Scolytoplatypus darjeelingi Stebbing, 1914

Buhroo, Abdul Ahad, 2024, A taxonomic monograph of subfamily Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Western Himalaya, Zootaxa 5533 (1), pp. 1-82 : 59

46. Scolytoplatypus darjeelingi Stebbing, 1914

( Figure 59 )

This species is diagnosed by the following morphological characters: ♂ frons concave; surface reticulate on lower half, upper half smooth and shiny with sparse small hairs; presence of callosity below the eyes; fringe of long curled golden hairs around the margin of vertex up to posterior level of eyes, except on median portion; eyes elongate, weakly convex; antennal club elongately oval, with dense fine hairs along with sparse and moderately long erect hairs on anterior face; pronotum 1.2× as wide as long, widest at the middle; basal margin feebly bisinuate; lateral sides distinctly outcurved and feebly ridged; surface feebly convex and finely reticulate with minute punctures and dense pubescence; prosternum similar to that of S. daimio with a pair of widely separated, straight processes on the anterior margin diverging away laterally; scutellar tip only visible; elytra 1.2× as long as pronotum, much wider than pronotum and 1.2× as long as its width; basal margin substraight and weakly carinate up to stria 5, lateral sides sub parallel on basal three-fourths; postero-lateral margins carinate, weakly granulate towards interstria 9; apex broadly rounded; disc smooth and shiny; striae marked by minute punctures, becoming more distinct towards declivity; interstriae much wider than striae, with fine punctures; declivital face steep and convex; striae feebly impressed at declivital face with inconspicuous punctures; interstriae 1 and 2 with sparse and prominent granules, interstriae 1 with granules up to apices; entire declivital surface reticulate and roughened; surface with dense admixture of fine and a few erect hairs; elytral color yellowish anteriorly, becoming darker towards declivity, with darker extensions along suture and sides of elytra to base; body length: 2.65–2.80 mm, 2.14× as long as wide.

Females are very similar to males but comparatively longer (3.10 mm); frons convex, devoid of tuft of hairs on margin of vertex; pronotum with a rounded mycangium; declivity less roughened with comparatively smaller granules.

Remarks: S. darjeelingi resembles S. daimio by its very similar male prosternum and the incurved brushes of hair-like setae extending beyond the middle of frons, usually reaching the epistomal margin but differs by its elytral disc becoming evenly rounded into declivity and the elytral color being yellowish anteriorly, becoming brown just before summit of declivity with darker extensions along suture and sides of elytra up to the base.

Material examined: Lectotype (here designated). Label information: Scolytoplatypus darjeelingi Steb. , Type, Darjeeling, E.P. Stebbing, 24.02.1903 ( FRI)

Distribution: India: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand

Hosts: Acer caesium ( Sapindaceae ), Alnus nepalensis ( Betulaceae ), Eucalyptus globulus ( Myrtaceae ), Grevillea robusta ( Proteaceae ), Prunus nepalensis ( Rosaceae ), Quercus lamellosa ( Fagaceae ), Symplocos theaefolia ( Symplocaceae )

Figures

FIGURE 59. Scolytoplatypus darjeelingi. Lectotype female: dorsal view A, lateral view B.