Neoampagia imitator, Zimmerman, 1942

Zimmerman, Elwood C., 1942, Curculionidae of Guam, Insects of Guam I, Honolulu, Hawaii: Bernice P. Bishop Museum, pp. 73-146 : 108

19. Neoampagia imitator , new species (pl. 3, G).

Derm reddish brown to piceous; head with brown scales with an interocular pale patch, upper margins of eyes partially margined with pale scales and with a pale patch on either side of the median line on crown; pronotum with dark brown scales on disk but with a pale cross consisting of a pale median vitta and a transverse pale fascia at about middle, sides with whitish, yellowish and fawn-colored scales, darker scaling therefore appearing as four discal dark maculae; elytra predominantly with dark brown to black scales but with an ill-defined, irregular roughly V-shaped broad area of fawn-colored scales within basal half from near humeri on sides to suture, pale scaling continued down first two or three intervals to posterior calli, pale area there expanded to apex, pale areas tessellated with dark patches and probably subject to considerable variation; legs and lower surface clothed with yellowish white or grayish white scales.

Head densely punctate on crown, the derm concealed by the dense appressed scaling; interocular area one half as broad at top as base of rostrum, coarsely sculptured, scales directed dorsally and becoming narrower and setiform distad. Rostrum in male coarsely punctate-striate to antennae on either side of impunctate median line, with small dense punctures beyond antennae. Antennae inserted very slightly past middle in male; scape as long as funicle excluding club, gradually clavate; funicular segment 1 slightly longer and thicker than 2, 2 slightly longer than 3 plus 4, 3 to 7 each successively more transverse; club as long as preceding five funicular segments plus half of sixth, more than half:i's broad as long, obtusely rounded at apex, 4 segmented, but terminal segment not easily discernible, the two basal segments large and subequal in length. Prothorax one third broader than long, apex arcuate, only half as broad as base, arcuately narrowing from base to apical fourth and there rather broadly constricted, constriction broadly, shallowly and distinctly impressed across dorsum; densely punctate and very densely squamose through_out, scales ovate, punctures bearing decumbent, lanceolate, squamiform setae; subcarinate at sides at base in front of humeri. Elytra four fifths as broad as long, two and one half times as long as prothorax, almost continuous in outline with base of prothorax for a short distance behind humeri on sides, thence arcuately, triangularly narrowing to broadly rounded apex, strongly convex dorsally, longitudinally and laterally, reaching a summit slightly before middle and there higher than highest point on pronotum, longitudinal outline discontinuous with that of pronotum, scaling very dense, ovate scales imbricated; striae shallow and concealed by scaling on disk, but traceable because of their punctures bearing squamiform, spatulate setae that usually rise somewhat above scales and are white or usually paler than surrounding scales, stria 7 deeply impressed from humerus to basal third, edge of interval above it therefore forming a distinct carina, 9 similarly impressed and interval above it forming a similar carina, but these carinae variable in development, 10 deeply impressed at base, but fine behind metacoxa; intervals, except partially elevated ones mentioned, broad and flat. Legs coarsely punctate and squamose; hind femora reaching to slightly behind posterior margin of fourth ventrite; tibiae with three lateral carinae on either side and one dorsal carina. Sternum densely squamose; pectoral canal terminating at middle of mesocoxae; metasternum broadly concave, with a fovea on median line at base and apex. Venter with first ventrite broadly and deeply concave in male; ventrites 1 and 2 densely squamose, but scales not entirely concealing derm, minutely punctate except for some coarser punctures at base of first; 2 and 3 squamose at sides and along basal margin only; 5 densely and coarsely punctate, setose and squamose. Length, 3-3.5 mm.; breadth, 1.6-2.0 mm.

Holotype male, to be stored in the National Museum and one male paratype in Bishop Museum , taken by Fullaway and labeled " Island Guam."

This is a most distinct species which could not be confused with any of the other Guam weevils. Its densely squamose, subrhomboidal body will serve to distinguish it at a glance. I have called it imitator because of its resemblance to various species of Ampagia and Ampagioides .