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PSYCHE

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B. D. Valentine.
The Identity of Macrocephalus bidens Olivier, 1795, with a Review of the Genus Toxonotus Lacordaire (Coleoptera: Anthribidae).
Psyche 62(3):98-103, 1955.

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THE IDENTITY OF MACROCEPHALUS BIDENS
OLIVIER, 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 figures of Anthribid weevils in Olivier's Entomologie, my atten- tion was drawn to an unfamiliar name. A check of some other important anthribid literature revealed that in the one hundred and fifty-nine years since Olivier's descrip- tion and figures were published, the name, Macrocephalus bidens, has vanished from the pertinent anthribid litera- ture of the world with the single exception of Schonherr's Genera et Species Curculionidum, where in volumes one and five (1833, 1839) it is listed in "incerti generis, species mihi &vim?". It is not mentioned in Lacordaire (1866), Bovie's catalogue (1906), Wolfrum's paper on West Indian anthri'bids (1930), the anthribid portion and supplement of the Coleopterorum Catalogus (Wolfrum, 1929, 1953), or Blackwelder's catalogue (1947).
Actually, Macrocephalus bidens Olivier should not be dropped from the lists, for it is a recognizable species. It is restricted to this hemisphere by its type locality "Saint Domingue" which has gradually changed through Saint Dominique, Santo Domingo, and Dominican Republic, and at the time of Olivier's description, referred to all, or part, of the island of Hispaniola. Once a Caribbean locality is established, the description and figures characterize bidens as having a short, wide rostrum, three transversely arranged "tubercles" on the disc of the prothorax, more "tubercles" on the elytra, and very hairy legs. This com- bination of features immediately rules out all New World genera except Neanthribus Jordan and Toxonotus La- cordaire. 'The two genera in question both occur on His- 'Published with a grant from the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College.




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19551 Valentine - Macrocephalus bidens 99 paniola ; however, Olivier mentions nothing which might help to decide between them. The two are differentiated by the presence of a tarsal spine, long male antennae, and emarginate eyes in Toxonotus, while Neanthribus has no tarsal spine, short male antennae, and truncate eyes. Of these, the tarsal spine is not visible on the plates, but neither was it mentioned in the original description of the generitypic species of Toxonotus, T. fascicularis. As a matter of fact, it was not mentioned at all until 1866, thirty-three years after Schonherr's description of fas- cicularis, and seventy-one years after the description of bidens. The antennae, as figured, could be those of Nean- thribzts or a female Toxonotus, and the eyes are so poorly illustrated 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 identification of the species bidens itself. The written description is again useless, but Olivier's plate shows a unicolored brownish insect, with the exception of the pale declivity of the elytra, paler head, and slender, hairy, red legs. I know of no Neanthribws species which fits this description; however, a few weeks ago, I gave a manuscript name to a species of Toxonotus from Hispaniola which, at the 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- notus bidens (Olivier) , new combination. In order to avoid any possibility of confusion, the fol- lowing review of Toxonotus is presented. Genus Toxonotus Lacordaire, 1866
Toxonotus Lacordaire, 1866, Gen. Coleop. vol. 7, p. 575. Generitype: Anthribus fascicularis ISchonherr, 1833, by original 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, apical margin of all first tarsal segments. This spine extends half-way over the second segment, and is sometimes par- tially obscured by long pu\bescence. To my knowledge, there is only one other anthribid which ever has a spine



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100 Psyche [September
on the first tarsal segment. It occurs in some males of Piesocorynus mixtus Leconte; however, in this species the spine, when present, is on the ventral surface, and is usu- ally subapical in position. The genus is further character- ized as follows: rostrum and interocular area with a medi- an carina which is interrupted 'by a deep, sharply limited pit located opposite the lower limit of the eyes; trans- verse carina of prothorax 'basal, fitting against the bi- convex lbasal margin of the elytra; dorsal surface of the prothorax and elytra ornamented with tufts of erect pu- bescence and a lateral fringe; tibiae with long, erect, pale pubescence giving a bottle~brush effect; tarsi with the above-mentioned spine on the first segment, and the third segment not conspicuously dilated into a broad pad, the lobes free, not conate; antennae of males three-fourths to one and one-half times the total length of the body, of females up to one-half the length of the body; eyes with the margin adjacent to the antenna1 scr~bes strongly emarginate.
The relationships 'between Toxonoius and the related genera Neanthribus, Phoenicobiella, and Platystomos are extremely complex. It is evident from a study of all four genera and many species that three distinct evolutionary lines are present, plus several connecting forms. The three lines are climaxed 'by Platystomos in the Old World, and Neanthribzis and Phoenicobiella in the New, with such forms as the two Toxonotus species and "Neanthri- bus9' lividus Lee. and trituberculatus Suffr. as the inter- mediate links. There are several other intermediate forms also, but it is not my intention to discuss them here; at least one is still undeseribed, and the subject will be cov- ered in detail in a generic revision of the North American fauna soon to be ready for publication.
I have mentioned
this complex now only so that other coleopterists familiar with the group might see the problem too, and perhaps lend pertinent material, for I particularly need Antillean specimens and exotic Neanthribus and Platystomos species. As a matter of fact, even locality records and jbiological data for United States species would help considerably in deciphering the complex zoogeography and relationships.



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19551 Val entine - Macrocephalus bidens 101 The species described as Toxonotus tritubereulatus Suf- frian, 1870, has been transferred to Neanthribw by Wolf- rum (1930). Judging by Suffrian's description, the species properly belongs in Phoenicobiella or in a new genus. It is obviously one of the key species in the intergrading generic complex mentioned above. 'me two remaining species of Toxonotus can be distinguished by the following key and short diagnoses.
1. Apex of prothorax with two patches of extremely dense, pale, brown pubescence, one on either side of the median line; elytral pubescence striped, even-numlbered interspaces bluish gray, odd-num- bered ones brown or 'brown flecked with white ............... Toxonotus fascicularis (Schon.) 2.
Apex of prothorax without patches of denser pubes- cence, instead with two short, curving, white lines; elytral pubescence not striped, brown to brownish gray .............. Toxonotus bidens (Olivier) Toxonotus f ascicularis (Schonherr)
Anthribus fasciadaris Schonherr, 1833, Genera et Spe- cies Curculionidum l(1) :132. Type locality: Cuba. Integument dark brown to black except for antennae, apices of femora, tibiae, and tarsi which are paler. Pub- escence very short; on prothorax variegate with gray and brown, two large patches of dense pale brown extending from lateral discal tufts to apex; on elytra sparse, striped with gray and brown as mentioned in key, sometimes with first three interspaces heavily dusted with white, declivity with a sharply contrasting, dense white patch which at- tains the apical margin only along the suture, this sutural connection sometimes partially or completely interrupted; on metasternum gray to white. Antennae with segments 11, 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 and Cuba. The northernmost locality known to me is Enter- prise, Volusia County, Florida. Two hundred and eight specimens examined; of these, two from Baragua, Cuba, were colleced at light by L. C. Scaramuzza in May. No other biological data available.




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102 Psyche [September
Toxonotus bidens (Olivier) new combination Mac~ocephalus bidens Olivier, 1795, Entomologie, vol. 4, genus no. 80, p. 14, PI. 2, fig. Ma, b. Type locality: Saint Domingue.
Identical with T. fascicular% (Schon.) with the excep- tion of the color and vestiture. Integument varying from dark 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. fasciczdaris; on prothorax unicolored brown, with no dense apical patches; instead with two arcuate lines of coarse white bristles which originate just laterad of each of the two small apical tufts, and run posteriad for a short dis- tance before curving laterally and ending midway between the lateral discal tufts and the pronotal apex; on elytra pale brown to almost gray, not conspicuously striped, apical declivity with coarse, dirty white bristles, slightly denser than elsewhere, but not short as in fascicularis, and not sharply 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 of Comparative Zoology, the male labeled, "Ennery, Haiti, nr. 1000 ft., Sept. 6-11, 1934, (Darlington)", the female simp- ly, "S. Dom.", and the third, of undetermined sex, in the American 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 clear red, hairy legs leave an indelible impression. BLACKWELDER, R. 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. LACORDAIRE, J. T.
1866. Genera des Col6opt&res. Vol. 7:l-620. Paris. OLIVIER, A .G.
1795. Entomologie. Vol. 4 :1-519. Paris.



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.~CHONHERR~ c. J.
1833.
Genera et Species CurcuIionidum 1 (1) : 1-381. 1839. Ibid., 5 ( 1) : 1-456.
SUFFRIAN~ C. G. L. E.
1870. Verzeichniss der von Dr. Gundlach auf der Insel Cuba gesam- melten Russellcafer. Archiv f. Naturges, 36(1) : 150-234. WOLFRUM, P.
1929, -4nthribidae. Coleopterorum Catalogus. Pars 102 : 1-145. 1930. Uber Anthribiden von Cuba und dem grossen Antillen (Col.). Deutsch. Ent. Zeitsch. 1930 : 25-32.
1953. *4nthribidae. Coleopterorum Catalogus Supplementa. Pars 102: 1-63.
THE ANT CENTROMYRMEX DONISTHORPEI MENOZZI, A SYN- ONYM. - Menozzi described Centromgrmex donisthorpei in 1925 (Philippine Jour. Sci., 28:443, pl. I, figs. 4a, 4b9 fe- male) from two specimens. One of these, here designated as lectotype, is from Iligan, Mindanao, and is now on de- posit in the Museum of Comparative Zsoology. While slightly darker than the average specimen of Centromyrmex feae (E'mery) (1889? Ann. Mus. Civ. Stor. Nat. Genova, 27 : 491, pl. 10, figs. 11-15, worker)? originally cited from Burma, I can detect no tax~nomically important differences between it and female specimens (alate and dealate) taken with workers of the common C. feae at several widely separated southeast Asian localities. A new synonymy is indicated. - W. L. BROWN, JR., Museum of Comparative Zoology.



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