Elytrocallus lapeyrousei (Montrouzier)

Kuschel, Guillermo, 2008, Curculionoidea (weevils) of New Caledonia and Vanuatu: Basal families and some Curculionidae, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 197, pp. 99-250 : 131-132

Elytrocallus lapeyrousei (Montrouzier)

Fig. 19

Geonemus lapeyrousei Montrouzier, 1861a: 878 .

Elytrocallus lapeyrousei – Heller 1916: 260. — Günther 1943: 22, 23.

Elytrocallus rugosipennis Günther, 1943: 21 , 23 n. syn.

DESCRIPTION. — Apart from the characters in the key distinguishing this species from E. montrouzieri , males of E. lapeyrousei have the suture, margins and two oblique bands on elytra white, leaving three areas black, the first two of these usually containing metallic pink scales; females have chalky white elytra with fine transverse rugosities or lines on the dorsum, sometimes with a lateral pink spot behind the shoulders and one or two spots dorsally near the shoulders.

Length: 7.0- 13.5 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL. — 1) E. lapeyrousei : holotype female, 13.5 x 6.5 mm, ‘Île d’Art, Type, Geonemus lapeyrousei Montr. Coll. Fauvel’, IRSN. 2) E. rugosipennis : holotype female, 12.5 x 5.8 mm, ‘N. Caledonia, Coll. Hartmann, Elytrocallus rugosipennis n. sp., K. Günther det.’, SMT.D. Identified non-type specimens with BPBM, IRSN, NHML, NZAC, QMBA, 4 SMT.D.

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — New Caledonia. Bourail , Humboldt , Île d’Art , Nouméa , Païta, Pindal, Thio. 16 specimens .

ETYMOLOGY. — The senior species taxon probably named after J. F. de Galaup La Pérouse, a French navigator who explored the Pacific ocean and shipwrecked in Vanikoro of the Santa Cruz group, SE Solomon Islands.

REMARKS. — Günther (1943) had only one male and one female of this species, the male he identified as E. lapeyrousei , the female as new. The difference between males and females of this species in colour patterns is quite remarkable.