Pseudomelactus grevilleae, 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 : 125

Pseudomelactus grevilleae n. sp.

Fig. 11

DESCRIPTION. — Black or dark reddish brown. Vestiture consisting of a dense coat of oval, grey or slightly pinkish scales, in male brownish on elytral dorsum, usually with some white scales around strial puncta; in female rather uniformly grey; underside in either sex chalky white throughout, scales covering entirely also last three ventrites. Setae short, recumbent.

Rostrum usually with a smooth, shiny, sometimes slightly raised midline, this not extending to epistome; epistome somewhat raised in relation to surroundings, densely, finely punctate except for coarse vibrissae-bearing puncta. Antennite 2 of funicle shorter than 1. Prothorax lacking granules, occasionally with traces of some; basal rim of pronotum interrupted in front of scutellum. Elytra in male not costate on interstria 7, and at apex with very small, non-contiguous spines; elytra in female distinctly costate on interstria 7, and at apex with fine, long, contiguous spines. Fore tibiae finely asperous on lower edge, not denticulate; tarsite 2 of front leg not or hardly as wide as long.

Length: 5.3-8.5 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype female, 8.0 x 3.3 mm, 6 km N of Païta , 25.I.1963, on Grevillea, G. Kuschel, NZAC. 16 paratypes with BPBM, IRSN, NZAC.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia. 1 pair, Humboldt- pair, Mt. Mou , 250 m, 3.II.1963, on Proteaceae, G. Kuschel ; 1 Kalouchola River junction, 100 m, 14.XII.1963, R. Straatman; pair, 6 km N of Païta, 25.I.1963, on Grevillea, G. Kuschel ; 1 pair, 1 male, 4 females, 3 km E of La Coulée, 23.I.1963, on Grevillea , 10 km NW of Plum, 50-100 m, 24.III.1968, J. L. Gressitt; 1 pair, G. Kuschel; 1 female, Mt. Do, 1000 m, 22.X.1978, J. C. Watt; 1 Thio, III.1959, N Krauss; 1 male, NE of Yambi, 12-15.X.1967, J. pair, Mt. Koghi, 500-800 m, 23-27.X.1967, J. & M. Sedlacek; 1 Sedlacek. 19 specimens .

HOSTPLANTS. — Grevillea (Proteaceae) .

ETYMOLOGY. — The specific name ‘grevílleae’ is the genitive form of the host Grevillea , a genus of Proteaceae represented by more than a dozen species in New Caledonia.

REMARKS. — P. grevilleae and P. acutus specimens were beaten off foliage of the genus Grevillea near La Coulée and Païta.