Rhinoscapha, Montrouzier, 1855

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 : 126-127

Genus RHINOSCAPHA Montrouzier

Rhinoscapha Montrouzier, 1855: 47 (type species R. bicincta Montrouzier ). — Lacordaire 1863: 126.

DESCRIPTION. — Large adelognathous species with a very hard, heavily chitinised body, defined in the main as follows: rostrum broadly sulcate on midline, scrobes and scape directed towards lower part of transverse eyes, segment 2 of funicle only slightly longer than 1, first club segment as long as remainder of club, prothorax with no or weak ocular lobes and no vibrissae, scutellum well-exposed, elytra with humeral callus but no other calli or tubercles in the study area, hind tibiae with broad, pilose or squamose corbel plate.

DISTRIBUTION. — Indonesia, New Guinea, Australia, Solomon, Fiji, Vanuatu, Loyalty Is.

HOSTPLANTS. — No reliable information.

ETYMOLOGY. — ‘Rhinoscápha’ is a Greek compound from ‘rhin, rhinós’ for nose or weevil, and ‘skaphe’ for boat.

REMARKS. — Related to the Australian Leptopius group of genera. Two species from the study area present, keyed out below with the closely related R. cristovalensis from the Solomon Is.

KEY TO SPECIES OF RHINOSCAPHA

1. Scaling white, grey, yellowish or pinkish brown, or coppery, on elytra usually forming a vague band from stria 7 across middle of dorsum. Elytra, in profile, slightly depressed behind base. Stria 3 joining 6, 4 joining 5, and 7 joining 8. Metasternum, in front of intercoxal process of ventrite 1, lacking black bare lines. 17-26 mm. Vanuatu............................................................................... vanuatensis — Scaling green, glaucous or grey, on elytra uniformly coloured, with no hints of a band. Elytra, in profile, not impressed all across behind base, but may be depressed at shoulders. Stria 3 joining 8, 4

joining 5, and 6 joining 7. Metasternum, in front of intercoxal process of ventrite 1, with black bare lines, these V-shaped or transverse .................................................................................................................. 2

2. Rostrum with a sharply defined bare line at bottom of a usually deep median depression. Epistomal area gently depressed against sides and back. Pronotum reticulate, multifoveate, with bare interspaces surrounding clusters of scales in shallow foveae. Elytral dorsum with conspicuous, largely bare striae and flat interstriae. Bare metasternal lines V-shaped, diverging by a little over or under 90° angle. 17-25 mm. Loyalty Is., Vanuatu...................................................................................... meridiana — Rostrum lacking a sharply defined black line at bottom of a usually shallow median depression. Epistomal area abruptly depressed against sides and back. Pronotum transversely rugose, neither reticulate nor multifoveate, without bare interspaces surrounding clusters of scales. Elytral dorsum, at basal half, with distinctly convex interstriae, especially interstria 3 at base, and more or less foveate striae, with a small pupillated punctum at bottom of each fovea. Bare metasternal lines divaricate, diverging appproximately by a 165° angle. 15.0- 23.5 mm. Solomon Is ........................... [ cristovalensis ]