Quezaltenango; 14°43', 91°29'; decimalLatitude: 14.708716; decimalLongitude: -91.48197; Identification: identifiedBy: George Charles Champion; dateIdentified: 1904; Event: eventRemarks: Champion; Record Level: institutionID: BMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: NHMUK010801268 ; sex: female; Taxon: scientificName: Conotrachelussquamifrons Champion, 1904; Location: country: Panama; locality: Bugaba, 800-1,500 ft ; minimumElevationInMeters: 243; maximumElevationInMeters: 457; locationAccordingTo: Selander and Vaurie 1962; locationRemarks: Settlement on the Pacific slope about 22 km. northwest of David; 1000 feet; 8°28', 82°38'. The locality is sometimes cited erroneously as in Nicaragua.; decimalLatitude: 8.466497; decimalLongitude: -82.633333; georeferencedBy: M.L. Chamorro; Identification: identifiedBy: George Charles Champion; dateIdentified: 1904; Event: eventRemarks: Champion; Record Level: institutionID: BMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen Type status: Paralectotype. Occurrence: catalogNumber: NHMUK010801269 ; sex: male; Taxon: scientificName: Conotrachelussquamifrons Champion, 1904; Location: country: Panama; locality: Bugaba, Panama ; minimumElevationInMeters: 243; maximumElevationInMeters: 457; locationAccordingTo: Selander and Vaurie 1962; locationRemarks: Bugaba, Chiriquí, Panamá. Settlement on the Pacific slope about 22 km. northwest of David; 1000 feet; 8°28', 82°38'. The locality is sometimes cited erroneously as in Nicaragua.; decimalLatitude: 8.466635; decimalLongitude: -82.633333; georeferencedBy: M.L. Chamorro; Identification: identifiedBy: George Charles Champion; dateIdentified: 1904; Event: eventRemarks: Champion; Record Level: institutionID: BMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen

Diagnosis

Male C. squamifrons (Fig. 15) can be readily distinguished by the presence of an elongate, apically narrowing dentiform metauncus, visible when viewing the tibia ventrally, dorsally and anteriorly (Fig. 15b). This metauncus may be obscured when viewing the leg laterally (Fig. 15d). In addition, C. squamifrons have deep pronotal punctations and the elytral surface is largely devoid of short pubescence (Fig. 15b). Conotrachelus posticatus males also possess a dentiform metauncus, however, the elytral characters, as discussed under that species, are not present in C. squamifrons , namely, the first and second elytral intervals costate. Conotrachelus lobatus males, instead, have a spatulate, rounded metauncus, resembling a small, thin translucent spatula (Fig. 3e). Conotrachelus scoparius males appear to lack a process at the apex of the hind tibia and instead possess a pair of prominent, testaceus setal tufts (Fig. 14d). The scutellum is elongate narrow in C. lobatus , rounded in C. squamifrons . In addition, the pronotal punctation in C. squamifrons , male and female, is more pronounced, with the diameter of each individual puncture greater than the space between them. The postmedian elytral setal band may be less prominent in C. squamifrons than in C. posticatus , C. lobatus and C. scoparius . Despite the name, " squamifrons ", other species in this complex bear similar squamosity. The scales in C. squamifrons may be more conspicuous because of their strongly contrasting colour in the type series, but this is not a very reliable character to distinguish the species.

Distribution

Guatemala, Panama

Taxon discussion

In addition to the general remarks above on ways to differentiate males from females, males of C. squamifrons can be distinguished from females by interstice 3 being sharply costate, while in some females, it may be subapically interrupted. Males are generally narrower-bodied than females.

Females in the paralectotype series differ from each other in the presence of a subbasal interruption of striae 3 and greater pronotal lateral expansion, resulting in a cordate pronotum e.g. in specimen number NHMUK010801264.