Xylechinus padus Wood, 1988a

Buhroo, Abdul Ahad, 2024, A taxonomic monograph of subfamily Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Western Himalaya, Zootaxa 5533 (1), pp. 1-82 : 36

26. Xylechinus padus Wood, 1988a

( Figure 34)

This species is diagnosed by the following morphological characters: ♀ frons broadly convex, a feeble median impression on lower half, pre-epistomal margin rather abrupt on median two-thirds; surface smooth and shining, feeble reticulation becoming slightly stronger laterally, much stronger towards vertex; punctures rather small, distinct, moderately coarse; vestiture of sparse, fine, rather short hairs; pronotum 1.24× wider than long; sides on basal half almost parallel, very weakly constricted on anterior half; surface smooth, shining, punctures moderately large, very close, rather deep; vestiture of moderately abundant, fine, rather short hairs; elytra 1.95× as long as pronotum, 1.6× as long as wide; striae slightly impressed, with moderately impressed close punctures, usually with small tubercles arising from interior; interstriae nearly 1.5× wider than striae, distinctly convex, 1 st and 3 rd interstriae slightly more strongly elevated on posterior half of disc and on declivity; 1 st and 3 rd interstriae each with a row of small, subcrenulate tuberculations throughout, others usually with smaller tuberculations near base; declivity convex, steep; odd-numbered interstriae distinctly elevated, 3 and 9 elevations join and then continue almost to 1 st interstria; odd-numbered interstriae each with a few to many small tubercules, others unarmed; vestiture of moderately abundant, short, almost hair-like setae throughout elytra; body length: 2.60–2.75 mm, 2.19× as long as wide.

Male similar to female, except the frons is without median impression.

Remarks: This species is larger than other Indian Xylechinus species, it has a very different vestiture, and declivital interstriae 1 and 3 are distinctly elevated.

Material examined: New record: India: 2 ♀ ′s. Kashmir , Ganderbal, Thajwas Sonamarg (34° 18.222′ N, 075° 16.388′ E, 9105 ft.), A.A. Buhroo, 03.09.2019 ( KUIC) .

Distribution: India: Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand. China: Yunnan

Hosts: Prunus cornuta ( Rosaceae )