Heilus Kuschel, 1955

Lira, Aline De Oliveira, Sousa, Wesley Oliveira De & Marques, Marinêz Isaac, 2023, Four new species of Heilus Kuschel 1955 (Curculionidae, Molytinae, Molytini, Hylobiina) from Brazil, Zootaxa 5336 (2), pp. 206-216 : 207

Genus Heilus Kuschel, 1955

Heilus Kuschel, 1955:292 (key); O’Brien & Wibmer 1982:79 (catalog); Wibmer & O’Brien 1986:144 (catalog); Maes & O’Brien 1990:24 (checklist); Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal 1999:201 (catalog); Morrone 1999:55 (checklist); Rheinheimer 2010:68 (checklist); O’Brien & Turnbow 2011:28 (checklist); Lira et al. 2020 (revision).

Type species: Heilipus inaequalis Boheman, 1836 , by original designation.

Diagnosis. The genus Heilus can be recognized by the basal fold of the first abdominal ventrite expanded posteriorly into the ventrite, surrounding the posterior coxae; funicle with second antennomere longer than others; pronotum and elytra covered with scales, granules or tubercles of different size and forms, and arrangements; metasternum punctate, variably covered with scales, with smooth longitudinal median line; endophallus with endophallites in various arrangements.

The species of Heilus have a predominantly Neotropical distribution, with only H. bioculatus recorded from the Nearctic region and Central America, H. caecus (Champion, 1902) , H. costaricensis (Champion, 1902) , and H. sinuatus (Boheman, 1843) in Central America, and H. admixtus (Hustache, 1938) , H. asperulus (Erichson, 1847) , H. bistigma (Hustache, 1938) , H. christinae Lira, De Sousa & Marques sp. nov., H. faldermanni (Boheman, 1836) , H. fasciculatus (Boheman, 1843) , H. freyreissi (Boheman, 1836) , H. inaequalis (Boheman, 1836) , H. iniquus (Kirsch, 1874) , H. inornatus (Kirsch, 1874) , H. myops (Boheman, 1836) , H. obrieni Lira, De Sousa & Marques sp. nov., H. ochrifer (Boheman, 1843) , H. pupillatus (Oliver, 1790) , H. rosadonetoi Lira, De Sousa & Marques sp. nov., H. rufescens (Boheman, 1836) , H. tuberculosus (Perty, 1832) , H. vanini Lira, De Sousa & Marques sp. nov., all in South America.