Hemipeplus insularis Grouvelle, 1896

Kc, Sajan & Pollock, Darren A., 2025, Review of the Hemipeplinae (Coleoptera: Mycteridae) fauna of the world with descriptions of twenty-nine new species, Zootaxa 5574 (1), pp. 1-140 : 41-42

Hemipeplus insularis Grouvelle, 1896

(Figs 16, 61)

FIGURE 16. Hemipeplus insularis Grouvelle, 1896 . A. Dorsal habitus (with scale bar); B. Dorsal head and prothorax; C. Lateral view of head and prothorax; D. Male genitalia dorsal view with spiculum gastrale; E. Tegmen dorsal view (with scale bar); F. Tegmen lateral view with one paramere removed.

Hemipeplus insularis Grouvelle, 1896: 196 .— Hetschko 1930: 90; Blackwelder 1945: 423; Kamiya 1963: 14; Pollock 1999: 66.

Type Material. Not found by Pollock (1999) or in this study .

Other Material Examined. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. Puerto Plata. Puerto Plata , 18–28.vi.1993, R . E. Woodruff leg., palm thatched building, ( DAPC, 1♂ ( Fig. 16), 8 sex unknown) . San Juan. 12913, 1.ii.1957 –5994, with pineapple slips, ( DAPC, 1); 12403, lot 56–10028 , 31.vii.1956, Lewis and Price, leg., with pineapple slips, ( FSCA, 1) .

Diagnosis. Hemipeplus insularis can be distinguished by its large eyes, very short temples, and lateral margins of the body piceous. Hemipeplus insularis has the following diagnostic features: temples scarcely present as slight roundish expansion behind eyes; scape submoniliform; eyes large (longer than scape + pedicel), moderately wide and moderately convex; pronotum subcordiform, elongate without distinct anterior emargination, anterior half not much widened; anterolateral angles not very produced, broadly rounded; pronotal pad very distinct; posterolateral angles obtuse, rounded; pronotal lobe slight with median notch; scutellar shield subpentagonal to subhexagonal, twice as wide as long; body slender and elongate; elytra more or less flat; color rufotestaceous–rufopiceous dorsally and piceous laterally; distribution: Dominican Republic (Peravia, Puerto Plata, San Juan) .

Male Genitalia (Figs 16D–F). (Tegmen length = 0.42 mm (n = 1)) Lobe of basale short, thin, slightly widened apically and rounded; shoulders straight and acutely angled; apicale and basale with distinct suture; parameres surrounded by lateral sheaths, fairly straight with inner margins arcuate; apices of parameres sharp and pointed; penis longer than tegmen.

Geographical Distribution (Fig. 61). Dominican Republic (Peravia ( Pollock 1999), Puerto Plata, San Juan) .

Natural History. According to specimen label data, H. insularis is associated with palms ( Arecaceae ) and pineapples ( Bromeliaceae ).