Elytrocallus, Montrouzier, 1861

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 : 129-130

Genus ELYTROCALLUS Montrouzier

Elytrocallus Montrouzier, 1861a: 875 (type species E. chevrolati Montrouzier ). — Lacordaire 1863: 247, 253. — Heller 1923: 148.

— Günther 1943: 19.

DESCRIPTION. — Adelognathous; eyes distinctly transverse, slightly convex; rostrum on midline raised to a blunt carina or ridge; scrobes and scape directed towards lower part of eyes; club segment l shorter than remainder of club; ocular lobe area of prothorax ciliate, usually weakly developed; pronotum on middle with large flat or depressed disc; scutellum well-exposed; elytra with humeral callus, often with preapical callus or tubercle and some of the

uneven interstriae in part slightly raised or subcostate; hind tibiae with a broad, densely and coarsely pilose corbel plate; claws free, divergent. Fully winged.

DISTRIBUTION. — New Caledonia, endemic.

REMARKS. — Elytrocallus seems to be rather closely related to the Australian Leptopius group of genera. The eyes are, in broad terms, not so strongly transverse, the ocular lobes weaker, the cilia (‘vibrissae’ of some authors) longer than in the Australian fauna. Three species are present. They are recognized as follows:

KEY TO SPECIES OF ELYTROCALLUS

1. Epistome broadly cordiform, flat, finely punctate, with vibrissae in a cluster at lateroapical corner. Vestiture of elytra consisting of elongate-elliptic or lanceolate scales; setae on interstriae of similar shape, squamiform. 11.5-22.5 mm. New Caledonia....................................................................... chevrolati — Epistome narrowly cordiform, flat or impressed, more coarsely punctate, with vibrissae not clustered at apex but dispersed on most of sides. Vestiture of elytra consisting of broad, oval scales; setae on interstriae piliform .......................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Epistome flat or flatish. Antennite 2 of funicle distinctly longer than wide,at least antennite 3

also elongate, following ones not obviously asymmetric. Elytral vestiture sexually not dimorphic,

equally densely squamose in either sex, striae on declivity of female with scales between puncta,

thus appearing just punctate, not as fine, black, continuous lines. 9.5-19.0 mm. New Caledonia.....

............................................................................................................................................................ montrouzieri

— Epistome deeply impressed. Antennite 2 of funicle not or hardly longer than wide, others trans-

verse, rather asymmetric. Elytral vestiture sexually dimorphic, in male for most part black, sparsely

squamose, in female white, densely squamose, with sharp black lines on declivity. 7.0- 13.5 mm. New

Caledonia ............................................................................................................................................... lapeyrousei