Evrostopolycatus, Rukmane-Bārbale & Bramanti & Bramanti, 2020

Rukmane-Bārbale, Anita, Bramanti, Alessandro & Bramanti, Andrea, 2020, A new genus of the tribe Polycatini Marshal, 1956 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae) from the Philippines, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 20 (1), pp. 87-94 : 88-89

Evrostopolycatus gen. nov.

Type species: Evrostopolycatus palawanensis sp. nov.

Description. Body medium-sized, females significantly larger than males. Forehead wider than eye width, without distinct grooves, slightly convex in dorsal portion and along inner margin of each eye ( Fig.1.7 -8). Eyes prominent, if see dorsally ( Fig.1.8). Rostrum longer than wide; dorsal surface with longitudinal medial groove, with medial impression from apical 2/3 to apex, frontal part gradually narrowed apically, ventral part gradually widened apically; dorsal contour of forehead and rostrum more or less straight, continuous, with lateral sides widened apically; lateral surface with antennal scrobe, reaching eye along medial portion, antennal scrobe straight to base of antennal scape, incurved ventrally, upper and lower margin of antennal scrobe strongly bulging, upper margin less convex, basal margin more convex, widened apically, basal surface of this part interrupted by deep longitudinal groove; ventral surface with deep longitudinal medial groove and one more transverse medial groove, sides of which redirected basally; basal margins of antennal scrobe strongly prominent, if see ventrally ( Fig.1.7 -9). Each mandible with more than ten lateral setae, without additional short hairs ( Fig.1.1). Antennae with scape reaching just after the posterior margin of eye, scape straight, widened apically, longer than funicle; club at least twice as long as wide, divided into three more or less equal parts with transverse grooves ( Fig.1.6). Basal margin of prothorax wider than apical; subbasal constriction strong ventrally to lateral ½ and absent dorsally; subapical constriction stronger than subbasal, becoming narrower laterally and indistinct dorsally; pronotum with strong, rugose punctation; subapical margin of pronotum with less rugosity in dorsal portion, with few short, dark hairs on disc and deep lanceolate, longitudinal impression in middle of disc; dorsal contour weakly convex, lateral contour nearly straight, slightly widened basally. Elytra oblong-ovate, very weakly convex dorsally, basal part widened, slightly widened toward middle and gradually narrowing to rounded, narrow apex; coarsely striate-punctured, puncture followed by very short, dark hairs that longer apically and become much longer along apex; lateral parts of elytra gradually rounded, depressed along apical ½, depression much stronger in female; basal margin slightly convex apically, 1/3 times narrower than width of elytra; apical declivity gradual, stronger in females; internal margins of apices simple, fringed with short, sparse light hairs in females; underside of abdomen as Fig. 1.5; mesosternum wide, mesepimerons bulging apically ( Fig. 1.5). Tibia strongly serrate in all length, mucronate apically on all legs. Underside of tarsus with deep longitudinal medial groove on all segments; with sparse light hairs dorsally ( Fig. 1.2-3).

Differential analyses. Regarding the shape of tibial corbel enclosed, with a dense fringle of long spiniform setae along inner margin, rostrum entirely continuous with the head and the presence of distinct metepisternal suture, Evrostopolycatus gen. nov. is similar to the genus Polycatus . However, Evrostopolycatus gen. nov. can be easily distinguished from Polycatus with the following morphological features: tibial corbel less enclosed, enclosure as wide as half of tibial width (tibial corbel of Polycatus broadly enclosed, enclosure nearly as wide as tibial width); antennal club divided into three segments of the same length (antennal club of Polycatus with the first segment much longer than the rest together); mesosternum wide, with mesepimeron bulging (mesosternum in Polycatus narrower, mesepimeron flattened); basal part of scutellum strongly arched medially, prominent from the outline of dorsoapical part in Evrostopolycatus gen. nov., basal part of scutellum not arched, not prominent from the outline of dorsoapical part in Polycatus ; antennal scrobe reaching medial edge of the eye (antennal scrobe interrupted just before the medial edge of the eye in Polycatus ).

Distribution. Philippines, Palawan Island.

Etymology. The generic name is derived from the greek εύρωστος what means robust, character reflected to the harsh body. The second part alludes to the similarity with closely related genus Polycatus .