Toxoscelus Deyrolle 1864

Ohmomo, Sadahiro, 2011, One new genus and six new species of Coraebini Bedel, 1921 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from the Philippines, Zootaxa 3058, pp. 22-34 : 23

Genus Toxoscelus Deyrolle 1864

Toxoscelus Deyrolle 1864:114 , 127; Bellamy 2008: 1737.

Type species: Toxoscelus undatus Deyrolle 1864 (fixed by subsequent designation: Descarpentries & Villiers 1967: 490).

Remarks. In terms of generic placement, there remains uncertainty due to the very incomplete understanding of coraebine systematics in the Indo-Oriental fauna. The three keys to the genera of that region, including the Philippinese, are by Kerremans (1893), Fisher (1921) and Bellamy (1990) and these species would key to Toxoscelus in each. However, several of the older coraebine genera from this biogeographical region, including Toxoscelus and others described by Deyrolle (1864), perhaps have served too long as a catch-all awaiting further refinement such as that began with the work on the Indochinese fauna by Descarpentries & Villiers (1967). As with the genus Neotoxoscelus Fisher 1921 , related in name only, further study may require the movement of some of the species currently placed in Toxoscelus as the Philippine fauna does have significant differences to that of Indonesia and southeast Asia and there is no telling where further discovery and study may lead. Only two species of Toxoscelus are recorded from the Philippines: T. acutipennis Fisher 1922 and T. rugicollis Saunders 1874 , both from localities on Luzon. An additional four new species of Toxoscelus from Leyte are described below and we suspect that other new species will be found from other areas of the Philippine archipelago.