Euwallacea malloti

Taxonomic history

Xyleborus malloti Eggers, 1930: 192.

Euwallacea malloti (Eggers): Wood and Bright, 1992: 692.

Diagnosis

2.4−3.0 mm long (mean = 2.62 mm; n = 5); 2.08−2.7 times as long as wide. This species is distinguished by the pronotumpronotum:
the dorsal surface of the thorax
basic (type 2) when viewed dorsally, anterioranterior:
the front or forward; opposite of posterior
margin appearing rounded; elytralelytral:
pertaining to the elytra
declivitydeclivity:
downward slope of either the pronotum or elytra
rounded; declivitaldeclivital:
pertaining to the elytral declivity
face convexconvex:
appearing rounded
; protibiaprotibia:
tibia of the first pair of legs
outer margin rounded with at least seven socketed denticlesdenticle:
a small tooth, the sides of which are equal and the tip is above the middle of the base
, denticlesdenticle:
a small tooth, the sides of which are equal and the tip is above the middle of the base
small, their sockets small; declivitaldeclivital:
pertaining to the elytral declivity
surface shiningshining:
appearing glossy or bright in luster; referring to a surface that is polished and reflects light well
; interstriaeinterstria:
longitudinal spaces along the elytra between the striae, which is not as<br /> impressed and bear smaller punctures.
bearing sparse small granulesgranule:
a small rounded protuberance, like grains of sand
, posterolateralposterolateral:
relating to end of the side part/portion
declivitaldeclivital:
pertaining to the elytral declivity
margin carinate and granulategranulate:
pertaining to a coarse, grainy surface texture
; and elytralelytral:
pertaining to the elytra
bases weakly carinate and granulategranulate:
pertaining to a coarse, grainy surface texture
.

This species is identical to Euwallacea n. sp. 5 and can only reliably be identified with molecular data. Without molecular data it can be distinguished by its distribution primarily in submontane forests of the Himalayas (E. n. sp. 5 occurs in lowland forests) and by the elytralelytral:
pertaining to the elytra
strial punctures not colored differently than the rest of the elytraelytron:
the two sclerotized forewings of beetles that protect and cover the flight wings
(E. n. sp. 5 typically has unique coloration of the elytralelytral:
pertaining to the elytra
striae, which are dark brown in mature specimens, making the punctures appear very distinctive and obvious. This species is nearly identical to E. fornicatus species complex and can be separated by the elytralelytral:
pertaining to the elytra
bases weakly carinate and posterolateralposterolateral:
relating to end of the side part/portion
declivitaldeclivital:
pertaining to the elytral declivity
costacosta:
elevated ridge that is rounded at its crest, not necessarily with sharp appearance
granulate.

May be confused with

Euwallacea fornicatus species complex (E. fornicatior, E. fornicatus, E. kuroshio, E. perbrevis), E. andamanensis, E. geminus, E. neptis, E. semirudis, E. testudinatus, and E. velatus

Distribution

India (Meghalaya, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, West Bengal), Laos

Host plants

recorded from Eugenia (Myrtaceae), Mallotus (Euphorbiaceae), Phoebe (Lauraceae), Tinospora (Menispermaceae) (Maiti and Saha 2004Maiti and Saha 2004:
Maiti PK, Saha N. 2004. Fauna of India and the adjacent countries. Scolytidae: Coleoptera (bark and ambrosia beetles). Vol. 1. Part 1. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, 268 pp.) and Melia (Meliaceae) (Smith et al. 2020bSmith et al. 2020b:
Smith SM, Beaver RA, and Cognato AI. 2020b. A monograph of the Xyleborini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Scolytinae) of the Indochinese Peninsula (except Malaysia) and China. ZooKeys 983: 1-442. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.983.52630)

DNA data

Sequences available for COI and CAD.

COI: MN619938

CAD: MN620213