Piazurus Schoenherr, 1825: c.586

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 : 65-67

Piazurus Schoenherr, 1825: c.586 Figs 3 , 23 , 60 , 70

Type species.

Poecilma stipitosum Germar, 1824 [by original designation].

Gender.

Masculine.

Diagnosis.

An elongate second funicular article and broad triangular femoral tooth place Piazurus near Pseudopinarus and Pseudopiazurus , and it can be differentiated from them by the longer second abdominal ventrite (which is as long as the third and fourth ventrites when seen from the side) and the protibial apex that bears a premucro. Being a much more diverse genus than Pseudopinarus and Pseudopiazurus , it is easiest to arrive at an identification by a negative identification of those two smaller genera: namely, species of Piazurus never have a carinate vertex of the head (as in many Pseudopinarus ), a strongly impressed first abdominal ventrite (as in Pseudopiazurus ), or a subapical premucro (as in some Pseudopinarus and Pseudopiazurus ) and usually do not have a mesal procoxal process (which is found in most Pseudopinarus and a South American Pseudopiazurus ; it is present at least in Piazurus alternans ).

Notes.

Fiedler (1936) divided Piazurus into seven groups based mainly on the shape of the elytra and the presence, location and shape of elytral tubercules.

Keys .

Fiedler 1936 (Central and South America), Heller 1906: 33 ( Piazurus s. str. of Central and South America), Champion 1906: 9 (Central America).

Phylogenetic relationships.

Of the genera with a broad ventral metafemoral tooth, Piazurus is most similar to Pseudopiazurus with a conical prothorax and lack of a mesal process of the procoxae (though it is present in at least one species of each genus).

Host associations.

Some species have been reared from branches of various genera of Lecythidaceae ( Fassbender 2013, Fassbender et al. 2014). Maes and O’Brien (1990) report Piazurus trifoveatus Champion, 1906 from Coffea L. ( Rubiaceae Juss.) and Costa-Lima (1956: 218) reports a Brazilian species from fruits of Myrtaceae.

Described species.

Nineteen species are known from the focal region and an additional 58 species are exclusive to South America ( Wibmer and O’Brien 1986: 260).

Range.

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

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 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 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].