Temnocerus aeratus (Say)

Young, Julia Janicki Daniel K., 2021, Survey of the Attelabidae of Wisconsin (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea), Insecta Mundi 2021 (891), pp. 1-61 : 19-20

Temnocerus aeratus (Say)

( Fig. 19–20 )

Diagnosis. Temnocerus aeratus can be recognized by the frons that lacks a median impression, and by the rostrum that is distinctly angulate and apically flattened in apical view and that is more-or-less parallel-sided from antennal insertion towards apex.

Description. Length of male 2.1–2.2 mm, of female 2.1–2.8 mm. Integument black, with brassy purple reflections; to the naked eye bronze to reddish or greenish bronze. Head quadrate, with rather widely and evenly spaced, round, setigerous punctures, distance between punctures about equal to the puncture size, more widely spaced in middle of frons and more crowded around eye, interspace with highly reflective dense bead-like granulations. Rostrum in male length <1.0× pronotal length, in female about 1.25× pronotal length; nearly parallel-sided for entire length, slightly widening apically, distinctly angulate just beyond antennal insertion, gradually and strongly flattened from middle to apex, with wide weak channel dorsomedially from between antennal insertion to base. Eyes large, oval, weakly conical, separation equal to or slightly greater than longest diameter; in male protuberant, in female moderately protuberant. Antennae in male inserted at basal 1/3 of rostrum, in female between basal 2⁄5 and 1⁄5 of rostrum. Pronotum as long as wide, more elongate in male, slightly narrowing apically, less so in male, widest behind middle, with round, dense setigerous punctures, those sometime fusing, interspace with highly reflective bead-like granulation. Elytral length>2.0× pronotal length, width 1.75× pronotal width; striae quadrate, moderately impressed; interstriae weakly convex, narrower than striae, with a row of small setigerous punctures. Sexual dimorphism present in size, rostrum, antennal insertion, eyes and pronotum.

Natural history. Adults have been collected from Virginia pine ( Pinus virginiana Miller ), catkins of willow ( Salix Linnaeus spp. ), sweetfern ( Comptonia peregrina ), white oak ( Quercus alba Linnaeus ), and oak in general ( Quercus spp. ). Vogt, in Kissinger (1964) stated that the larvae of this species develop in terminal buds of oak.

Phenology. In Wisconsin, adults have been collected in August and September.

Collecting methods. The 11 Wisconsin specimens examined during this study from six counties represent a new state record (Appendix 1). They have been collected from bur oak ( Quercus macrocarpa Michaux ) and white oak ( Q. alba ). Another specimen was collected by beating hardwood trees, and another was collected in a flight-intercept trap.

Distribution. United States. AR, AZ, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, WI, WV. Canada. ON. Mexico. BJ.

Wisconsin county records. Eau Claire, Florence, Marinette, Marquette, Portage, Waupaca.

Figures

Figures 19–20. Temnocerus aeratus (Say). 19) Habitus, dorsal view. 20) Habitus, lateral view.