Pygidiapion zikani ( Heller, 1922 ) Sousa & Mermudes, 2021

Sousa, Wesley Oliveira De & Mermudes, José Ricardo M., 2021, Pygidiapion De Sousa & Mermudes, a new genus of Apioninae (Brentidae Apioninae: Apionini) associated with Fabaceae from Brazil, with the description of a new species and transfer of Apion zikani Heller, 1922, Zootaxa 4948 (4), pp. 575-585 : 581-582

Pygidiapion zikani ( Heller, 1922) comb. n.

Apion zikani Heller, 1922:52 (description). Blackwelder 1947:831 (catalogue); Costa-Lima 1956:126 (citation); D’Araujo e Silva et al. 1968:461 (catalogue); Wibmer and O’Brien 1986:44 (catalogue); De Sousa et al. 2019:15 (checklist).

Comment. It was not possible to obtain male syntypes; however, based on the brief diagnosis presented in the description, and the illustrations and biology ( Heller 1922), together with detailed examination of female syntypes, this species is distinguished from P. zeppelinii by the smaller size (length 1.80 mm and maximum width 0.85 mm); brownish head, rostrum and antennae; scutellum subquadrate; and by association with Dalbergia spp. ( Fabaceae ). Males would be needed for a more complete description and better separation from P. zeppelinii .

Type material. We examined six syntypes, two deposited at MNRJ and four at CEIOC, with printed labels: “Cotype”, 2 females ( MNRJ), 4 females ( CEIOC), all syntypes glued on paper triangles, Apion zikani Heller , Para, Sor. Dario Mendes [det.], Passa Quatro Minas [Gerais], ex-collection J. F. Zikan. The syntypes examined at MNRJ were destroyed in the fire of September 2, 2019 .

Non-type material examined. One female, glued on paper triangle, ex-collection J. F. Zikan, No. 9.616 I. O. C. Coleoptera, CEIOC 4224 ( CEIOC) .

Biology. Larvae and pupae of P. zikani develop in flower buds of Dalbergia foliolosa and Dalbergia glaucescens (Mart. ex Benth.) (Fabaceae) ( Blackwelder 1947; Costa-Lima 1956; D’Araujo e Silva et al. 1968). The genus Dalbergia (Fabaceae) comprises about 40 species in Brazil, recorded from practically all ecosystems, mainly in the Caatinga, Cerrado and Atlantic Rainforest biomes and in rupestre (coastal dune) vegetation. Some species are economically important for their valuable wood, while others are considered endangered because of accelerated deforestation and habitat fragmentation in tropical forests ( Mendes et al. 2012).