Rhinanisodes, E.C.Zimmerman, 1942

Zimmerman, Elwood C., 1942, Curculionidae of Guam, Insects of Guam I, Honolulu, Hawaii: Bernice P. Bishop Museum, pp. 73-146 : 129

Genus RHINANISODES , ne.w genus

Body subcylindrical, subdepressed, nitid, minutely setose. Head subconical, about as long as broad, with a postocular constriction interrupting both dorsal and lateral surfaces well behind eyes; eyes moderately large, but not protuberant, about as widely separated below as above, separated from prothorax by a distance about equal to greatest diameter of an eye; interocular area approximately as broad as extreme base of rostrum. Rostrmn as long as head, half as long as prothorax, slightly arcuate, subcylindrical, but slightly expanded laterally from base to apex; antennae inserted close to base at less than greatest diameter of an eye in front of eyes; scrobes passing downward along fore edges of eyes. Antennae with scape passing distinctly behind hind margins of eyes when at rest, about as long as funicle plus club; funicle 5-segmented, the two basal segments longer than any of the following three which are transverse; club ovate, first segment pilose. Prothorax sub-pyriform, about as broad as long, subapically and subbasically constricted; base subtruncate. Srntelfam visible, distinct. Elytra with angulate humeri slightly but distinctly broader than base of prothorax, subparallel-sided, regularly punctate-striate, 10-striate, tenth stria complete. Wings evidently fully developed. Legs with femora strongly clavate, edentate; tibiae compressed, expanded distally, fore pair not distinctly angulate before apex below, strongly uncinate and mucronate; tarsi with second segment about as long as, but slightly narrower than third which is not bilobed, fourth segment extending beyond third for a distance greater than length of second and third segments combined. Sternum with distance between anterior margins of fore coxae and apex of prosternum about twice as long as corresponding area behind coxae, intercoxal process about twice as broad as a fore coxa; intercoxal process of mesosternum broad and flat, as broad as intercoxal process of prosternum and about twice as broad as a mesocoxa; metasternum between mid and hind coxae almost as long as first two ventrites behind a coxa, metacoxae separated as widely as fore coxae or breadth of a metacoxa; metepisterna narrow. Vente1· with intercoxal process of first ventrite subtruncate, first two ventrites fused, first almost as long as 2, 3, and 4 together along the median line or as long as 2 plus 3 at sides; 3 and 4 subequal in length and together almost as long as 2 or 5.

Genotype: Rhinanisodes planicollis , new species.

This genus has been erected for another puzzling and difficult species only after considerable thought and comparative work, and then with some diffidence. The genotype appears at first sight to belong to the New Zealand genus Rhinanisus Broun, 1883 , but it cannot be assigned to that genus if the characters used by other specialists are to be considered generically valid, for the coxae are widely separated and the scape of the antenna surpasses the hind margin of the eye. Rhinanisodes is also closely allied to the New Zealand Macroscytalits Broun, but that genus has a shorter antenna! scape and longer club, as well as other differences. The genotype of Rhinanisodes closely resembles Macroscytalus re11iotus Sharp. On Rkinanisus the coxae are narrowly separated, and the scape reaches only to the fore edge of the eye. Rhinanisodes seems to be intermediate between Rhinanisus and Tytthoxydema , and I at first considered that it might be placed in Tyttho.1:ydema. However, the fore coxae are less widely separated than the breadth of a fore coxa on Tytthoxydema , whereas on Rhinanisodes thP.y are twice as widely separated, and the other coxae are as widely separated. On Tytthoxydema the eyes are much farther from the anterior margin of the prothorax than the greatest diameter of an eye, but on Rhinanisodcs, the eyes are placed closer to the prothorax. In addition to the New Zealand species of Rhinanisus, Heller recorded (1916) two undescribed species from New Caledonia, and in 1938 Hustache described one from Argentina. The Argentine insect should be carefully restudied to ascertain its correct generic position.