Scolytocis samoensis Blair, 1928

Lopes-Andrade, Cristiano, 2008, An essay on the tribe Xylographellini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea: Ciidae), Zootaxa 1832 (1), pp. 1-110 : 36

Scolytocis samoensis Blair, 1928

Diagnosis and comments

Scol. samoensis was described based on just one specimen, probably a female, deposited in BPBM (Hawaii, USA). Blair (1928) mentioned that the holotype is very defective. From the description provided by Blair (1928), Scol. samoensis may be distinguished from the other Scolytocis described here by the completely rounded humeri and the first abdominal ventrite longer than the next two ventrites together. In the other Scolytocis the first abdominal ventrite is as long as or shorter than the next two ventrites together, and the humeri is always angulate.

As mentioned by Blair, the tarsi of Scol. samoensis appear to have three tarsomeres. The basal tarsomere of all Scolytocis examined in this study is extremely small and barely visible, even at high magnifications (over 100X under stereomicroscope). However, in slide preparations, I could evaluate that all species have four tarsomeres in each tarsus. The same is probably true for Scol. samoensis . A small discussion on the hypothetical presence of three tarsomeres (rather than four) in each tarsus of some ciid species is provided by Lopes-Andrade (2007a).

Due to its shorter length, the seriate elytral punctation, and the antennal club that is almost twice as long as the funicle, Scol. samoensis may be tentatively included in the lawrencei species-group.

Distribution Known only from the type locality: Tutuila, Pago Pago, Samoa (Polynesia; Fig. 135 ).

Figures

FIGURE 135. Distributional map of the Australasian and Oceanic species of Scolytocis Blair, showing the distribution of Scol. novaezelandiae sp. nov. (triangles), Scol. samoensis Blair (plus symbol) and Scol. zimmermani sp. nov. (square).