Euwallacea malloti (Eggers, 1930)

Smith, Sarah M., Beaver, Roger A. & Cognato, Anthony I., 2020, A monograph of the Xyleborini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) of the Indochinese Peninsula (except Malaysia) and China, ZooKeys 983, pp. 1-442 : 1

Euwallacea malloti (Eggers, 1930) Fig. 56E, F, K

Xyleborus malloti Eggers, 1930: 192.

Euwallacea malloti (Eggers): Wood and Bright 1992: 692.

Type material.

Holotype (FRI).

New records.

India: Uttarakhand, Dehradun, Forest Research Institute, 30°20'24"N, 78°0'14"E, 2223', 16-26.i.2017, A.I. Cognato, ex small branch of Melia dubia (MSUC, 5; NHMUK, 1; NMNH, 1).

Diagnosis.

2.4-3.0 mm long (mean = 2.62 mm; n = 5); 2.08-2.7 × as long as wide. This species is distinguished by the pronotum basic (type 2) when viewed dorsally, anterior margin appearing rounded; declivity rounded; declivital face convex; protibiae outer margins rounded with at least seven socketed denticles, denticles small, their sockets small; declivital surface shiny; declivital interstriae bearing sparse small granules, posterolateral declivital margin carinate and granulate; and elytral bases weakly carinate and granulate.

This species is identical to Euwallacea geminus and can only reliably be identified with molecular data. Without molecular data it can be distinguished by its distribution primarily in submontane forests of the Himalayas ( E. geminus occurs in lowland forests in Vietnam) and by the elytral strial punctures not colored differently from the rest of the elytra ( E. geminus typically has unique coloration of the elytral striae which are dark brown in mature specimens making the punctures appear very distinctive and clear to see. This species is nearly identical to E. fornicatus species complex and can be separated by the elytral bases weakly carinate and posterolateral declivital costa granulate.

Similar species.

Euwallacea fornicatus species complex ( E. fornicatior , E. fornicatus , E. kuroshio , E. perbrevis ), E. andamanensis , E. geminus , E. neptis , E. semirudis , E. testudinatus , E. velatus .

Distribution.

India (Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, West Bengal).

Host plants.

Recorded from Mallotus ( Euphorbiaceae ), Phoebe ( Lauraceae ), Tinospora ( Menispermaceae ), Eugenia ( Myrtaceae ) ( Maiti and Saha 2004), and Melia ( Meliaceae ).

Figures

Figure 56. Dorsal, lateral and declivital view of Euwallacea kuroshio, 2.4 - 2.8 mm (A, B, I), E. luctuosus holotype, 3.6 mm (C, D, J), E. malloti, 2.4 - 3.0 mm (E, F, K), and E. minutus, 1.8 - 1.9 mm (G, H, L).