Dracophyllius marginicollis, Kuschel, 2008

Kuschel, Guillermo, 2008, Curculionoidea (weevils) of New Caledonia and Vanuatu: Basal families and some Curculionidae, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 197, pp. 99-250 : 202-203

Dracophyllius marginicollis n. sp.

Figs 91, 159-162

DESCRIPTION. — Integument dark brown, rather densely covered with brown and white elongated scales, on sides of pronotum white or yellowish scales condensed to a stripe, on basal half of elytra mixed scales of white and brown delimiting a large brown apical area.

Head flat, squamose, sparsely granulose in the middle, with large, transverse dull glabrous spot on either side. Rostrum longer than prothorax, 4.0-4.5 x as long as wide at apex, gently sinuous at base, curved at apical one-third, densely rugose-punctate; prorostrum as long as broad. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, subparallel at basal onethird, then converging in gentle curved to apical constriction; disk gently convex, rather finely, sparsely granulose, more strongly granulose on sides below white stripe. Scutellum pubescent.

Elytra gently convex across basal one-half, densely, finely granulose, granules with small, recumbent squamiform seta. Prosternal process between coxae hardly as wide as antennal club. Abdomen at base flattened, not or hardly impressed, lacking erect pubescence. Hind femora not extending to end of abdomen. Fore tibiae not asperate on lower edge, with strong tooth at basal two-fifths; hind tibiae lacking tooth basad from small premucro. Tarsi white with dense, long pubescence; segment 2 of front pair hardly longer than 3, slightly asymmetric.

Male: tegmen as in Fig. 161; parameral sector strongly reduced, lobes tapering, free, subcontiguous. Aedeagus as in Fig. 159, relatively large; aedeagal body 2,20 x 0.65 mm, parallel-sided, slightly attenuated at apex; rolled over part of pedon narrow; apodemes 2.5 mm long, slightly longer than aedeagal body; internal sac with a 2.5 mm long basal sclerite, a tapering, anteriorly and posteriorly emarginate, 0.425 mm long steering plate, a pair of small, weakly pigmented median sclerites, and a pair of strong ostial rods.

Length: 11.5-16.0 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype male, 12.0 x 4.6 mm, data as above , NZAC. Paratypes: 1 BPBM, NHML, 2 NZAC .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia. 4 males, Mt. Mou , 1000-1100 m, 3.II.1963, on Dracophyllum verticillatum, G. Kuschel ; 1 female, ‘46330, NewHeb, Brazier, Fry Coll.’ [New Hebrides in error]. 5 specimens .

HOSTPLANTS. — Dracophyllum verticillatum (Epacridaceae) .

ETYMOLOGY. — The specific epithet ‘marginicóllis’ is a Latin compound from ‘margen’ for margin, and ‘collis’ for neck or prothorax.

REMARKS. — Readily distinguished from all other species by having a contrasting pale stripe on sides of prothorax.