Scleropteroides Colonnelli, 1979

Huang, Junhao, Yoshitake, Hiraku, Zhang, Runzhi & Ito, Motomi, 2014, Taxonomic revision of the East Asian genus Scleropteroides Colonnelli, 1979 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Ceutorhynchinae), ZooKeys 437, pp. 45-86 : 46

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Curculionidae

Scleropteroides Colonnelli, 1979 Figs 7-21

Scleropteroides Colonnelli, 1979: 214. - Morimoto 1984: 316; 1989: 514 (in checklist). - Kim et al. 1991: 183 (record from Korea). - Korotyaev 1996: 459 (in key). - Hong et al. 1999: 63. - Hong et al. 2000: 123. - Yoshitake et al. 2004: 105 (in catalog). - Korotyaev and Hong 2004: 146. - Colonnelli 2004: 22, 34 (in catalog). - Korotyaev et al. 2014: 99.

Type species.

Ceuthorrhynchidius hypocrita Hustache, 1916.

Diagnosis.

This genus is very similar to Scleropterus in having a six-segmented antennal funicle, elytra bearing acute squamate granules (usually in a row on each interval), and a rostral channel extending to the metaventrite. However, it is easily distinguishable from Scleropterus mainly by the bisinuate basal margin of the pronotum (Figs 10, 34, 36, 38), the well-developed scutellar shield (Figs 11, 34-39), prominent elytral humeri (Figs 11, 35, 37, 39), even elytral intervals (Figs 11, 35, 37, 39), dentate femora (Fig. 15), and simple fore tibiae that are not incurved apically (Fig. 15).

Male.

Dark brown in general appearance. Head, rostrum, prothorax (except apical part), venter, and pygidium black; antennae, apical part of prothorax, and tarsi paler.

Vestiture. Body surface evenly covered with ochreous pollinosity in life. Head mainly covered with brown clavate scales, mixed with white scales; vertex with scales directed medially; forehead with scales directed basally; basal margin and median carina fringed with white ovate recumbent scales. Rostrum covered with clavate scales on basal 2/3; scales directed basally, gradually becoming smaller toward apex, replaced by hair-like scales on apical 1/3. Prothorax mainly covered with very similar scales as those on head, with longitudinal stripe of white ovate recumbent scales on median and lateral parts; each scale directed basally. Elytra (Fig. 11) bearing row of white and brown clavate scales on each interval; scales directed apically. Legs (Fig. 15) densely covered with white and brown scales; femora mostly covered with clavate semirecumbent scales, mingled with feather-like scales along inner margin; tibiae mainly covered with clavate scales, except semirecumbent hair-like scales along inner margin; corbel of each tibia fringed with brown setae. Lateral pieces of meso- and metathorax mainly covered with white ovate recumbent scales. Sterna mainly covered with white lanceolate to ovate scales; meso- and metaventral receptacles densely covered with white aciculate scales. Venter mainly covered with white lanceolate to ovate recumbent scales, mingled with white and brown clavate scales; ventrites III and IV nearly naked on disc, with only transverse row of clavate scales; ventrite V bearing fine brown scales in median concavity and white ovate scales on sides. Pygidium mainly sparsely covered with short clavate semirecumbent scales, mingled with hair-like recumbent scales; scales brown, directed ventrally.

Head (Figs 7-8) reticulately punctured; each puncture moderate in size; vertex with median carina from base to apex; carina becoming obscure apically; forehead shallowly depressed, with apex slightly broader than base of rostrum and then strongly widened basally; eyes medium-sized, rounded triangular, weakly convex. Rostrum (Figs 7-8) slender, evenly curved; dorsum densely rugosely punctured except apex; punctures moderate in size from base to level between antennal insertions, then becoming smaller, sparser, and shallower toward apex; sides subparallel in basal half, more or less widened before antennal insertions, then subparallel in apical part; antennal scrobes well separated on ventral surface. Antennae (Figs 8-9) inserted before middle of rostrum; scape moderate in length, evidently clavate, round and fringed with 3-4 setae at apex, slightly shorter than funicle; funicle six-segmented; club lanceolate, finely pubescent except basal part.

Pronotum (Figs 10-13) slightly wider than long; dorsum densely coarsely punctured, simple, lacking tubercle or prominence; punctures smaller in apical and basal parts; basal margin bisinuate, smooth, not serrate; apical margin weakly raised, with shallow median incision. Scutellar shield subovate.

Elytra (Figs 11-12) subcordate, nearly as long as wide, widest just behind humeri; suture evidently bent leftward; interval I of right elytron slightly broader than that of left elytron; all intervals subequal in width and height, nearly three times as wide as striae, each with row of more or less small and acute squamate granules; striae less marked, nearly naked, lacking conspicuous scales or hair, finely punctured; each puncture round, separated by distance more than three times as long as its diameter. Hind wings (Fig. 19) well-developed.

Legs (Fig. 15) slender; femora slightly clavate, each armed with small tooth, bearing minute squamate granules; no jumping organ present (Fig. 16); tibiae bearing minute squamate or setiferous granules; protibiae simple, lacking mucro and not curved in at apex; meso- and metatibiae moderately mucronate; corbels short, simple, not dilated outward; tarsi (Figs 17-18) moderate in length; claws free, slender, appendiculate with sharp teeth; each tooth slender, extending from base to middle of each claw.

Underside. Prosternum coarsely and moderately densely punctured; mesoventrite densely and finely punctured; metaventrite with dense medium-sized punctures on disc and with sparser and coarser punctures on sides; lateral pieces of meso- and metasterna sparsely coarsely punctured. Rostral channel (Fig. 13) long, extending far beyond level between posterior margins of mesocoxal cavities, with dense minute punctures; mesoventral receptacle deep, laterally costate; costae short, subparallel; metaventral receptacle very deep, terminating in steep wall and U-shaped margin; lateral walls of meso- and metaventral receptacles interrupted by inner margins of mesocoxae; metaventrite more or less prominent ventrally along apico-lateral margin of metaventral receptacle. Metendosternite as in Fig. 14. Venter coarsely and more or less densely punctured; ventrites III and IV nearly polished on disc, with only transverse row of coarse and sparse punctures; ventrite V with subtriangular median concavity along basal margin; concavity faintly sulcate along midline. Tergum as in Figs 20-21; tergite VII with pair of minute setiferous plectral tubercles near base.

Pygidium transverse-pentagonal, flattened, very coarsely and reticulately punctured; bottom of each puncture opaque due to dense minute punctations; upper flange arcuate downward on each side.

Female.

Rostrum (Figs 24-25) slightly more slender. Antennae inserted just behind middle of the rostrum. Tibiae simple, not mucronate on all legs. Ventrites I and II moderately inflated, sparsely punctured, lacking prominence. Ventrite V simple or only with longitudinal median sulcus, lacking concavity. Pygidium smaller, sectorial, mainly covered with hair-like scales. Otherwise as in male.

Distribution.

East Asia (China including Taiwan, Korea, and Japan; Figs 133-134).