Cryphalus major Stebbing, 1903

Buhroo, Abdul Ahad, 2024, A taxonomic monograph of subfamily Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Western Himalaya, Zootaxa 5533 (1), pp. 1-82 : 13-14

6. Cryphalus major Stebbing, 1903

( Figure 9 )

= morinda Stebbing, 1903

This species is diagnosed by the following morphological characters: ♀ frons broadly convex, surface finely punctured, smooth and shining at middle, somewhat reticulate towards eyes; vertex convex, with a weak, shiny, transverse carina on median third, reticulate above carina; epistomal margin with a fringe of erect hairs medially; vestiture of fine, sparse hairs, restricted to area below carina; eyes anteriorly emarginate; antennal funicle with five segments, club flat oblong, with three slightly recurved sutures, marked by setae; pronotum 1.36× wider than long; sides sub-parallel and feebly arcuate on basal half, narrowing anteriorly; anterior margin armed by four serrations, median pair large and longer; pronotum steeply arched, summit slightly behind middle; asperities on anterior two-third distinct and longer, less numerous (30–35), areas between asperities shiny; posterior one-third with small, regular, close punctures, with dense minute feathery scales; sparse somewhat long setae on pronotal surface, more longer anteriorly and laterally; scutellum indistinctly visible; elytra 1.51× as long as wide and twice as long as pronotum; sides almost straight and parallel on more than basal two-thirds, rather broadly rounded towards apex; striae 1 slightly impressed, strial punctures shallow, distinct, close placed in rows becoming obscure towards declivity; interstriae somewhat smooth and more than three times wider than striae, with very fine, numerous punctures; interstriae clothed with three to four rows of minute, light dense, trifid scales and sparse long, erect hair-like setae; declivity moderately steep, convex; strial punctures irregular on declivity, vestiture same as on disc; procoxae with sparse, longer hair-like setae; protibiae and protarsi with short intermixed with few long, hair-like setae; abdominal ventrites with fine, recumbent hair-like setae; body blackish; body length: 1.65 mm, 2.29× as long as wide.

Male similar to female except being somewhat smaller in size (1.40–1.46 mm long, 2.18× as long as wide) and yellowish brown in color.

Material examined: New records: India: 1 ♀, 3 ♂ ′s. Himachal Pradesh, Kandaghat Solan (30° 58.278 N, 077° 06.726′ E, 5110 ft.), A.A. Buhroo, 10.07.2011 ( KUIC). Himachal Pradesh, Dalhousie, Banikhet (32° 32.939 N, 075° 57.027′ E, 5490 ft.), A.A. Buhroo, 27.09.2018 ( KUIC) .

Distribution: India: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand

Hosts: Picea smithiana , Pinus roxburghii , P. wallichiana ( Pinaceae )

Figures

FIGURE 9. Cryphalus major. Male: dorsal view A, lateral view B; female: fronto-lateral view C.