On Prionus (Trichoprionus) Fragoso & Monné, 1982

Fragoso & Monné (1982) described Prionus (Trichoprionus) to allocate their new species P. (T.) aureopilosus (Figs. 126–127), from Dominican Republic. According to them [translation]: “It differs from the other subgenera of Prionus, of American occurrence, by the antennae with 11 segments, by the pronotum penta-tuberculate on disc, and by the dense elytral pubescence in males.”

Prionus (Trichoprionus) is not a true Prionus . It is much closer to Derobrachus Audinet-Serville, 1832 than Prionus . It is particularly closer to the “Apterous species group” of Derobrachus, sensu Santos-Silva (2007) . The general appearance of P. (Trichoprionus) aureopilosus Fragoso & Monné, 1982 superficially resembles that of Prionus corpulentus Bates, 1878, and P. siskai Drumont & Komiya, 2006, both known from the Palearctic Region. However, it clearly differs by antennomeres III–X with large, spiniform projection at outer angle in males (flabellate or almost so in Prionus, and the flabellum is usually wide, rounded at apex or distinctly emarginated), by the antennae with 11 segments (with at least 12 segments in Prionus), by the pronotum distinctly tuberculate (not or very slightly tuberculate in Prionus), and by tarsomeres IV–V together about as long as I–III together (shorter in Prionus). Trichoprionus also resembles Priotyrannus (Kinibalua) megalops Bates, 1889, from Borneo, Malaysia (Sumatra) and Philippines, but differs as follows: head slender; eyes notably smaller; distance between upper eye lobes equal to, at least, length of one lobe; scape distinctly surpassing posterior ocular edge in males; antennomeres III–XI without poriferous area dorsally. In Priotyrannus (Kinibalua) megalops the head is wider, the eyes are very large, the distance between upper eye lobes is distinctly smaller than length of one lobe (contiguous or nearly so), the scape does not surpass posterior ocular edge in males, and antennomeres III–XI have a poriferous area on the dorsal surface.

As the males of Trichoprionus have antennomeres III–X strongly spiniform at outer angle and not striolate, two characters not present in Derobrachus, we consider it as a distinct genus.

Fragoso & Monné (1982) did not comment on the short metasternum in females, a feature that suggests that they are brachypterous. The examination of a female that belongs to the USNM collection confirms the shortness of the wings in females of Trichoprionus aureopilosus .