Platysimus hibisci (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 : 158

Platysimus hibisci (Montrouzier)

Fig. 53

Strophosomus ? hibisci Montrouzier, 1861a: 882 .

Celeuthetes hibisci – Anonymous (prob. Jekel H.) in Montrouzier 1861: 882 (footnote).

Platysimus hibisci – Marshall 1956: 119.

Sphaerorhinus macleayi Montrouzier, 1861a: 879 n. syn.

Otiorhynchus platypennis Montrouzier, 1861: 881 .

Celeuthetes platypennis – Anonymous (prob. Jekel H.) in Montrouzier 1861: 881 (footnote).

Platysimus platypennis – Marshall 1956: 119 n. syn.

DESCRIPTION. — Male. Humeral area convexly rounded, not sinuous. Stria 6 not interrupted midway. Femora weakly clavate. Aedeagus more than 4 x longer than wide at the waist between base and sides of ostial area, with a long, upturned apex. Female: elytra subparallel on sides. Length: 4.3-5.5 mm.

TYPE MATERIAL. — 1) hibisci : 13 syntypes. Lectotype female, 5.5 x 2.7 mm, ‘ Strophosomus hibisci (mihi). Lifu’ [name and locality in Montrouzier’s handwriting], IRSN. Paralectotypes: 1 male, 2 females with IRSN, 2 males with BMNH, 7 females with MNHN. 2) platypennis : 2 syntypes. Lectotype male, 5.2 x 3.1 mm, Otiorhynchus platypennis (mihi), Art [name and locality in Montrouzier’s writing], IRSN. A male paralectotype with BMNH. 3) macleayi : no syntype found; described from Art I., 6 mm, description agreeing with that of a female of P. hibisci . Identified non-type specimens with BPBM, IRSN, MNHN, NHML, NZAC, SRFP .

MATERIAL EXAMINED. — Belep Is.: Art I. New Caledonia: ‘Nouvelle-Calédonie’. Loyalty Is: Lifou.Île des Pins. 31 specimens .

HOSTPLANTS. — Hibiscus (Malvaceae) by inference from the name given by the author of the species.

REMARKS. — Two males are present from Lifou I. which have not a flattened or flanged dorsum, thus looking much like females without erect setae on the elytra. These males agree in having the aedeagal apex pointed, but otherwise are no different from other males with flattened or expanded elytra. More specimens are required to see whether these differences are constant or express just individual variations. The four specimens labeled from ‘Nouvelle-Calédonie’ were almost certainly from Lifou as well, as no other specimens are known to having been collected on the main island. Paulian (1945) mistook P. dispar (Saunders & Jekel) , now in Tetragynetes , for P. hibisci .