Alcidodes themus Lyal, 2000

Lyal, C. H. C. & Curran, L. M., 2000, Seed-feeding beetles of the weevil tribe Mecysolobini (Insecta: Coleoptera: Curculionidae) developing in seeds of trees in the Dipterocarpaceae, Journal of Natural History 34 (9), pp. 1743-1847 : 1792-1794

Alcidodes themus Lyal , n.sp.

Robust insect, length 9.53 mm, PW 5 4.63 mm, HW5 6.38 mm (n 5 1) (®gures 23,

55, 72).

Head. Rostrum virtually straight, only weakly punctate distally in male (l RL5 3.75mm; RL/ PW 5 0.81; RB/RD 5 1.00; n 5 1) (®gure 188), female not available .

Thorax. PL / PW,, l0.70 (n 5 1); prothorax with weak tooth posterior to coxa. Elytra with interstriae smooth proximally, strial punctures deep, generally wider than interstriae, humeri with interstria 9 just projecting beyond 8 in dorsal view (®gures 23, 42); EL/HW,, l1.16 (n 5 1). Elytra with pigmentation uniform, scales sparse, uniform. Fore femur with ventral tooth subtriangular, lacking proximal lobe, proximal margin at c.90ss to long axis of femur and shorter than length of tooth, distal margin dentate or serrate (®gures 130, 151); all tibiae with small ventral tooth. Metasternum strongly produced posteroventrally before hind coxae, its ventral margin strongly diverging from elytral margin .

Abdomen. Ventrite 5 with two caudal setal tufts on large prominences on posterior margin in male; disc of ventrite 5 depressed laterally and medially in male; female not available.

Male terminalia. Tergite 7 as in ®gure 246; irregular submarginal row of plectral tubercles on each side. Genitalia as in ®gures 247±251. Tegmen with parameres fused at base (®gure 247). Aedeagus with apex acuminate (®gure 248), aedeagal body evenly curved in lateral view, sides nearly straight over most of length, converging towards apex, sclerotization extending weakly onto dorsal surface (®gure 248), distance from ostium to apex greater than width of ostium (®gure 250). Endophallus with small spines.

Distinguishing features. This species belongs to the sub-group of the crassus group with the distal margin of the fore femoral tooth sloping gradually (®gure 130). It may be distinguished from ramezei and curranae by the much wider elytral punctures on the disc, and from crassus and hoplomachus by the punctures in striae 1 and 2 on the elytral declivity, which are narrower but not much shorter than those on the disc, and nearly conūent, unlike those in the two larger species, which are both narrower and shorter on the declivity, but not conūent.

Comments. The form of the male genitalia indicates that this species is close to A. ramezei , although the apex of the aedeagus is broader than that of the latter species. No host information is available for the species. The female is not known.

Etymology. The name is a random collection of letters.

Specimens examined

HOLOTYPE: l Peninsular Malaysia, with labels:`RIM. Malacca / February 1908 ’ and`ex coll / F.M. S. / MUSEUM’ and` Alcides / nr. crassus / Pasc. ’ and` Curculionid’ and`188’. ( BMNH).

Range. One specimen only is known, from Malacca, Peninsular Malaysia.

Hosts. Unknown.