ABSTRACT
We describe three new species of Myoplatypus Wood, 1993: from Peru, Myoplatypus petrovi Kirkendall new species; from Honduras, M. quadricornis Kirkendall new species; from Nicaragua (M. nicaraguensis Kirkendall new species). We transfer Platypus biprorus Blandford, 1896 and Platypus sicarius Wood, 1971 into Myoplatypus, and we synonymize Platypus querceus Wood, 1971 with M. biprorus. The net result of these actions is a genus comprising nine tropical and one temperate American species. Males of all species are illustrated by photographs and a key to all species is provided. The collections reported here include the first South American records of Myoplatypus, a genus hitherto known only from North and Central America. Most Myoplatypus species are known from just one or a few collections and none of the tropical species are very widespread; only five tropical species have any known hosts (Quercus [Fagaceae] for three of them). The paucity of specimens could be because of peculiarities of biology that lead to them being under-collected (such as restriction to high elevations), but it also could be that they are narrow endemics, in which case these pinhole borer species deserve conservation attention. Nosotros describimos tres nuevas especies de Myoplatypus Wood, 1993: de Per, Myoplatypus petrovi Kirkendall espcie nueva; de Honduras, M. quadricornis Kirkendall espcie nueva; de Nicaragua, M. nicaraguensis Kirkendall espcie nueva. Platypus biprorus Blandford, 1896 y Platypus sicarius Wood, 1971 se transfieren a Myoplatypus, y Platypus querceus Wood, 1971 se sinonimiza con M. biprorus Blandford. El resultado neto de estas acciones es un gnero que consiste en nueve espcies tropicales y una templada. Los machos de todas las especies estn ilustrados con fotografas y se da una clave para todas las especies. Las colecciones reportadas aqu incluyen los primeros registros sudamericanos de Myoplatypus, un gnero hasta ahora conocido solo en Amrica del Norte y Amrica Central. La mayora de las especies de Myoplatypus se conocen a partir de solo una o unas pocas colecciones y ninguna de las especies tropicales est muy extendida; slo cinco especies tropicales tienen hospedadores conocidos (tres de ellos son robles). La escasez de especmenes podra deberse a algunas peculiaridades de la biologa que los llevan a una recoleccin insuficiente (como la restriccin a grandes alturas), pero tambin podra ser que sean endmicos estrechos, en cuyo caso estas especies de barrenadores merecen atencin de conservacin.
Subject(s)
Animals, Poisonous , Coleoptera , Platypus , Spiders , Weevils , Male , Animals , South AmericaABSTRACT
Quantitative collecting efforts over the last several decades in Costa Rica have resulted in many new species of insects. The Arthropods of La Selva projects included collecting from a typical lowland Neotropical forest and up an altitudinal transect, and has provided many valuable samples of insects, spiders and mites potentially new to science. We describe 18 new species in the bark beetle genus Scolytodes Ferrari, 1867, 14 of which were collected during this project: S.angulus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.sufflatus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.squamatifrons Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.comosus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.spatulatus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.seriatus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.profundus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.catinus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.fimbriatus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.sulcifrons Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.planifrons Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.porosus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.mundus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.callosus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.parvipilus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.plenus Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., S.niger Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov., and S.simplex Jordal & Kirkendall, sp. nov. One species, Scolytodesminutissimus Schedl, 1952, is redescribed to match the holotype. We give new Costa Rica records for S.costabilis Wood, 1974, which is the correct name for S.obesus Wood, 1975 (syn. nov.). We report Costa Rica as a new country record for six species: Scolytodesclusiacolens Wood, 1967, S.crinalis Wood, 1978, S.culcitatus (Blandford, 1897), S.libidus Wood, 1978, S.reticulatus (Wood, 1961), and S.spadix (Blackman, 1943). From a closely related genus, we provide the first record for Central America (and only the second collection) of Pycnarthrumfulgidum Wood, 1977.