Scolytus cristatus Wood, 1969

V. Petrov, Alexander & Y. Mandelshtam, Michail, 2010, New data on Neotropical Scolytus Geoffroy, 1762 with description of five new species from Peru (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae), ZooKeys 56, pp. 65-104 : 79-80

Scolytus cristatus Wood, 1969

Material examined.

Peru: Junin province, Perene river, 8 km from Puerto Ocopa vill, 1180m a.s.l., Cananeden vill. 1180m a.s.l., 11°4.92'S; 74°16.10'W, 2-7.02.2008, A.Petrov, (11♂♂7♀♀), same locality 5.IV.2008 A.Petrov (4♂♂4♀). Junin province, Perene river, 11km from Puerto Ocopa vill, Los Olivos, 1180m a.s.l., 11°3.00'S; 74°15.52'W 25-26.03.2009 A.Petrov (1♂2♀).

Diagnosis.

Second abdominal sternite is armed in males by the strong laterally compressed spine that occupies the upper portion of the segment, but that is touching neither anterior nor posterior margins of the sternite; short bristles simple, hair-like; male front vestiture developed mainly below upper margin of eyes.

Description.

Male: body length 2.3-3.3 mm, 2.0 times as long as wide; color dark reddish brown. Front dark brown with shining surface. Front with weak transverse impression above epistoma, flat from there to upper level of eyes; surface aciculate from vertex to epistoma. Median line slightly below lower centre of front weakly elevated. Vestiture of abundant, long hair uniformly distributed, longer nearby frontal margins, median line without hairs. Antennal funiculus and scapus reddish brown. Club brown, covered with densely set golden hairs. Pronotum 1.0 times as long as wide, surface smooth, shining, punctures small, deep on base and disk, much larger on lateral margins of the apical area. Punctures at anterior margin of pronotum not confluent. Surface of pronotum glabrous, devoid of hairs. Prosternite separated from pronotum by well-developed acute lateral margin. Lateral sides of the prosternite (propleura) abundantly and evenly punctured by the punctures of equal size with the punctures at lateral margins of pronotum.

Scutellum triangular, set not deeply into scutellar impression.

Elytra 1.0-1.1 times as long as wide, 1.1 times as long as pronotum; striae impressed, first and second interstriae impressed from base of elytra, all other interstriae are impressed from basal third or from more distal part of elytra; punctures in striae and interstriae small, about equal in size, spaced by diameter of a puncture. Posterior elytral margin with unconspicuous rows of short erect hairs. Abdomen reddish-brown, its surface dull; second sternite subvertical, with a black median, laterally compressed carina, occupying central half of segment, carinate tubercle is evenly rounded at base, its highest point near posterior margin. Surface of second abdominal sternite with evenly placed circular punctures, punctures of other sternites lesser in size compared to punctures of second sternite; complete abdominal surface evenly covered by short erect hairs. Legs reddish-brown, covered by recumbent yellow hairs.

Female: similar to male except front much more strongly convex; frontal hairs are short and sparse, conspicuous only at epistoma; carina on second sternite smaller.

Host.

liana

Biology.

The species infests lianas that were mechanically damaged. Parental tunnels are biramous and transverse; the larval mines are longitudinal. Number of egg chambers varies from 15 to 45. Larval galleries are longitudinal, long. Complete cycle of development from the egg to teneral adults takes 45 - 56 days.