Phrixosoma Blandford

Jordal, Bjarte H., 2012, Phrixosoma concavifrons – a sexually dimorphic Phrixosomatini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) from the Udzungwa mountains in Tanzania, Zootaxa 3255, pp. 52-56 : 52-53

Phrixosoma Blandford

Phrixosoma Blandford, 1897: 148 ; Wood 1986: 43. Type species: Phrixosoma rude Blandford, 1897 , by monotypy. Bothryperus Hagedorn, 1909: 742 . Type species: Bothryperus psaltes . Synonymy by Schedl 1963: 258.

Neohylesinus Eggers, 1920: 118 . Type species: Neohylesinus quadrioculatus Eggers. Synonymy by Eggers, 1927: 196. Sphaerosinus Eggers, 1929: 40 . Type species: Sphaerosinus striatus Eggers. Synonymy by Wood, 1982: 204.

Revised description: Head. Eyes divided. Male frons convex with an obscure to clearly elevated median carina from epistoma towards vertex; female frons either similar to male or deeply concave. Antennal club flattened with two or three sutures weakly marked by setae, suture 1 partly septate, funiculus (including pedicel) 6-segmented.

Maxillary palpus with 3 segments subequal in length; labial palpus with basal segment enlarged, as long as prementum, segment 2 short and broad, segment 3 narrow, three times longer than segment 2; ligula large and elevated above prementum, setose. Pronotum almost trapezoidal, broader than long, constricted on anterior third. Elytra. Base procurved with a low rim of crenulations; interstriae much broader than striae, flat, with granules; striae narrowly and deeply impressed. Thoracic sclerites. Scutellum rounded, slightly sunken. Postnotum very short, fused to metanotum at mesal one-third; scutoscutellar suture parabolic, following scutellar grove for less than one fifth of its length; pleural suture weakly zigzag shaped. Legs. Procoxae contiguous, prosternum along its anterior edge recurved as a blunt rim. Mesocoxae widely separated, mesocoxal process expanding anteriorly with lateral projections. Protibiae with 3–5 socketed teeth at expanded latero-distal angle, mucro short, almost straight; mesotibiae with lateral socketed teeth on distal half, smaller spines along its remaining length; metatibiae with a distinct lateral triangular extension close to distal end, with 2–6 lateral socketed teeth contiguously placed below triangular point, outer apical flange with a transverse row of 5–10 smaller socketed teeth, the area between lateral and apical teeth usually incised. All tarsi with segment 4 bilobed, deeply incised. Male genitalia (as known in 4 species) with spiculum gastrale slightly curved, without fork; aedeagus with very short apophyses less than one fifth the length of the tube; tegmen a closed ring with distinct anterior strut. Proventriculus (4 species) simple, apical plate short, without median suture, transverse ridges weakly developed; lateral teeth blunt, long and curled, apical and femoral teeth absent.

Distribution: In the Neotropics from Bolivia and Brazil (Mato Grosso) in the south, to Mexico (Oaxaca) and Cuba in the north. In the Afrotropical region from Angola and Tanzania in the south, to Uganda and Cameroon in the north ( Wood & Bright, 1992).

Key to Neotropical species: Wood 1982; 2007