Balaninus sikkimensis Heller, 1927:185

Pelsue, Frank W. & Zhang, Runzhi, 2003, A Review of the Genus Curculio from China with Descriptions of Fourteen New Species. Part IV. The Curculio sikkimensis (Heller) Group (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Curculionini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (3), pp. 311-333 : 316

Balaninus sikkimensis Heller, 1927:185 .

Type. India, Sikkim, Holotype male, ( SMTD).

Diagnosis. Large-sized; 6.8 mm in length, width 3.1 mm; derm fuscous; male rostrum longer than half body length, female almost as long as body; scape not as long as funicular segments 1–4; distance from insertion of scape to anterior margin of eye 1.6 mm; antennal club small as long as funicular segments 5–7; tooth on hind femur medium; mesosternal intercoxal process prominent; scutellum longer than broad, moderate sized, clothed with white scales; elytral striae with narrow, elongate, clavate, testaceous scales, with indication of median fascia of fuscous scales and confused macula of fuscous scales, remaining scales cinerous; sternite 2 longer than 1 behind coxal cavity; sternite 5 with broad median concavity, apical margins of concavity elevated in both males and females. Genitalia: median lobe 1.7 mm in length, 0.31 mm in width, margins narrower at base than apex, abruptly rounded to nipple, sclerotic margins broad to a slot before apex, laterally rather broad, gradually deflected to apex; apodeme 2.1 mm in length (Figs. 45–47).

Plant Associations. Castanea sp. Morimoto (1981).

Distribution. China: Beijing City, Miyun; Jilin Province, Hunchun; Yunnan Province; Shaanxi Province. Japan. India, Sikkim Province.

Remarks. This species was confused with Curculio dentipes (Roelofs) in Japan, Morimoto (1981), but is not as robust, scape not as long, distance from anterior margin of eye to insertion of scape longer in C. dentipes , and can be separated by the male genitalia.