Aulostyrax Maulik 1929b: 235

Synonomys

None.

Type Species

Aulostyrax nuciferae Maulik.

Diagnosis

Aulostyrax can be distinguished by the following combination of characters:

• lateral margin of pronotumpronotum:
  occupies all of dorsal part of the prothorax; in anterior angles or posterior angles there may be a small tubercle or pore with a seta
  and elytra without long, stiff spines
• head with frontal horn between antennae, frontal horn at most ½ length of antennomere 1
• antennae filiform, antennomere 1 without spine-like process
• pronotum pronotum:
  occupies all of dorsal part of the prothorax; in anterior angles or posterior angles there may be a small tubercle or pore with a seta
  with anterior margin not prolonged over head, anterior angle oblique, without seta in each anterior angle, with tooth on anterior ⅓ of lateral margin
• elytra with 8 or 9 rows of punctures at base and scutellar row

Description

Body elongate; parallel-sided; color black or reddish-brown; total length 10.0 to 12.0 mm.

Head: small; convex; with punctate cephalic plate; frontal horn at most ½ length of antennomere 1, bluntly pointed at apex; clypeusclypeus:
usually quadrangular, elongate; joined to the labrum
angulate; eyeeye:
elongate, slightly prominent, multifaceted; usually slightly kidney-shaped
large, ovate.

Antenna: filiform; with 11-antennomeres; antennomere 1 incrassate; 2 small, punctate; 3 cylindrical, 2x length of 2; 4 to 10 subequal in length, cylindrical; 11 longer than 10, pointed at apex.

Pronotum: subquadrate; lateral margin straight for basal ⅔, then sharply angulate and obliquely rounded, without seta; anterior angle rounded; anterior margin curved, not prolonged over head; posterior angle acute; posterior margin bisinuate; convex; surface densely punctate.

Scutellum: small; subtriangular, apex rounded.

Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth; exterior apical angle rounded; apex rounded; humerus slightly angulate, not produced; at base with 8 rows of punctures plus scutellar row, additional row of punctures present after middle between rows 6 and 7; no costae; surface slightly rugose.

Venter: impunctate.

Leg: short; densely punctate; profemur with tooth on inner apical margin; tibiatibia:
variable in length; joins femur and tarsus
shorter than femurfemur:
largest part of the leg; more or less cylindrical, attached at base to trochanter and at apex to tibia
.

Distribution

Solomon Islands.

World Fauna

Described species: 2 (Staines 2012). Key: Spaeth 1936a, Gressitt 1957b, 1960a.

Hosts

Bentnickiopsis, Clinostigma, Cocos, Heterospathe, Metroxylon (Arecaceae).

References

Gressitt, J. L. 1957b. Hispine beetles from the South Pacific (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Nova Guinea n. s. 8:205‑324.

Gressitt, J. L. 1960a. Papuan-West Polynesian hispine beetles (Chrysomelidae). Pacific Insects 2:1-90.

Maulik, S. 1929b. Injurious Hispinae from the Solomon Islands. Bulletin of Entomological Research 20:233-239.

Spaeth, F. 1936a. Ueber die Australasiathischen Cryptonychini. Temminckia 1:277-294.

Staines, C. L. 2012. Tribe Cryptonychini. Catalog of the hispines of the world (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae). http://entomology.si.edu/Collections_Coleoptera.html