Cycadophila Xu, Tang & Skelley, 2015

Skelley, Paul, Xu, Guang, Tang, William, Lindström, Anders J., Marler, Thomas, Khuraijam, Jibankumar Singh, Singh, Rita & Rich, Stephen, 2017, Review of Cycadophila Xu, Tang & Skelley (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting Cycas (Cycadaceae) in Asia, with descriptions of a new subgenus and thirteen new species, Zootaxa 4267 (1), pp. 1-63 : 9

Cycadophila Xu, Tang & Skelley, 2015

Type species. Cycadophila debaonica Xu, Tang & Skelley, 2015 , by original designation.

Adult diagnosis. The genus Cycadophila is easily distinguished from other genera of Pharaxonothinae by the head surface with transverse occipital ridge (vertexal line); large eyes that encroach upon head ventrally; supraocular striae present, often short; having a remnant of the submental-gular suture visible to variously depressed; male genitalia with median lobe and tegmen twisted, spiculum gastrale asymmetrical; and lacking abdominal calli. Many members of Cycadophila are known to be associated with Cycas spp. in SE Asia.

Updated description. Length 3.04–6.95 mm, width 1.15–2.80 mm. Body form elongate, not strongly parallel sided; dorsoventrally flattened, weakly convex; widest anterior to or at middle of elytra; color pale to dark reddishbrown with or without variously sized dark macula on elytra; dorsal punctation fine, evenly distributed.

Head with dorsal surface flat to convex (swollen) above eyes, clypeus flat or curved downward apically, may have vague depressions basally; clypeus apically truncate or rounded; supraocular striae present, extending along posterior 1/3 length of eye to entire length of eye; transverse occipital ridge present; stridulatory file on occipital region of head present, one on each side of the midline, widely separated, weakly convergent anteriorly; eyes prominent, coarsely faceted, large, ventrally encroaching upon gular area, distance between eye and lateral corner of mentum <1/2 eye length in ventral view; lacking lateral temple behind eye. Antennomeres I–VI length subequal to width, moniliform in most, slightly elongate in others; antenna with 3-segmented club. Mouthparts with maxillary palp 4-segmented, palpomere I very small, terminal maxillary palpomere cylindrical, acuminate apically, elongate, approximately 2× longer than preceding palpomere; labial palp 3-segmented; palpomere I small, elongate; II transverse; III large, flattened, roughly oval in shape, 3/4 length of terminal maxillary palpomere; mentum with large triangular base defined by carina; lateral pockets in front of carina not evident; submentum and gula flat, suture indicated centrally with pair of small pits often marked by dark coloration and a few punctures forming weak to strong U-shaped depression.

Thorax. Pronotum with anterior marginal bead complete, fine; pronotal anterior margin near eyes weakly emarginate, anterior angles slightly projecting, angularly rounded; pronotal basal pits small, associated longitudinal groove fine, groove up to 1/4 length of pronotum; secondary transverse groove between pits present, curving along posterior margin; pronotal lateral margin evenly arcuate, lacking modifications; pronotal lateral marginal bead thin or thickened in both dorsal and lateral view. Prosternum in lateral view convex. Scutellum broadly pentagonal. Elytra finely setose, setae indistinct; with 10 complete striae of moderate puncture size; base of elytra with marginal bead. Prosternum mostly flat, depressed posterior of coxa; procoxal cavities narrowly open, procoxa oval; mesocoxa globular; metacoxa transversely elongate-oval; trochanters obliquely truncate apically; hypomeron with or without longitudinal striations. Protibia truncate and slightly to strongly dilated distally, without disto-lateral tooth; disto-ventral and lateral margins with row of distally directed fine spinules or ventrally directed stout spinules; meso- and metafemora and tibiae elongate, narrow to roundly dilated; mesofemur and tibia oval-dilated in some. Tarsi 5-segmented, tarsomeres I–III pubescent ventrally with long, fine, dense, distally directed setae, not lobed beneath; tarsomere IV without dense ventral setae, short, narrow and inconspicuous. Sexual dimorphism present or absent, when present usually appearing as variously swollen or dilated tibiae or femora in males, which legs and segments involved are species specific.

Abdomen with 5 visible ventrites, lacking coxal lines and internal calli.

Male genitalia with median lobe and tegmen twisted like a corkscrew; median strut>2 times longer than median lobe; flagellum shorter than median lobe, struts not coiled; spiculum gastrale asymmetrical.

Note. Xu et al. (2015) provided additional images, some species accounts and key to genera of Pharaxonothinae .