Cleopomiarus Pierce, 1919

Jiang, Chunyan, Caldara, Roberto & Zhang, Runzhi, 2018, A taxonomic revision of Chinese Cleopomiarus Pierce (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4378 (3), pp. 337-355 : 338

Cleopomiarus Pierce

Miarus subgen. Cleopomiarus Pierce, 1919: 34 (type species: Miarus erebus LeConte ; subsequent designation by Caldara 1999: 80).

Cleopomiarus Pierce, 1919 . Caldara, 2001: 188. Caldara & Legalov, 2016: 12.

Miaromimus Solari, 1947: 73 (type species: Rhynchaenus graminis Gyllenhal, 1813 by original designation).

Miarus subgen. Hemimiarus Franz, 1947: 237 (type species: Rhynchaenus graminis Gyllenhal by original designation).

Diagnosis. Body robust, usually subglobose. Integument completely black, rarely with reddish elytra. Eyes large, usually flat. Antennal funicle 5-segmented. Pronotum usually transverse, subconical to subspherical. Prosternum with deep longitudinal median canal. Elytra with third interstria joined to sixth interstria at apex. Prosternum, mesanepisternum, mesepimeron and metanepisternum with white fringed scales. Procoxal cavities separate. Uncus present on all tibiae, on male metatibiae often enlarged especially at apex. Tarsal claws free. Penis of pedo-tectal type, usually with flagellum enlarged at base, there joining rod-like or spine-like sclerite. Body of spermatheca often sinuate.

Remarks and comparative notes. The general habitus of all species belonging to Cleopomiarus is very uniform and external characters allowing differentiation of many taxa are few. Species recognition is often possible only by the careful examination of male or female genitalia. Two easily observed external characters, the presence of a deep prosternal canal and free claws, immediately allow separation of Cleopomiarus and Miarus from other Mecinini . The penis without setae at its apex, with endophallus with two large sclerites and without a large and elongated median sclerite in proximity of the orifice, the slightly more pronounced convexity of the pygidium of the male, and the more globose femora distinguish Cleopomiarus from Miarus . Moreover, in many species of Cleopomiarus meso- and metafemora are dentate, the uncus of the male metatibiae is enlarged, and pygidium and ventrite 5 always lack fovea and two teeth placed posterolaterally respectively. Finally, the species of Cleopomiarus are more widely distributed than Miarus , being present not only in the Palaearctic region but also in the Afrotropical and Nearctic regions.