Rasilinus, Mazur, Milosz A., 2016

Mazur, Milosz A., 2016, A new genus and nine new species of Eugnomini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from New Caledonia, ZooKeys 554, pp. 87-118 : 89-90

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Curculionidae

Rasilinus gen. n.

Type species.

Rasilinus tchambicus sp. n. Gender masculine.

Diagnosis.

Body massive; elytra narrowed, smooth, without any tubercles or spines, not covered with adjacent scales, sculpture of elytra clearly visible; hind femora stout, strongly clavate with large tooth, their basal part stout.

Description.

Size 2.5-3.6 mm. Body stout, distinctly convex transversally. Rostrum dorsoventrally flattened, as long as head or slightly longer; dorsal surface covered with white, more or less protruding, elongate scales, sometimes mixed with additional white scales which are suboval and adjoining. Antennae inserted on apical part of rostrum; funicle with seven antennomeres; scape reaching posterior margin of eye. Scrobe deep in lateral view with sharp edges; partly visible in dorsal view of rostrum; not passing along ventral part and not reaching front margin of eyes. Eyes weakly to strongly convex. Frons narrower than base of rostrum. Pronotum subquadrate. Elytra widest at basal half, distinctly and regularly narrowed to apex; apically truncate or rounded; humeral calli weakly or strongly prominent, posterior calli absent. Surface of elytra glabrous, more or less shining; intervals wider than striae with single line of short, protruding, inclined backward setae; entire surface in some species covered with extremely small, hardly visible, piliform setae. Second pair of wings well developed. Front coxae contiguous. Trochanters small, fusiform. Posterior margin of metaventrite with distinct line of dense, closely adjoining, white scales. All femora covered with sparse, elongate scales. Outer margin of tibiae covered with white, elongate scales. Hind femora broadened, clavate with enlarged tooth; dorsal surface with contrasting, transverse stripe of white scales (except Rasilinus subnodulus sp. n.); posterior margin of tooth on hind femora with two types of piliform setae: one short and straight and other elongate and hooked apically. Hind tibiae strongly curved. Segments of front and middle tarsi similar in length; first tarsal segment of hind tarsi elongate, as long as 2+3 or longer. Male pygidium (tergite VIII) with two narrow processes on ventral side. Tegmen with elongate or very short parameres. Penis well sclerotised, most species with fully sclerotised base of pedon (here, basal part of pedon is the anterior ventral margin of the penis body between the apodemes) and variable, well visible structures in internal sac.

Etymology.

The generic name is derived from the Latin adjective rasilis (smooth) and refers to the elytral sculpture. Gender masculine.

Distribution.

New Caledonia (main island), only Rasilinus subgemellus sp. n. is known from Lifou Island (Map 1).

Biology.

Detailed biology unknown. Other members of Eugnomini have been reared from dead wood, subcortical tissues, live stems, galls, leaves or fruits of many species of plants in different families (e.g. May 1987).