Platysimus septentrionalis (Paulian)

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 : 159

Platysimus septentrionalis (Paulian)

Figs 55, 56

Heteroglymma septentrionalis Paulian, 1945: 188 , 191.

Platysimus septentrionalis – Thompson 1982: 86, figs 9-18, pls 2, 52, 53 (syn. pauliani , ruteri ).

Heteroglymma auberti Paulian, 1945: 188 , 192, figs 25- 27 n. syn.

Heteroglymma pauliani Marshall, 1956: 119 .

Heteroglymma ruteri Paulian,1945: 187 , 190.

DESCRIPTION. — Male: humeral area in dorsal view concavely curved (sinuous). Flattening or depression of the elytral dorsum to the sides ends normally with stria 7, not with 5 or 6 as in P. insularis , P. planidorsi and P. setiger .

Female: subparallel sides of elytra and a non-excavate ventrite 5 separates P. septentionalis from P. fleutiauxi , but not from other species.

Length: 3.0- 5.7 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL. — No type material present .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Vanuatu. Banks Is. (2 exs), Espíri- Erromango (61 exs), Tanna (33 exs), Aneityum (13 exs). In all tu Santo (79 exs), Malakula (90 exs), Ambrym (102 exs), Epi 525 specimens. (Also on Rennel I. and Santa Cruz of the Solo- (74 exs), Shepherd Group (Tongariki I., 1 ex.), Efate (70 exs), mon Is., after Thompson 1982) .

HOSTPLANTS. — Specimens were found on Citrus , Colocasia , Hibiscus, Ipomoea ; species not expected to be a specialised feeder.

REMARKS. — The concept of the species is in agreement with that of Thompson (1982) except for the geographical range here extended to include the southern islands of Vanuatu.

ETYMOLOGY. — The Latin epithet ‘septentrionális’, meaning northerly, came from ‘septentrio’ (pl. septentriones) for

the seven brightest stars of Ursa major , the Great Bear Constellation right by the north pole.