Pseudomelactus, Heller, 1916

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 : 123-124

Genus PSEUDOMELACTUS Heller

Pseudomelactus Heller, 1916: 312 (type species Melactus acutus Faust ). — Emden 1936: 88; 1944: 521.

DESCRIPTION. — Adelognathous; head convex, slightly widening caudad, not at all constricted behind eyes; eyes round, or slightly elongate-oval, closer to each other than width of rostrum, anteroposterior diameter a little greater than dorsoventral one, convex. Rostrum parallel-sided, a little broader than long (mandibles excluded), in lateral view dorsally straight, continuous with frons, flattish, with or without smooth median line or carina, with a triangular impression in front of eyes; epistome raised; mandibles plurisetose; pterygia weakly exposed; scrobes deeply sulcate, directed downwards to gular angle some distance from eyes. Scape reaching to middle of eyes; club more than twice as long as wide, first segment about a third of club. Prothorax clear from eyes, weakly bisinuous at base, subcylindrical or slightly rounded, disc transversely convex; ocular lobes and cilia absent. Scutellum distinct. Elytra elongate, subparallel, ending in a point or spine, with rectangular humeral callus; tubercles and nodules absent. Fore and middle tibiae mucronate; bevel on hind tibiae very narrow, glabrous. Claws free, divergent. Full-winged. Tergites pigmented across, first one very pale, with dense trichomes at base, tergites 2-6 uniformly, sparsely dotted with minute black puncta, 5-7 with pruinose patches.

Male (characters from P. acutus ): tergite 7 dark, densely pilose, subemarginate; tergite 8 exposed beyond 7, strongly pigmented on sides and apical half, convex. Sternite 8 with crescent-shaped, transverse plates. Sternite 9 slightly shorter than venter, moderately robust, its blade elongate, about 1.75 x as long as wide, not divided transversely, obliquely truncate at about 40º angle inwards and cephalad from apex; apodeme slightly curved up at end. Tegmen slender; ring, in lateral view, strongly oblique; parameral lobes fused on basal half, free part of lobes gently diverging and tapering, densely, minutely pubescent. Aedeagus a little longer than venter, a little wider at base and ostial area, converging at apex to a blunt point; pedon, in lateral view, gently curved as far as ostial area, then straight; apodemes 0.6 of length of pedon; internal sac contained in aedeagal body, with a firm, strongly pigmented basal sclerite, this over 0.5 of length and 0.2 of width of pedon.

Female (characters from P. acutus ): tergite 8 tectiform,deeply pigmented but with basal half of rooftop clear, converging from middle of sides in near straight line to a blunt point. Sternite 8 as long as last four ventrites combined, straight, with blade distinctly longer than broad, incised, medially membranous from incision to apodeme, sides of blade at apical third converging in straight line, setose; apodeme straight. Hemisternites strongly compressed, not transversely divided, uniformly yellow, elongate, over 5 x as long as wide, converging to a truncate tip, with a shallow sinus on either side, dorsal margin with short cilia; stylus on middle of truncate apex, about twice as long as thick; vagina more than half as long again as hemisternites, with four yellow-pigmented stripes of half hemisternal length from a short distance caudad of oviduct; bursa indistinct. Spermatheca darkly pigmented, with slightly outwards curved stem, with subcylindrical gland on a thick extension on about middle of sides of stem; duct emerging from middle of base, firm, not pigmented except at insertion point with bursa, approximately as long as hemisternites.

DISTRIBUTION. — New Caledonia, endemic.

HOSTPLANTS. — Proteaceae .

ETYMOLOGY. — ‘Pseudomeláctus’ is a Greek compound meaning ‘false Melactus ’, this a junior synonym of the naupactine genus Melanocyphus from northern South America.

REMARKS. — Pseudomelactus is closely related to the fauna of Australasia. It is not possible to be more precise than that at this stage. The genus is here provisionally transferred to Leptopiini , the most dominant group of Entiminae in Australasia. Three species from the study area are present.

KEY TO SPECIES OF PSEUDOMELACTUS

1. Prothorax and elytra with granules, those on prothorax coarse. Pronotum narrowly flattened or

impressed on midline, with complete basal rim. Ventrites 3-5 at least partly black. Fore tibiae den-

ticulate; segment 2 of fore tarsi considerably wider than long. Elytra of female ending in diverging

teeth at suture, with interstria 7 non-costate, moderately convex. 6.8-11.0 mm. New Caledonia....

.................................................................................................................................................................... acutus

— Prothorax and elytra lacking granules, or with minute granules on pronotum. Pronotum not flat-

tened or impressed on midline, with incomplete basal rim. Ventrites 3-5 entirely squamose. Fore

tibiae at most slightly asperous, not denticulate; segment 2 of fore tarsi not or hardly wider than

long. Elytra of female ending in contiguous spines at suture, with interstria 7 distinctly costate ..... 2

2. Rostrum with a smooth, flat or slightly raised midline, midline not extending to epistome. Antennite 2 of funicle shorter than 1. Elytra on basal half lacking erect setae. 5.3-8.5 mm. New Caledonia. .................................................................................................................................................................... grevilleae — Rostrum with a fine, sharp carina on midline, midline extending to epistome. Antennite 2 of funicle longer than l. Elytra on basal half with rather long erect setae. 7.0 mm. New Caledonia.... ................................................................................................................................................................... kraussi