A revision of the New Zealand weevil genus Irenimus Pascoe, 1876 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae)

Abstract

The taxonomy of the New Zealand weevil genus Irenimus Pascoe, 1876 is revised, resulting in a narrower concept of the genus than has been considered in recent decades. In total, the genus now contains only seven species. In addition to the type species, I. parilis Pascoe, 1876, the genus contains I. duplex (Broun, 1904) and five newly described species: I. aniptus new species (type locality, Oamaru, DN), I. crinitus new species (type locality, Hakataramea Valley, SC), I. minimus new species (type locality, Alexandra, CO), I. stichus new species (type locality, Tekapo, MK) and I. thoracicus new species (type locality, Oamaru, DN). The genus Chalepistes new genus is established to contain the majority of species previously described in the genus Catoptes Schönherr, 1842, but also including species described in Brachyolus White, 1846; Irenimus Pascoe, 1876; Inophloeus Pascoe, 1875; and Nicaeana Pascoe, 1877. A total of 27 valid described species are new combinations with Chalepistes: C. aequalis (Broun, 1895) (from Irenimus), C. albosparsus (Broun, 1917) (from Irenimus), C. apicalis (Broun, 1923) (from Catoptes), C. asperatus (Broun, 1914) (from Brachyolus), C. compressus (Broun, 1880) (from Irenimus), C. costifer (Broun, 1886) (from Inophloeus), C. curvus (Barratt & Kuschel, 1996) (from Irenimus), C. dehiscens (Broun, 1917) (from Catoptes), C. dugdalei (Barratt & Kuschel, 1996) (from Irenimus), C. egens (Broun, 1904) (from Irenimus), C. inaequalis (Sharp, 1886) (from Brachyolus), C. instabilis (Marshall, 1931) (from Catoptes), C. latipennis (Broun, 1893) (from Catoptes), C. limbatus (Broun, 1909) (from Catoptes), C. lobatus (Broun, 1921) (from Catoptes), C. patricki (Barratt & Kuschel, 1996) (from Irenimus), C. pensus (Broun, 1914) (from Inophloeus), C. placidus (Broun, 1914) (from Nicaeana), C. posticalis (Broun, 1893) (from Irenimus), C. rhesus (Pascoe, 1875) (from Inophloeus), C. rubidus (Broun, 1881) (from Inophloeus), C. similis (Barratt & Kuschel, 1996) (from Irenimus), C. spectabilis (Broun, 1914) (from Catoptes), C. spermophilus (Broun, 1895), revised status (from Irenimus), C. stolidus (Broun, 1886) (from Irenimus), C. tenebricus (Broun, 1893) (from Catoptes), C. vastator (Broun, 1893) (from Irenimus). Numerous new synonyms with species of Chalepistes are also proposed: Brachyolus fuscipictus Broun, 1914 and Brachyolus terricola Broun, 1917 are junior subjective synonyms of Chalepistes asperatus (Broun); Brachyolus cervalis Broun, 1903 and Brachyolus sylvaticus Broun, 1910 are junior subjective synonyms of Chalepistes costifer (Broun); Inophloeus tricostatus Broun, 1915 is a junior subjective synonym of Chalepistes pensus (Broun); Catoptes pallidipes Broun, 1917, Catoptes flaviventris Broun, 1917 and Catoptes nigricans Broun, 1917 are junior subjective synonyms of Chalepistes placidus (Broun); Inophloeus longicornis Broun, 1904, Inophloeus medius Broun, 1893, Inophloeus sulcicollis Broun, 1914 and Inophloeus suturalis Broun, 1893 are junior subjective synonyms of Chalepistes rhesus (Pascoe); Inophloeus albonotata Broun, 1893, Catoptes asperellus Broun, 1893, Irenimus bicostatus Broun, 1886, Catoptes caliginosus Broun, 1893, Catoptes chalmeri Broun, 1893, Catoptes decorus Broun, 1893, Inophloeus discrepans Broun, 1904, Catoptes fumosus Broun, 1914, Catoptes furvus Broun, 1893, Catoptes humeralis Broun, 1893, Catoptes longulus Sharp, 1886, Inophloeus nigellus Broun, 1881, Irenimus pilosellus Broun, 1886 and Catoptes scutellaris Sharp, 1886 are junior subjective synonyms of Chalepistes rubidus (Broun); Catoptes subnitidus Broun, 1914 and Catoptes curvatus Broun, 1914 are junior subjective synonyms of Chalepistes spermophilus (Broun); Catoptes brevicornis Sharp, 1886 and Catoptes vexator Broun, 1904 are junior subjective synonyms of Chalepistes stolidus (Broun); and Catoptes aemulator Broun, 1893 and Catoptes argentalis Broun, 1914 are junior subjective synonyms of Chalepistes tenebricus (Broun). Additional new combinations include Inophloeus robustus (Broun, 1917) (from Catoptes) and Nicaeana fraudator (Marshall, 1931) (from Catoptes), while Catoptes postrectus Marshall, 1931 is a new synonym of Protolobus obscurus Sharp, 1886.

Weevils as Targets for Biological Control, and the Importance of Taxonomy and Phylogeny for Efficacy and Biosafety

“…Leptopiini are clearly common hosts, and given the number of species present in New Zealand including in the genera Irenimus Pascoe (seven species) and Chalepistes Brown (62 species) [47,48] and Austromonticola Brown (eight species) [49], it is likely that the actual number of potential hosts is much higher. As the early exploratory work involving M. aethiopoides in Morocco did not aim to determine the extent to which a wider range of possible host species might be present, further research was carried out in Morocco with this goal [50].…”

Austromonticola, a new genus of broad-nosed weevil (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae) from montane areas of New Zealand

“…Everted ovipositors were measured from the centre of the ovipositor level with the apices of sternite 8 and tergite 8, to the apex of the gonocoxites. Pappolepidia ( Brown 2017 ) are multiply finely divided scales (Fig. 114 , “multifid hairs” of Kuschel 1969 ), found in abundance on the abdominal and thoracic ventrites of some species.…”

“…Specimen pinned through right elytron; abdomen removed and mounted in DMHF on white card pinned below specimen, genitalia dissected, ventrites coated in gold for SEM ; left protarsus broken at base of segment 1, right mesotarsus lacking claw segment. Labelled ‘NEW ZEALAND CO / 1680 m / Hawkdun Range / 10 Dec 2013/ SDJ Brown’ [printed, cream card], ‘On Chionohebe and under / stones close to / Chionohebe cushions / 44.788°S 169.994°E ’ [printed, cream card], ‘ Irenimus taxonomy / and systematics / SDJ Brown / PhD Thesis 2012–2015 / IRE6389’ [printed, cream card], ‘HOLOTYPE / Austromonticola / inflatus / Brown 2017 ’ [printed, red card]. Genomic DNA extract from enzyme digestion of abdomen: E336 ( NZAC ).…”

“…Since then, few additional species have been described ( Marshall 1926 , 1931 , 1937 ; Barratt and Kuschel 1996 ), and—with the exception of several generic synonyms proposed by Kuschel (1964 , 1969 , 1972 , 1982 )—the composition of most New Zealand entimine weevil genera has remained largely unmodified since Broun's (1921) last work on the group. Recent research, however, indicates that understanding of the genus diversity of broad-nosed weevils in New Zealand has been obscured by imprecise and polyphyletic generic concepts ( Brown 2017 ), and many species and genera remain undescribed. This paper describes a new genus of entimine weevils that is restricted to high-alpine vegetation types and whose females exhibit exaggerated ornamentation on the abdominal ventrites.…”

Morphological and Molecular Perspectives on the Phylogeny, Evolution, and Classification of Weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea): Proceedings from the 2016 International Weevil Meeting

“…New Zealand has a diverse broad-nosed weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae) fauna, which is particularly speciose in alpine regions of the southern South Island [83,162]. A number of species show remarkable sexual dimorphism, where females possess exaggerated structures on the elytra and abdominal ventrites [83].…”