Mnemynurus Heller, 1895: 54

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 : 81-82

Mnemynurus Heller, 1895: 54 Fig. 87

Type species.

Mnemynurus caloderes Heller, 1895 [by monotypy].

Gender.

Masculine.

Diagnosis.

All of the described and most of the observed undescribed species of Mnemynurus are members of the red-headed fly mimicry complex ( Hespenheide 1973, 1995), and are most difficult to distinguish from the similarly patterned species of Hoplocopturus and the South American Balaninurus which also share the distinctive inverted U-shaped carina on the mesoventrite. See “Diagnosis” for Hoplocopturus above for more information on the separation of the genera. The second funicular article is much longer than the first, the apex of rostrum is flattened and dilated, the hind femora are ventrally toothed and sometimes carinate, and the rostrum usually extends past the posterior border of metaventrite (though not in M. longispinis ) and sometimes beyond the apex of the abdomen.

Notes.

Mnemynurus , Paramnemyne , and the South American genus Mnemyne are the only New World genera having a rostral channel extending at least to the posterior half of the metaventrite. A distinct channel is found only in the larger Mnemynurus species and the metaventrites of other species are longitudinally depressed. Zayas (1988) described two species from Cuba, although based on the descriptions their placement in this genus is uncertain.

Keys .

Champion 1906b: 49 (for Central America; M. caloderes in key = M. championi Heller, 1933 ( Heller 1933: 150)), Heller 1932 a: 5 (only to the three species described by Heller).

Phylogenetic relationships.

Most similar to the South American genus Balaninurus Heller, but generic limits between these two genera and Hoplocopturus need resolving - see Hoplocopturus above.

Host associations.

Species of Mnemynurus have been recorded as gall-inducing on young leaves of Philodendron Schott ( Araceae ) ( Hanson et al. 2014: 503).

Described species.

Nine species are known from the focal region including two described by Zayas (1988) and two additional species are known from South America ( Wibmer and O’Brien 1986: 270).

Range.

Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Cuba [ Zayas 1988]; South America.

Figures

Figures 87 - 90. Lateral and dorsal habitus images of Lechriopini. 87 a-b Mnemynurus poeciloderes [ARTSYS 0000803] 88 a-b Paramnemyne decemcostata [ASUHIC 0065104] 89 a-b Poecilogaster brevis [ASUHIC 0086631] 90 a-b Pseudolechriops megacephalus [ASUHIC 0086629]. Scale bars = 2 mm.