Aridotrox Machado

Machado, Antonio, Rodriguez-Exposito, Eduardo, Lopez, Mercedes & Hernandez, Mariano, 2017, Phylogenetic analysis of the genus Laparocerus, with comments on colonisation and diversification in Macaronesia (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae), ZooKeys 651, pp. 1-77 : 29

Subgenus Aridotrox Machado subg. n.

Type species.

Laparocerus rasus Wollaston, 1864, by present designation. Fig. 12A.

Etymology.

The name is a combination of the Latin ‘aridus’, meaning arid and the latinisation of the Greek term ‘trōx’, meaning gnawer, applied to weevils. Gender masculine.

Species assigned.

Laparocerus colonnellii Machado, 2011; Laparocerus dispar Wollaston, 1864; Laparocerus inexpectatus Machado, 2011; Laparocerus rasus Wollaston, 1864; Laparocerus susicus (Escalera, 1914); and Laparocerus xericola Machado, 2011.

Diagnostic remarks.

Laparocerus endemic to the eastern Canary Islands and to western Morocco, of small to large size (3.9-8.5 mm) and rather uniform outlook with elongate-ovate elytra in males and ovate in females. The integument is dull and brown with cover of lanceolate scales and no erect hairs (except in Laparocerus colonnellii , shiny with long separate hairs). Antennae are slender with thin and briefly capitate scape.

Protibiae straight, with outer apical angle blunt; male metatibiae with a short and deep preapical notch (Fig. 2F) in the outer face shaping the mucro as a flat transversal blade, except in Laparocerus dispar , Laparocerus xericola and two subspecies of Laparocerus susicus . Its presence in Laparocerus susicus inexpectatus may be a reason to promote this subspecies to species status once the relationships among the species complex has been clarified.

Aedeagus with several double-rows of denticles in the internal sac of penis (2 apical, 2 median and 4 basal, reduced in Laparocerus colonnellii and Laparocerus dispar ) with a saddle-shaped sclerite (not much sclerotised) in pre-middle position: gonoporal diverticulum tubular and long, not much longer than blind diverticulum. Female gonostyli long and cylindrical placed subapically.

Unique to this subgenus is an isoleucine triplet coding instead of phenylalanine (both non-polar amino acids) in position 51 of the mitochondrial COII gene.