Melanesicus granulosus (Schedl) Beaver & Petrov & Sittichaya, 2021

Beaver, R. A., Petrov, A. V. & Sittichaya, W., 2021, A new genus of ambrosia beetle from Melanesia (Coleoptera: Curculionidae Scolytinae: Xyleborini), Zootaxa 4949 (1), pp. 163-172 : 170

Melanesicus granulosus (Schedl) comb. n.

Xyleborus granulosus Schedl 1975: 366 .

Taxonomy. The holotype (NMW) has been examined by RAB. The species was synonymised with Xyleborus partitus by Schedl (1980), but restored as a distinct species by Beaver (1991). Hulcr and Cognato (2013) diagnosed the species, recognised that it could not be included in Xyleborus sens. str., and included it under ‘ Xyleborini , incertae sedis ’. Cognato et al. (2020) in their phylogeny of 181 xyleborine species, showed that it lay on a branch distinct from Xyleborus . The species is distinguished from other species of Melanesicus apart from M. nukuruanus , by the lack of distinct striae, and the irregular arrangement of granules on the elytral declivity.

Distribution. The species is endemic to New Guinea.

Biology. Unknown.

Remarks. A photograph of a female specimen is available at http://www.ambrosiasymbiosis.org.