Euwallacea fornicatior (Eggers)

Smith, Sarah M., Beaver, Roger A. & Cognato, Anthony I., 2020, A monograph of the Xyleborini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) of the Indochinese Peninsula (except Malaysia) and China, ZooKeys 983, pp. 1-442 : 1

Euwallacea fornicatior (Eggers) Fig. 54E, F, K

Xyleborus fornicatior Eggers, 1923: 184.

Euwallacea fornicatior (Eggers): Wood and Bright 1992: 690 (as a synonym of E. fornicatus ).

Xyleborus schultzei Schedl, 1951a: 68. Smith et al. 2019b: 6.

Type material.

Holotype Xyleborus fornicatior (NMNH). Lectotype Xyleborus schultzei (NHMW).

Diagnosis.

2.2-2.37 mm long (mean = 2.3 mm; n = 5); 2.15-2.35 × as long as wide. This species is distinguished by the pronotum basic (type 2) when viewed dorsally, anterior margin appearing rounded; declivity rounded; declivital face convex; protibiae outer margins rounded with six or seven socketed denticles, denticles small, their sockets small; declivital surface shiny; declivital interstriae bearing sparse small granules; and declivital posterolateral margin costate. This species is part of the Euwallacea fornicatus species complex and the most reliable method to ensure accurate identification of these species is through generation of COI barcoding sequences ( Gomez et al. 2018b; Smith et al. 2019b). Specimens of E. fornicatior can be morphologically diagnosed through a combination of overlapping elytral and pronotal measurements and number of socketed denticles on the protibiae given in Table 2 .

This species is nearly identical to E. geminus and E. malloti and can be separated by the elytral bases rounded and posterolateral declivital margin carinate and never granulate.

Similar species.

This species is part of the Euwallacea fornicatus species complex along with E. fornicatus , E. kuroshio and E. perbrevis from which it is difficult to distinguish. The species is also similar to E. andamanensis , E. geminus , E. malloti , E. neptis , E. semirudis , E. testudinatus , and E. velatus .

Distribution.

China (Sichuan), Federated States of Micronesia, India (Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu), Indonesia (Java, Sulawesi), East & West Malaysia, New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, and Thailand ( Smith et al. 2019b).

Host plants.

Recorded from Albizzia and Tephrosia ( Fabaceae ), durian ( Durio zibethinus ) ( Malvaceae ), breadfruit ( Artocarpus altilis ) ( Moraceae ) and tea ( Camellia sinensis ) ( Theaceae ) ( Smith et al. 2019b).

Remarks.

Due to longstanding confusion of E. fornicatior with E. fornicatus and E. perbrevis it is quite difficult to unravel the published accounts of the biology of each species. All three species occur sympatrically on Sri Lanka where most of the natural history studies were undertaken. See the discussion on the identity of the tea shot hole borer in Smith et al. (2019b).

Figures

Figure 54. Dorsal, lateral and declivital view of Euwallacea andamanensis, 2.8 - 3.4 mm (A, B, I), E. destruens, 3.9 - 4.6 mm (C, D, J), E. fornicatior, 2.20 - 2.37 mm (E, F, K), and E. fornicatus, 2.6 - 2.7 mm (G, H, L).