Host associations of Melanterius Erichson (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cleogonini), with a diagnosis and delimitation of the genus and description of five new species
Author
Pinzón-Navarro, Sara V.
Author
Jennings, Debbie
Author
Oberprieler, Rolf G.
text
Zootaxa
2017
4298
1
1
77
journal article
32536
10.11646/zootaxa.4298.1.1
e2c6a7ae-f2f7-45cb-a9c0-e885dd74927c
1175-5326
840354
6F38752A-0669-488E-879B-8881EC80ECF2
The
M. costatus
group
This group may be characterised by the presence of conspicuous, pale but more or less unicolorous scales on the elytra, which are distributed in irregular clusters or bands on the interstriae, and a normally placed uncus on the pro- and mesotibiae of the females. It includes the two species described by
Lea (1899)
in
Melanteriosoma
,
M. costatus
and
M. inconspicuus
, as well as
M
.
aberrans
Lea, 1899
,
M. arenaceus
Lea, 1928
,
M. costipennis
Lea, 1905
,
M. lamellatus
Lea, 1913
,
M. rufus
Lea, 1928
,
M. squamipennis
Lea, 1928
,
M. tibialis
Lea, 1928
and
M. vinosus
Pascoe, 1872
, and we here describe two new ones in it,
M. psittacoides
sp. n.
and
M. pungalinae
sp. n.
Similar elytral scales occur in some species of the
M. maculatus
group as well as in several species of
Lybaeba
. Other
Melanterius
species have either fine setae on the elytra or no vestiture at all, whereas other
Lybaeba
species are covered in dense and often bi- or tricolorous scales. Host records are available for seven species placed in this group.