Levoecus vanuatensis, Kuschel, 2008

Kuschel, Guillermo, 2008, Curculionoidea (weevils) of New Caledonia and Vanuatu: Basal families and some Curculionidae, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 197, pp. 99-250 : 167-168

Levoecus vanuatensis n. sp.

Fig. 66

DESCRIPTION. — Black or piceous, coxae, base of femora, tibiae and last three ventrites reddish brown, antennae, tarsi and derm of elytra covered by pale scales dark brown. Vestiture consisting of a dense coat of mostly roundish scales on prothorax, elytra and femora, coating sparser laterally on underside, head and rostrum; scales dark and greyish white, pale ones on head, rostrum, sides of pronotal disk, underside, base and upper part of femora, and forming varying patterns on elytra at base, across the dorsal middle, at apex and along suture.

Head obliquely strigose. Sulcus across rostral base complete, running down against upper half of eyes, filled here with a row of scales. Rostrum parallel-sided but pterygia protruding slightly over sides, epecially in male. Dorsal surface with or without a median sulcus; apical declivity usually with a few scales. Scape with strong, curved setae applied or not to derm and often a few scales at apex; segment 1 of funicle slightly longer than 2, all segments elongate; club fusiform, about twice as long as wide. Prothorax as wide as long but mostly a little wider than long, gently rounded on sides, with distinct rim at base, in lateral view moderately convex. Elytra 10- or 12-striate, if latter supernumerary striae on interstria 8; last stria obsolescent along ventrites; dorsal interstriae with sparse granules. Abdomen flattish on middle in male, convex in female. Ventrites 3 and 4 sparsely pubescent, 5 densely so.

Length: 3.5-5.2 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype male, 4.7 x 2.2 mm, N Lakatoro, 22-30.IX.1967, J. & M. Sedlacek , BPBM. Paratypes with BPBM, NZAC .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Vanuatu. Espíritu Santo : 1 male, SW, females, Amok, 14 and 17.IX.1958, B Malkin; 2 males, 2 females, Tasmalum, 3 m, 4.IX.1957, J. L. Gressitt; 1 female, SW, above Na- Tenmaru, 14.IX.1958, B. Malkin; 31 males, 35 females, N. Lakamatasopa, 400 m, 30.VIII.1957, J. L. Gressitt; 1 female, SW, Nama- toro, 22-30.IX.1967, J. & M. Sedlacek. Efate: NW, Limestone, Platasopa, below 250 m, 2.IX.1957, J. L. Gressit; Malekula: 7 males, 4 teau N of Maat, 100 m, 18.VIII.1957, J. L. Gressitt. 85 specimens .

BIOLOGY. — No information.

ETYMOLOGY. — The patronymic name is to draw attention that the genus occurs also on Vanuatu, as the genus was known only from Fiji.

REMARKS. — There are numerous species of Levoecus from Fiji in the collections of Landcare Research, Auckland, but the species described from Vanuatu is not amongst the Fijian ones. Marshall (1956) reported also Vanuatu for Levoecus without mentioning or describing any species for these islands.