Geochus politus, (Broun, 1881)

Leschen, Richard A. B., Davis, Steven, Brown, Samuel D. J., Brav-Cubitt, Talia & Buckley, Thomas R., 2022, The Enigmatic Dead-Leaf Miner Geochus Broun (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): Phylogenetic Placement, a New Species, and Lectotype Designations, The Coleopterists Bulletin 76 (1), pp. 1-35 : 29

GeOchUs pOlitUs (Broun, 1881) ( Figs. 15 , 17 )

Geophilus politus Broun 1881: 704 . Type locality: Mount Manaia .

Geochus politus (Broun, 1881) . Implied combination by Broun 1882: 128.

Type Depository. BMNH : LT, 2 PLT.

Distribution. New Zealand (ND).

Remarks. Broun “detected three or four specimens amongst vegetable matter” on which he based this name: three specimens were located in the Broun collection (BMNH), one of which we designate as the lectotype to stabilize the epithet, with the remaining two becoming paralectotypes. There was an additional specimen labeled as a variant in the Broun collection (BMNH) that we considered not to be part of the syntype series.

This species forms a species group with G. distinguens , G. pictulus , and G. squamosus . The combination of nearly impunctate pronotal disc, distinctly heptagonal shape of the elytra, and strongly angulate meso- and metatibiae, distinguishes members of the group from other Geochus .

Type Material Examined. Lectotype, here designated ( BMNH): acetate card-mounted [with light green basal strip], “1239. [olive label]// New Zealand. [red underline] Broun Coll. Brit. Mus. 1922-482.//Manaia//Whangarei// Geochus politus [in Broun’s hand]” . Paralectotypes: 2 ( BMNH), same but two mounted on the same style acetate card, one dorsally, lacking identification label and Manaia label [which may have inadvertently been attached to the lectotype] .

Figures

Fig. 15. Elytral outlines for representatives of each of the Geochus species groups.

Fig. 17. Dorsal habitus photographs of representatives of the type series or holotypes of Geochus arranged into informal groups.