Fraudatrix Cognato, Smith & Beaver, 2020

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

Fraudatrix Cognato, Smith & Beaver, 2020

Fraudatrix Cognato, Smith & Beaver, 2020 (in Cognato et al. 2020a): 544.

Type species.

Xyleborus melas Eggers, 1927b; original designation.

Diagnosis.

1.75-2.5 mm and 2.86-3.33 × as long as wide. Fraudatrix is distinguished by the following combination of characters: antennal funicle 2-segmented, antennal club type 2 with one suture visible on the posterior face; protibiae obliquely triangular with six or fewer denticles on outer margin, posterior face flattened and unarmed; scutellum small, flush with elytral surface; mycangial tufts absent, elytra attenuate and pronotal disc longer than anterior slope ( Cognato et al. 2020a).

Fraudatrix most closely resembles Cryptoxyleborus and Tricosa with which it shares an attenuate appearance and small size. It is distinguished from Cryptoxyleborus by the following diagnostic characters ( Fraudatrix given first): scutellum visible vs. scutellum not apparent, antennal club truncate and type 2 vs. flattened and type 4, antennal funicle 2-segmented vs. 3 or 4-segmented, no more than one suture visible on the posterior face vs. three sutures visible. Fraudatrix is also similar to Stictodex with which it shares a type 2 antennal club and obliquely triangular protibia. Stictodex is easily distinguished from Fraudatrix by the following combination of characters ( Stictodex given first): larger size and stouter form (2.4-3.3 mm long; 2.54-2.89 × as long as wide), antennal club very broad, protibiae with 6-8 denticles on outer margin and posterior face inflated and granulate, elytra with first and second interstriae divergent, broadest at elytral summit, and declivity truncate or broadly rounded ( Cognato et al. 2020a).

Similar genera.

Cryptoxyleborus , Tricosa .

Distribution.

Throughout the Oriental and Australian regions.

Gallery system.

Only the gallery of F. cuneiformis has been described. The system has branched tunnels with small brood chambers in the longitudinal plane ( Browne 1961b).

Remarks.

Fraudatrix species appear to be quite rare. Species are known from very few specimens.