Othippiini Morimoto, 1962: 47

Anzaldo, Salvatore S., 2017, Review of the genera of Conoderinae (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, ZooKeys 683, pp. 51-138 : 67-68

Othippiini Morimoto, 1962: 47

Classificatory history and current circumscription.

Eleven genera were first grouped into tribe Othippiini by Hustache (1938: 63), which was not treated as a valid name in the catalog of Alonso-Zarazaga and Lyal (1999: 113) for lacking a description. Morimoto (1962: 47) provided some clarification on the distinction of the tribe, and this was further refined in Kojima and Lyal (2002), where seven genera were transferred out of the Othippiini in order to redefine it. Othippiines can be distinguished (sensu Kojima and Lyal 2002: 172) by the following combination of characters: the mesepisterna are non-ascending, the scutellum is exposed, the prosternum of most is canaliculate, and the antennal funiculus has 7 articles. However, the monophyly of the tribe has yet to be shown ( Kojima and Lyal 2002).

Variation in key character systems.

The mesoventrite of othippiines can have a rostral channel or be unmodified ( Kojima and Lyal 2002). The number of antennal funicular articles for othippiines given by Kojima and Lyal (2002) serves to separate this tribe from the Mecopini which have been considered to have 6 articles since originally described. However, one of the genera currently treated in the Mecopini ( Emexaure Pascoe, 1871) has a funiculus with 7 articles ( Pascoe 1871: 216), some of the genera are similar in appearance and also in eye shape ( Kojima and Lyal 2002: 171) and distinction between the tribes requires further study.

Diversity and distribution.

Othippiini now contains eight genera, six of which are currently monotypic. The monotypic genus Acoptus is the sole New World representative.