Trigonops inaequalis, Zimmerman., 1942

Zimmerman, Elwood C., 1942, Curculionidae of Guam, Insects of Guam I, Honolulu, Hawaii: Bernice P. Bishop Museum, pp. 73-146 : 84-86

3. Trigonops inaequalis , new species (pl. 1, E, H).

Derm reddish brown to black, venter and appendages diluted with red; color pattern of scaling subject to considerable variation, evidently easily changed by age and abrasion; holotype male, a fresh, perfect specimen with the following scaling: head, rostrum, antennae, prothorax, elytra, and legs rather evenly clothed witl1 bluish-gray somewhat iridescent scales, but pronotum with rather bright yellow scales around anterior edge, a conspicuous, entire median vitta, and a vitta covering baso-lateral angulation in front of elytral intervals 6 and 7 and extending almost to middle of side, elytra with intervals 1, 3, 5, 7, and 11 entirely clothed from base to declivity with bright yellow scales, the yellow extending farther caudad on sutural intervals, elytra therefore beautifully vittate, the areas caudad and laterad of the vittate parts of intervals with small patches of yellow squamae; femora with some yellowish scaling on dorsa of their clubs; scaling on allotype female as follows: basic coloration without so much blue as in holotype, scales more yellowish, scaling on head and rostrum with distinct yellowish cast; pronotum with a similar pattern of yellow scales as on holotype, but much less distinct because of more yellowish background scales; elytra with numerous scattered patches of yellow squamae with a bronzy luster and not vittate; scaling on old, abraded specimens with hardly a trace of the scale pattern of perfect types.

Head with the front minutely granulate, rather densely squamose, scales round, not imbricated, punctures not large, rather close, obscured by scaling, each bearing a short, rather inconspicuous recurved seta; eyes moderately convex, not protuberant, but their outlines distinctly discontinuous with sides of head, as long as shortest interocular distance. Rostrum without a distinct median carina on area between transrostral carina and basal suture, area between carina and suture flattened and somewhat shorter than distance between eyes; declivitous apical part shiny, with small punctures and small, scattered squamae; apex, and sides of mandibles with numerous long setae. Antennae with scape but slightly expanded distally, densely squamose and with rather long setae, not quite as long as funicle excluding club; funicle with lengths of segments as follows: (1, 1.9) (2, 2.3) (3, 1.7) (4, 1.5) (5, 1.3) (6, 1.3) (7, 1.3); TODO club slender, about as long as 7 plus 6 plus three fourths of 5, its first segment three tenths longer than its second. Prothora:>: about as broad as long, broadest at or slightly behind middle, with a distinct basal pseudocarina formed by a low rounded longitudinal angulation in basal third at sides before elytral intervals 6 and 7; disk usually obviously depressed, densely granulate, the granules mostly hidden by· scales in unabraded specimens, with rather small punctures usually separated by interstices broader than their diameters, each puncture bearing a short, decumbent, transversely directed seta that hardly extends over margin of puncture; scales rounded, convex, appearing solid, minutely reticulate. Elytra about five sevenths as broad as long, twice as long as prothorax, broadest somewhat before middle; base slightly concave; rather evenly and straightly expanded on sides from base to about basal fourth, thence convex to about middle, thence strongly narrowed to pointed apex; striae well marked, stria! punctures, especially those near base on disk, each preceded by· a low polished tubercle; intervals flat, their discal setae short, prostrate, inconspicuous, longer, more numerous and erect or suberect near apex, usually with a feeble sutural fascicle slightly behind apical fourth; scales flat, rounded, not completely concealing derm, conspicuously reticulate. Legs with hind femora reaching almost to apex of fifth ventrite in male, about a third broader at base than base of tibia, bulbous part slightly more than twice as broad as base, its middle one third from apex, densely squamose, setae slanting; hind tibiae slightly shorter than femora, densely squamose, with long, slanting or almost erect white setae, almost straight along outer edge. Sternimi less densely clothed than dorsum, mesosternal epimera bare except for a patch of scales at posterio-lateral side; intercoxal process of mesosternum usually more densely squamose than mid section of metasternum which is free from scales or has scattered squamae; metasternum between mid and hind coxae about two thirds as long as breadth of a mesocoxa. Venter with first two ventrites with fine setae borne from scattered punctures and free from scales except at sides, flattened in male, tumid in female; ventrites 3 and 4 together shorter than fifth, setose and punctate at sides only; ventrite 5 densely and coarsely punctate, rather densely setose, not squamose. Length, 7.5-9.0 mm.; breadth, 3.5-4.0 mm.

Holotype male, Dandan, from Glochidion , July 17, 1936, Swezey ; allotype female and three female paratypes, Fullaway, labeled " Island Guam." In the National Museum collections are two paratypes taken by Oakley on Prenina gaudichaudii, July 23, 1937 "37-24081" and one from the same lot as the allotype.

This species is most distinct from any of the other Guaman Trigonops . Perfect, vittate specimens can be recognized at a glance because of their distinctive appearance and beauty. The abraded specimens are almost as easily recognized because of the granulate, depressed prothorax with the short basolateral carinae.