Lobops Schoenherr, 1845: 116

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

Lobops Schoenherr, 1845: 116 Figs 2 , 39 , 69

Type species.

Lobops setosus Fåhraeus, 1845 [by original designation].

Gender.

Masculine.

Diagnosis.

Lobops is unique among the Piazurines in having a prominent cup-shaped receptacle for receiving the rostrum on the mesoventrite (Fig. 2 ), a dense covering in flat, round scales, and strongly concave interocular space (Fig. 39 ). The metafemoral tooth is not especially large, the femora are not strongly clavate, and the second funicular article is relatively short (not longer than the first); these characters are also shared with Cratosomus but not other piazurine genera treated here.

Phylogenetic relationships.

Of the five piazurine genera covered here, Lobops has the least certain placement in the tribe. Schoenherr (1845) originally indicated for the South American type species a relationship with Conotrachelus , and the genus was previously placed in the Ithyporini Lacordaire, 1865 ( O’Brien and Wibmer 1982: 125, as Cryptorhynchinae ; the tribe is currently placed in the Molytinae ), overlooking a transfer to the Piazurini by Kuschel (1955: 271). The only known Central American species, L. bonvouloiri , was originally described in the genus Pseudopinarus . The structure of the mesoventrite is suggestive of placement in the Cryptorhynchinae , but that type of receptacle has been shown to not be exclusive to the subfamily ( Riedel et al. 2016: 5). Lobops is certainly better placed in the Piazurini than in the other tribes reviewed here - despite differences in a number of characters, the exposed pygidium that is not visible in dorsal view, the unarmed femoral apices, non-carinate femora, and lack of sclerolepidia, in combination, are unique to the Piazurini .

Host associations.

Unknown.

Described species.

One species is known from the focal region and two additional species are known from South America ( Wibmer and O’Brien 1986: 263).

Range.

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 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].