Cycadophila papua

Skelley, Paul, Xu, Guang, Tang, William, Lindström, Anders J., Marler, Thomas, Khuraijam, Jibankumar Singh, Singh, Rita & Rich, Stephen, 2017, Review of Cycadophila Xu, Tang & Skelley (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting Cycas (Cycadaceae) in Asia, with descriptions of a new subgenus and thirteen new species, Zootaxa 4267 (1), pp. 1-63 : 41

Papua species group

Adult diagnosis. The Cycadophila (Cycadophila) papua species group is distinguished from other members of Cycadophila by the body ventrally reddish-brown, appendages reddish-brown, dorsally body mostly black with reddish-brown margins on head and pronotum and central stripe on each elytron; head dorsal surface flattened in profile; supraocular stria present, long, full length of eye; maxillary palpi long, almost 2× longer than labial palpi; ventral interocular distance approximately 1/3–1/2 head width; gular-submental suture primarily flattened, medially with shallow U-shaped depression deeper on sided, with setose punctures; pronotal anterior angles rounded, surface near anterior angle convex; lateral margins evenly arched most of length, basally appearing evenly sinuate; pronotal lateral carina thin in lateral view, with single row of setose punctuation on marginal surface; prosternal process narrow (<1/2 width of profemur), appearing rounded at apex, apex depressed, in lateral view convex; protibia weakly dilated distally, lacking fringe of stout setae along apical and lateral margins; coxal line behind mesocoxae with weakly impressed large punctures; male genitalia with tegmen moderately twisted basally, penile strut about 4.0 0× length of median lobe; and sexual dimorphism present with males having more slightly dilated pro- and mesotibial apices.

Remarks. The elongate maxillary palpi and broad flattened body readily distinguish the species of this group from all other. Their widespread distribution in the Philippines and New Guinea would indicate there are probably additional species in Indonesia occurring with the widespread and isolated members of Cycas ( Lindstrom et al. 2009) .