The Nearctic Nemonychidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea)

Abstract

Abstract

The Nemonychidae of the Nearctic Region are revised for the first time. The family is considered to contain the most primitive living weevil species, most of them associated with Araucariaceae, Podocarpaceae and Pinaceae, and spread over four biogeographical regions. The Nearctic fauna is composed of 17 species in five genera placed in two subfamilies, all associated with Pinaceae. The subfamily Rhinorhynchinae, here reported for the first time from the Nearctic, is represented by the new genus Atopomacer and its three species, all new - A. ites (type locality: Estes Park, Colorado), A. hoplites (type locality: Cerro Potosi, Nuevo León, Mexico), and A. orites (type locality: Cerro Potosí, Nuev León, Mexico). The nearest relatives seem to be those known to be associated with Podocarpaceae in New Zealand, Chile and Argentina. The subfamily Doydirhynchinae has 14 species in four genera. All species occur in the United States, and eight are also found in Canada. The only genus shared with the Palearctic is CimberisGozis, which has, apart from the type species C. attelaboides (Fabricius) from Europe, seven species in North America. These are C. bihirsuta Hatch, C. compta (LeConte), C. decipiens sp. n. (type locality: Mariposa County, California), C. elongata (LeConte), C. pallipennis (Blatchley), C. pilosa (LeConte), and C. turbans sp. n. (type locality: Wolverton, Sequoia National Park, California). Cimberis pallipennis is reinstated from synonymy with C. pilosa, and C. parvula Hatch is considered a junior synonym of C. compta. There are three new genera, Pityomacer with three new species - P carmelites (type locality: Carmel, Monterey County, California), P. nugax (type locality: Giant Forest, Tulare County, California), and P. pix (type locality: Vernon, British Columbia); Acromacer, with A. bombifrons (LeConte) transferred from Cimberis; and Lecontellus, proposed for the Nearctic species previously in the Palearctic genus Doydirhynchus Dejean, with the species L. byturoides (LeConte), L. pinicola sp. n. (type locality: W. Woffard Hts, Kern County, California), and L. slevini (Martin).