THE IDENTITY OF MACROCEPHALUS BIDENS OLIVIER, WITH...

THE IDENTITY OF MACROCEPHALUS BIDENSOLIVIER, 1795, WITH A REVIEW OF

THE GENUS TOXONOTUS LACORDAIRE(COLEOPTERA ANTHRIBIDAE)

BY BARRY D. VALENTINE

Mississippi Southern College, Hattiesburg

Recently, while checking the descriptions and figuresof Anthribid weevils in Olivier’s Entomologie, my atten-tion was drawn to an unfamiliar name. A check of someother important anthribid literature revealed that in theone hundred and fifty-nine years since Olivier’s descrip-tion and figures were published, the name, Macrocephalusbidens, has vanished from the pertinent anthribid litera-ture of the world with the single exception of SchSnherr’sGenera et Species Curculionidum, where in volumes oneand five (1833, 1839) it is listed in "incerti genesis, speciesmihi invisae". It is not meationed in Lacordaire (1866),Bovie’s catalogue (1906), Wolfrum’s paper on West Indiananthribids (1930), the anthribid portion and supplementof the Coleopterorum Catalogus (Wolfrum, 1929, 1953),.or Blackwelder’s catalogue (1947).

Actually, Macrocephalus bidens Olivier should not bedropped rom the lists, or it is a recognizable species.It s restricted to ths hemisphere by its type locality "SaintDomingue" which has gradually changed through SaintDominique, Santo Domingo, and Dominican Republic, andat the time of Olivier’s description, referred to all, orpart, of the island of Hispaniola. Once a Caribbean localityis established, the description and figures characterizebidens as having a short, wide rostrum, three transverselyarranged "tubercles" on the disc of the prothorax, more"tubercles" on the elytra, and very hairy legs. This com-bination of eatures immediately rules out all New Worldgenera except Neanthribus Jordan and Toxonous La-cordaire. ’The two genera in question both occur on His-

Published with grant from the Museum of Comparative Zoology atHarvard College.

98

] Va.lentine Macrocephalus bidens 99

paniola; however, Olivier mentions nothing which mighthelp to decide between them. The two. are differentiatedby the presence of a tarsal spine, long male antennae, andemarginate eyes in Toxonotus, while Neanthribus has notarsal spine, short male antennae, and truncate eyes. Ofthese, the tarsal spine is no’t visi’ble on the plates, butneither was it mentioned in the original description othe generitypic species of Toxonotus, T. fascicularis. Asa matter of fact, it was not mentioned at all until 1866,thirty-three years a2ter SchSnherr’s description of fas-cicularis, and seventy-one years after the description ofbidens. The antennae, as figured, could be those o2 Nean-thribus or a 2emale Toxonotus, and the eyes are so poorlyillustrated that it is difficult to be certain of their shape,although one gets the impression that they might be entire.Since there are no diagnostic generic criteria available,the only recourse is to attempt identifica’tion of the ’speciesbidens itself. The written description is again useless, butOlivier’s plate shows a unicolored .brownish insect, wihthe exception of the pale declivity of the elytra, paler head,and slender, hairy, red legs. I know of no. Nea.nthribusspecies ’which fits this description; however, a 2ew weeksago, I gave a manuscript name to a species o Toxonoturom Hispaniola which, .at he time, I thought was un-described, and which matches this color scheme perfectly.I haven’t the slightest doubt that this species is, in reality,Olivier’s bidens, and it should therefore be known as Toxo-notes bidens (Olivier), new combination.

In order to avoid any possibility of confusion, the f.ol-lowing review of Toxonotus is presented.

Genus Toxonotus Lacordaire, 1866Toxonotus Lacordaire, 1866, Gen. Coleop. vol. 7, p. 575.

Generitype: Anthribus fascicularis SchSnherr, 1833, byoriginal designation and monotypy.As far as known, this is the only genus in the world

fauna which has a long, slender spine on the dorsal, apicalmargin of all first tarsal segments. This spine extendshalf-way over the second segment, and is sometimes par-tially obscured by long pubescence. To my knowledge,there is only one other anthribid which ever has a spine

100 Psyche [September

on the first tarsal segment. It occurs in some males ofPiesocorynus mixtus Leconte; however, in this species thespine, when present, is on the ventral surface, and is usu-ally subapical in position. The genus is 2urther character-ized as follows" rostrum and interocular area with a medi-an carina which is interrupted by a deep, sharply limitedpit located opposite the lower limit of the eyes; trans-verse carina of prothorax basal, fitting against the: bi-convex basal margin .of the elytra; dorsal surface of theprothorax and elytra ornamented with tufts of erect pu-bescence and a lateral ringe; tibiae with long, erect, palepubescence giving a bottle-brush effect; tarsi with theabove-mentioned spine on the first segment, and the thirdsegment not conspicuously dilated into a broad pad, thelobes free, not conate; antennae .of males three-fourths oone and one-half times the total length of the body, offemales up to one-half the length of the body; eyes withthe margin adjacent o the antennal scrobes stronglyemarginate.

The relationships between Toxonotus and the relatedgenera Neanthribus, Phoenicobiella, and Platystomos areextremely complex. It is evident 2rom a study of all ourgenera and many species that three distinct .evolutionarylines are present, plus several connecting 2orms. Thethree lines are climaxed by Platystomos in the Old World,and Neanthribus and Phoenicobiella in the New, withsuch forms as the two Toxonotus species and "Neanthri-bus" lividus Lec. and trituberculatus Suffr. as he inter-mediate links. There are several other intermediate formsalso, but it is not my intention to discuss them here; atleast one is still undescribed, and the subject will be cov-ered in detail in a generic revision of the North Americanfauna soon to be ready for publication. I have mentionedthis complex now only so that other coleopterists familiarwith the group might see the problem too, and perhapslend pertinent material, for I particularly need Antilleanspecimens and exotic Neanthribus and Platystomos species.As a matter of act, .even locality records and biologicaldata for United States species would help considerablyin deciphering the complex zoogeography and relationships.

] V,alentine Macro,cep,halus bidens 101

The species described as Toxonotus trituberculatus Suf-frian, 1870, has been transferred to Neanthribus by Wolf-rum (1930). Judging by Suffrian’s description, the speciesproperly belongs in Phoenicobiella or in a new genus. Itis obviously one of the key species in the intergradinggeneric complex mentioned above. The two. remainingspecies of Toxonotus can be distinguished by he 2ollowingkey and short diagnoses.1. Apex of prothorax with two. patches of extremely

dense, pale, brown pubescence, one on either sideof the median line; elytral pubescence striped,even-numbered interspaces bluish gray, odd-num-bered ones brown or brown flecked with white

Toxonotus fascicularis (SchSn. )2. Apex .of prothorax without patches of denser pubes-

cence, instead with two short, curving, white lines;elytral pubescence not striped, brown o brownishgray Toxonotus bidens (Olivier)

Toxonotus fascicularis (SchSnherr)Anthribus fascicularis SchSnherr, 1833, Genera et Spe-

cies Curculionidum 1(1) :132. Type locality: Cuba.Integument dark brown to black except ior antennae,

apices of femora, tibiae, and tarsi which are paler. Pub-escence very short; on prothorax variegate with gray andbrown, two large patches of dense pale brown extendingfrom lateral discal tufts to apex; on elytra sparse, stripedwith gray and brown as mentioned in key, sometimes withfirst three interspaces heavily dusted with white, declivitywith a sharply contrasting, dense white patch which at-tains the apical margin only along the suture, this suturalconnection sometimes partially or completely interrupted;on metasternum gray to white. Antennae with segments11, 10, and the distal portion of 9 dark brown to black,contrasting sharply with the remainder which is gray.

This species ranges throughout southern Florida andCuba. The northernmost locality kno.wn to me is Enter-prise, Volusia County, Florida. Two hundred and eightspecimens examined; of these, two from Baragua, Cuba,were colleced at light by L. C. Scaramuzza in May. Noother biological data available.

102 Psyche [September

Toxonotus bidens (Olivier) new combinationMacrocephalus bidens Olivier, 1795, Entomologie, vol. 4,

genus no. 80, p. 14, P1. 2, fig. 18a, b. Type locality" SaintDomingue.

Identical with T. fascicularis (SchSn.) with the excep-tion of the color and vestiture. Integument varying fromdark red to a startlingly clear, pale red, the latter especial-ly on the appendages. Pubescence long and coarse, ap-pearing shaggy and unkempt beside the trim-looking T.fascicularis; on prothorax unicolored brown, with no denseapical patches; instead with two arcuate lines of coarsevhite bristles which originate just laterad of each of thetwo small apical tufts, and run posteriad for a short dis-tance before curving laterally and ending midway betweenthe lateral discal tufts and the pronotal apex; on elytrapale brown to almost gray, not conspicuously striped, apicaldeclivity with coarse, dirty white bristles, slightly denserthan elsewhere, but not short as in fas.ciculais, and notsharply demarcated; on metasternum dirty yellow. Anten-nae unicolored gray, the last three segments not contrast-ing sharply with the remainder.

Three specimens known to me; a pair in the Museum ofComparative Zoology, %he male labeled, "Ennery, Haiti, nr.1000 ft., Sept. 6-11, ]934, (Darlington)", the female simp-ly, "S. Dom.", and the third, of undetermined sex, in %heAmerican Museum of Natural History labeled, "San Lcren-zo [sic], R. Dom. vi-27-29-15". The M.C.Z. female is con-siderably paler than the other two. specimens. Its clearred, hairy legs leave an indelible impression.

]LACKWELDER, l:. E.1947. Checklist of the Coleopterous Insects of Mexico, Central Amer-

ica, the West Indies, and South America, Part 5. U.S. Nat. Mus.Bull., 185:765-925.

BOVIE, A.1906. Catalogue des Anthribides. Ann. Soc. Ent. Belfi., 49:218-334.

IACORDAIRE, J. T.1866. Gener des Col6optres. Vol. 7"1-620. Paris.

OLIVIER, 2k .G.1795. Entomologie. Vol. 4:1-519. Paris.

Valentine Macrocephalus bidens 103

SCI-ION:I-IERR, C. ’.1833. Genera et Species Curculionidum 1(1) :1-381.1839. Ibid., 5(1):1-456.

SUFFRIAN, C. G. L. E.1870. Verzeichniss der yon Dr. Gundlach auf der Insel Cuba gesam-

melten RiisselkSfer. Archiv f. Naturges. 36(1):150-234.WOLFRUM:, P.

1929. Anthribidae. Coleopterorum Catalogus. Pars 102:1-145.1930. Uber Anthribiden vor Cub und dem grosser Antillen (Col.).

Deutsch. Ent. Zeitsch. 1930: 25-32.1953. Anthribidae. Coleopterorum Catalogus Supplements. Pars 102:

1-63.

THE ANT CENTROMYRMEX DONISTHORPEI 1V[ENOZZI, A SYN-ONYM. Menozzi described Centromyrmex donisthorpei in1925 (Philippine Jour. Sci., 28:443, pl. 1, figs. 4a, 4b, fe-male) from two specimens. One of these, here designatedas lectotype, is from Iligan, Mindanao, and is now on de-posit in the Museum of Comparative Zoology. While slightlydarker than the average specimen of Centromyrmex feae(Emery) (1889, Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, 27: 491,pl. 10, figs. 11-15, worker), originally cited from Burma, Ican detect no taxonomically important differences betweenit and female specimens (alate and dealate) taken withworkers of the common C. feae at several widely separatedsoutheast Asian localities. A new synonymy is indicated.--W. L. BROWN, JR., Museum of Comparative Zoology.

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