Copturomimus Heller, 1895: 63

Anzaldo, Salvatore S., 2017, Review of the genera of Conoderinae (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, ZooKeys 683, pp. 51-138 : 69-71

Copturomimus Heller, 1895: 63 Figs 66 , 74

Type species.

Copturomimus cinereus Heller, 1895 [by present designation].

Gender.

Masculine.

Diagnosis.

Copturomimus is similar to the large genus Macrocopturus with the elongate second funicular article, unmodified mesoventrite, and carinate and ventrally toothed hind femora, and can only be distinguished externally from that genus by the obliquely striolate area dorsally on the profemora (Fig. 66 ). The other genus with a striolate patch on the profemora, Copturomorpha , tends to have a striolate patch that is less obvious, being more finely striolate and more often concealed by scales; that genus otherwise is more similar to Eulechriops .

Notes.

The function of the striolate profemora is unknown - the first conoderine species described with it, Copturomorpha musica ( Kirsch 1875b), was named, as the specific epithet suggests, for its hypothesized stridulatory function ( Kirsch 1875b: 248). The function of the patch was instead suggested to be for antennal grooming purposes ( Champion 1906b: 60) due to the lack of an obvious corresponding file structure required for stridulation and the position of the leg relative to the antennal club - observation of Copturomimus caeruleotinctus Champion, 1906 [SSAC0001059] revealed the use of the setal comb at the protibial apex (and not the striolate femoral patch) for antennal cleaning purposes.

Keys .

Champion 1906b: 60 (for Central America), Muñiz 1965: 5 (for three species on avocado, key modified from Muñiz and Barrera 1958: 2).

Phylogenetic relationships.

Heller (1895: 63) originally implied a relationship with his South American genus Copturosomus Heller, 1895, which is also difficult to distinguish from Macrocopturus . The relationship of both genera with Macrocopturus requires much more study to identify natural groupings of species. Whether the striolate femoral patch identifies a natural group is unknown but unlikely ( Hespenheide 2009: 337). See also entry on Macrocopturus for discussion of the relationships of that hypothesized complex of genera.

Host association

. Copturomimus perseae (Guenther, 1935) and two other South American species are wood-boring on avocado ( Lauraceae : Persea Mill.) (Hustache in Mariño M. 1947, Kissinger 1957, Muñiz 1965). Associations of other Central American species are unknown.

Described species.

Twelve species are known from the focal region (one species described by Hespenheide 2009) and five additional species are known from South America ( Wibmer and O’Brien 1986: 271; Muñiz 1965 transferred one species from Copturus ).

Range.

Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama; South America.

Figures

Figures 55 - 66. Miscellaneous morphological structures. 55 Hoplocopturus sulphureus [ARTSYS 0000801] with an overlay showing an elongate second funicular article that is more than twice the length of the first 56 Lissoderes subnudus [SSAC 0001064] with an overlay showing a second funicular article that is subequal to the first, and seven distinct funicular articles 57 Philinna bicristata [ARTSYS 0000799] showing a funiculus composed of six articles 58 Microzurus sp. [SSAC 0001290] showing a short, slender fifth tarsal article and minute claws 59 Philides comans [ARTSYS 0000804] with a broad tooth at the base of the tarsal claw 60 Left metafemoral apex of Piazurus trifoveatus [SSAC 0001118] that is unarmed at the mesal and lateral faces 61 Left metafemoral apex of Cylindrocopturinus pictus [SSAC 0001288] with a tooth only at the mesal face 62 Left metafemoral apex of Peltophorus polymitus seminiveus [SSAC 0001117] showing a small tooth at both mesal and lateral faces 63 Left metafemoral apex of Hoplocopturus sulphureus [ARTSYS 0000801] showing a small tooth at the lateral face and an acuminate process at the mesal face 64 Metaventrite of Pseudopiazurus centraliamericanus [SSAC 0001291] showing deep, arcuate sulc 65 Lateral view of the metathorax of Euzurus ornativentris [ARTSYS 0000796] showing a large tubercle in anterior to the metacoxa 66 Dorsal view of the profemora of Copturomimus caeruleotinctus [SSAC 0001059] showing denuded, striolate regions.

Figures 71 - 74. Lateral and dorsal habitus images of Piazurini, Othippiini and Lechriopini. Scale bars = 2 mm unless otherwise specified 71 a-b Pseudopiazurus centraliamericanus [ASUHIC 0086627]; scale bars = 5 mm 72 a-b Pseudopinarus condyliatus [ASUHIC 0086626]; scale bar for 72 a = 1 mm 73 a-b Acoptus suturalis [ASUHIC 0016914] 74 a-b Copturomimus cinereus [ASUHIC 0086628].