Trichodocerus Chevrolat, 1879: XCII

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 : 64

Trichodocerus Chevrolat, 1879: XCII Figs 1 , 20 , 37 , 67

= Mallerus Bondar, 1946: 86 [Syn.: Bondar 1947: 294]. Type species: Mallerus antiquus Bondar, 1946 [by original designation].

Type species.

Trichodocerus spinolae Chevrolat, 1879 [by subsequent designation: Champion 1906: 713].

Gender.

Masculine.

Diagnosis.

Trichodocerus is easily separated from all other genera treated here by the loose antennal club, the presence of elongate setae on the club and funicular articles, contiguous procoxae, a prosternal rostral channel with the lateral margins strongly converging and meeting below the procoxae, a mesoventrite with a transverse ventrally produced ridge anterior to mesocoxae and the mesoventrite posterior to ridge with dense yellow scales (Fig. 1 ), and the presence of stridulatory plectra on the male seventh abdominal tergite. Funicular article 1 is short and globose, the hind femora are not carinate and ventrally with one or no teeth, the femoral apices are always unarmed at the lateral and mesal faces, the eyes of most species have a distinct lower constriction lateral to rostral insertion (Fig. 37 ), the abdominal ventrites are slightly ascending, and the pygidium is concealed (slightly exposed in male T. spinolae and male of at least 1 undescribed species).

Notes.

The contiguous procoxae efficiently separates Trichodocerus from all genera except some species of the very different Zygops . The yellow scales of the mesocoxae and mesoventrite have also been observed in Arachnomorpha Champion, 1906 (on the pro- and mesocoxae), Microzygops Champion, 1906 (on the procoxae), and some species of Lechriops and Macrocopturus (on the pro- and mesocoxae and ventrally on the mesofemora), but in those genera they are not also present on the mesoventrite between the mesocoxae.

Phylogenetic relationships.

The numerous features that easily separate Trichodocerus from the rest of the conoderines are potentially indicative of improper placement in the Conoderinae , however, the same unique characters prevent confident reassignment to another group of Curculionidae . Champion (1906: 713) noted the similarity of the antennal funicle to Hedycera Pascoe, 1870, a South American genus here reassigned to the Piazurini .

Host associations.

The genus is apparently nocturnal, with most observed specimens being collected at UV light traps - 488 specimens were collected by Wolda et al. (1998), representing three of the 17 species of Conoderinae with more than 10 specimens collected. One undescribed species has been reared from balsa, Ochroma pyramidale (Cav. ex Lam.) Urb. ( Malvaceae : Bombacoideae Burnett) (Hespenheide, personal communication). An observed specimen of T. brevilineatus Champion, 1906 [STRI_ENT_008474] was recorded from dead branches of balsa and an undescribed species [SSAC0001000] was collected on balsa leaves; another observed undescribed species has been collected on dead branches of Pachira sessilis Benth. ( Bombacoideae ) [STRI_ENT_0084793].

Described species.

Two species are known from the focal region and one additional described species occurs in South America. I have accumulated and distinguished over 20 species of Trichodocerus new to science as part of a revision currently in preparation.

Range.

Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama; South America. Undescribed species are also known from Mexico.

Figures

Figures 1 - 9. Variation in the mesoventrite. 1 Trichodocerus brevilineatus [ARTSYS 0000616] showing a prosternal rostral " sheath " with the sides converging below the procoxae, the transverse ridge anterior to the mesocoxae and the region of the mesoventrite posterior to the ridge with dense yellow scales 2 Lobops bonvouloiri [ARTSYS 0000527] showing a cup-shaped receptacle for receiving the rostrum 3 Piazurus trifoveatus [SSAC 0001118] with an " open " channel on the mesoventrite 4 Pseudopinarus condyliatus [SSAC 0001116] with an " open " channel on the mesoventrite 5 Acoptus suturalis [ASUHIC 0016914] showing a flat, unmodified mesoventrite 6 Copturus sanguinicollis [ASUHIC 0086638] showing a closed receptacle on the mesoventrite with lateral flanges 7 Cylindrocopturinus pictus [SSAC 0001288] showing a rostral channel of the mesoventrite formed by relatively parallel carinae and no posterior termination 8 Euzurus ornativentris [ARTSYS 0000796] 9 Hoplocopturus javeti [SSAC 0001289] with an inverted U-shaped carina and the region posterior to the carina invaginated.

Figures 19 - 36. Variation in the metatibial apex. 19 Mesotibial apex of Lechriops vestitus illustrating parts of the tibial apex: a) posterior apical angle with large, curved uncus; b) middle of the apex with produced, rounded inner flange; c) anterior apical margin with premucro; d) oblique ridge of premucro; e) apical setal tuft 20 Male Trichodocerus brevilineatus [ARTSYS 0000609] with a tibial uncus arising at the middle of the apex 21 Cratosomus punctulatus mexicanus [ASUHIC 0031510] with thick fascicles of golden setae near the anterior apical margin and a dense setal brush at the posterior apical face 22 Pseudopiazurus centraliamericanus [ASUHIC 0086627] with a large, subapical premucro 23 Piazurus laetus [SSAC 0001077], showing a typical tibial apex for that genus 24 Acoptus suturalis [ASUHIC 0016915] 25 Cylindrocopturinus pictus [SSAC 0001288] with a pointed, premucro-like inner flange 26 Pseudolechriops klopferi [SSAC 0001060] showing an elongate, uncus-like inner flange. 27 Arachnomorpha circumlineata [ARTSYS 0000535] 28 Archocopturus medeterae [ASUHIC 16884] 29 Cylindrocopturus adspersus [ASUHIC 0016896] with a rounded, produced inner flange 30 Helleriella longicollis [ASUHIC 0065241] with a very short uncus 31 Lissoderes cecropiae [ASUHIC 0064707] with an elongate uncus and minute premucro 32 Phileas granulatus [ARTSYS 0000528] with the middle of the apex (between uncus and premucro) sunken 33 Peltophorus adustus [ASUHIC 0012325] with a short uncus and posterodistal setal comb extending halfway to the base of the tibia 34 Zygops erythropygus [ASUHIC 0086640] with short posterodistal setal comb. 35 Philenis flavipes [ASUHIC 0065102] 36 Philinna bicristata [ARTSYS 0000799] with a small tooth at the anterior apical angle.

Figures 37 - 45. Variation in eye shape. 37 Trichodocerus brevilineatus [ARTSYS 0000609] with large, subcontiguous eyes that continue below rostral insertion 38 Cratosomus punctulatus mexicanus [ASUHIC 0031510] with relatively small, widely separated eyes 39 Lobops bonvouloiri [ARTSYS 0000658] with widely separated eyes and the frons concave between the upper half of the eye 40 Pseudopiazurus centraliamericanus [ASUHIC 0086627] with very large eyes that are contiguous in upper half 41 Pseudopinarus guyanensis [ASUHIC 0086636] with large, subcontiguous eyes and an arcuate carina on the vertex of the head 42 Acoptus suturalis [ASUHIC 0016914] with subcontiguous eyes separated at the top by a lanceolate space 43 Cylindrocopturinus pictus [SSAC 0001288] 44 Macrocopturus lynceus [SSAC 0001085] with very large, partially contiguous eyes 45 Microzygops nigrofasciatus [ARTSYS 0000802] with large eyes contiguous in the bottom 2 / 3 and widely separated at the top.

Figures 67 - 70. Lateral and dorsal habitus images of Trichodocerini and Piazurini. Scale bars = 2 mm unless otherwise specified. 67 a-b Trichodocerus spinolae [ARTSYS 0000534] 68 a-b Cratosomus lafontii [SSAC 0001133]; scale bars = 10 mm 69 a-b Lobops bonvouloiri [ARTSYS 0000527] 70 a-b Piazurus caprimulgus [SSAC 0001113].