Alcidodes hopeae ( Marshall, 1926 )

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 : 1811-1813

Alcidodes hopeae ( Marshall, 1926)

Alcides hopeae Marshall, 1926: 347 ; Kalshoven, 1956: 83; Haaf, 1964a: 38.

Robust insects, with protruding humeral angles; length 4.15±6.00 mm (xÅ5 l5.28, m 5.02), PW 5 2.15±2.95 mm (xÅ5 l2.7, m 2.57), HW 5 2.7±3.8 mm (xÅ5 l3.44, m 3.22) (n 5 l14, m 29) (®gures 30, 62, 81).

Head. Rostrum arising adjacent to about one-third (l) or half-way (m) down eye; evenly curved, less punctate and more slender in female ( RL 5 1.6 ±2.30 mm, xÅ5 1.98 mm; RL/ PW5 0.72±0.84, xÅ5 0.77; RB/RD 5 0.77±1.00, xÅ5 0.88; n 5 29) (®gure 203) than in male ( RL 5 1.65±2.23, xÅ5 1.98 mm; RL/ PW 5 0.69±0.77, xÅ5 0.73; RB/RD 5 0.88±1.00, xÅ5 0.94; n 5 14) (®gure 204) .

Thorax. PL / PW 5 0.61±0.70 (xÅ5 0.67, n 5 43) (no sexual dimorphism); prothorax lacking a tubercle behind fore coxae. Elytral interstriae with numerous small indistinct granules, especially proximally and on disc, strial punctures narrower than interstriae, humeri with interstria 9 projecting beyond 8 in dorsal view (®gures 30, 47); EL/HW, m, 1.05±1.21 (xÅ5 1.12, n 5 29),, l1.10±1.15 (xÅ5 1.12, n 5 14). Elytra with darker pigmentation on humeri and as scattered markings on rest of elytra, concentrated along interstriae; elytral scales hair-like, uniform. Fore femur with ventral tooth as in ®gures 138, 168, 169, proximal lobe lying along femur and sometimes di cult to see, central lobe at right angles to long axis of femur, distal margin with one or two small teeth not distinctly developed into lobe; fore tibia with ventral tooth, mid and hind tibiae lacking ventral tooth. Ventral margin of metasternum weakly convex, not strongly divergent from elytral margin (®gure 13) .

Abdomen. Male ventrite 5 with median oval depression, with slightly denser patch of scales to each side (®gure 110). Female ventrite 5 with shallow median depression more or less apparent, not bordered by any specialized scales (®gure 111).

Male terminalia. (®gures 346±353). Tergite 7 (®gure 346) with posterior margin concave, 2±3 plectral tubercles near posterior margin. Segment 8 as ®gure 247. Tegmen (®gures 349±350) with parameres fused basally. Membrane between tegmen and aedeagus not extended into pair of lobes. Aedeagus (®gures 351±353) with sides parallel, apex rounded, very weakly acuminate, with group of setae on either side of mid-line; ostiolar sclerites elongate, extending into endophallus, probably fused to dorsal sclerite of aedeagus; dorsal surface of aedeagus sclerotized basally.

Female terminalia. (®gures 354±356) Tergite 7 with two or three pairs of plectral tubercles near wing-binding patches (®gure 354). Tergite 8 with broadly rounded posterior margin, disc and median anterior margin more weakly sclerotized than other margins (®gure 355). Spiculum ventrale (®gure 356) with broad part quadrate, not as long as apodeme. Female genitalia as in ®gures 357±358; hemisternites short, dilated subapically, weakly sclerotized, styli relatively long, broad. Spermathecal duct arising at junction of bursa and common oviduct; spermatheca with bulbous gland lobe.

Distinguishing features. A. hopeae is found on the same hosts as ®ve other species of similar size, A. confusus , A. walliorum and A. fugitus (in the crassus group) and A. gonzoi and A. sterryorum (both dipterocarpi group). The distinguishing features of A. confusus , A. walliorum and A. fugitus have been discussed above. A. gonzoi may be distinguished from A. hopeae by its much less developed humeral angles (®gures 31, 30, 49, 47). A. sterryorum can be distinguished from both A. hopeae and A. gonzoi by the pro®le of the head (®gures 203±208), the rostrum arising in a more dorsal position in that species than in the other two.

Comments. Kalshoven (1956) reports the species from Hopea mengarawan in S. Sumatra; this record may refer to the types, and could be the record repeated by Mathur and Balwant (1960a). The species have been reared almost entirely from the seeds of Hopea species. One female in this study was recorded as being reared from a seed of Shorea coriacea , but this probably represents an error in labelling. The record in Toy (1988) from Shorea agami Ashton refers to a still undescribed species (at present represented by too few specimens to be adequately distinguished), and those of S. assamica Dyer in the same work refer to both the same undescribed species and specimens of A. curvirostris . Toy’ s (1988) record from Hopea dryobalanoides Miq. is correct, although his record from H. latifolia Sym. refers to A. gonzoi .

Specimens examined

LECTOTYPE ,, l Indonesia: Sumatra, here designated, with labels:`LECTO- / TYPE’ and`Type’ (BMNH red-bordered disc) and`received fr. / Palembang / Sumatra / L.G.E. Kalshoven / IV 21/Cu 65 a ’ and`Pres. by / Imp. Bur. Ent. / Brit. Mus. / 1925±226.’ and`ex Hopea / fruits / c762’ and` Alcides / hopeae Mshl. / TYPE ’ l. (BMNH)

PARALECTOTYPE m, same data as male ( BMNH) [third syntype not seen] .

Other material. Malaysia: Peninsular Malaysia : 1, l Penang (Lamb); 1 l 1m, Pasoh F. R ., Negri Sembilan, (Toy) ex Hopea dryobalanoide s ( BMNH) .

Brunei: 12 ll, 10mm, Temburong Distr., Kuala Belalong, September ± October 1992 (Lyal and Margerison Knight), reared from seeds of Hopea sp. ( BMNH, RBM) .

Indonesia: Borneo: Kalimantan, Gunung Palung National Park, Cabang Panti Research Station, i-iv.1991 (Curran), reared from seeds of: Hopea dyeri (2 ll, 13mm); Hopea ferruginea (2 ll, 7mm); Hopea mengerawan (1, l 1m); Hopea sangal (1, l 1m); Shorea coriacea (1m). ( BMNH, MZB, UMMZ).

Range. Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo.

Hosts. Hopea dryobalanoide s Miq., H. mengerawan Miq. , H. dyeri Pierre , H. ferruginea Parijs , H. sangal Korth.