Arixyleborus moestus

Taxonomic history

Xyleborus moestus Eggers, 1930: 189.

Arixyleborus moestus (Eggers): Browne, 1955: 350.

Diagnosis

2.5−2.7 mm long (mean = 2.62 mm; n = 5); 2.36−2.7 times as long as wide. This species is distinguished by the protibiaprotibia:
tibia of the first pair of legs
 posterior face flat and unarmed; antennalantennal:
pertaining to the antennae
club as broad as tall; posterolateralposterolateral:
relating to end of the side part/portion
carinacarina:
an elevated ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute
oblique, granulategranulate:
pertaining to a coarse, grainy surface texture
; elytralelytral:
pertaining to the elytra
discdisc:
the flat central upper surface of any body part (e.g. pronotum and elytra)
flat, without a transverse depression; and elytral striaestria:
punctures in rows, which may or may not be impressed to make grooves
weakly impressedimpressed:
a depression in a surface
; elytralelytral:
pertaining to the elytra
interstriae with two rows of granulesgranule:
a small rounded protuberance, like grains of sand
and long semi-recumbentsemi-recumbent:
pertaining to setae that are in between erect and recumbent, usually at a 45 degree angle
fine hair-like setaeseta:
small hair-like or scale-like structure
, setaeseta:
small hair-like or scale-like structure
1−1.5 times the width of an interstriainterstria:
longitudinal spaces along the elytra between the striae, which is not as<br /> impressed and bear smaller punctures.
.

May be confused with

Arixyleborus puberulus, A. scabripennis, and A. setosus

Distribution

Bhutan, India (Meghalaya, West Bengal), Laos, Nepal

Host plants

recorded from Quercus lamellosa (Fagaceae) (Beeson 1930Beeson 1930:
Beeson CFC. 1930. The biology of the genus Xyleborus , with more new species. Indian Forest Records 14: 209-272.) and Machilus edulis (Lauraceae) (Beaver and Smith 2022Beaver and Smith 2022:
Beaver RA, Smith SM. 2022. The bark and ambrosia beetles of Bhutan (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae and Platypodinae): a synopsis with three new species of Scolytinae. Zootaxa 5174: 1-24. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5174.1.1)

DNA data

specimens not available for sequencing