A review of the saproxylic weevil subfamily Cossoninae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Israel

Authors

  • Ariel-Leib-Leonid Friedman The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Israel National Center for Biodiversity Studies, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. E-mail: laibale@tauex.tau.ac.il https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4389-6858

Keywords:

Biodiversity, faunistic, identification key, new record, taxonomy, dead wood, saproxylic, pest, avocado seed, Cossoninae, weevils, Israel, Levant, Mediterranean, Middle East

Abstract

Nine species of the saproxylic cossonine weevils are recorded from Israel. A key to genera and species, as well as distributional and biological data are provided. The genera Melicius Alonso-Zarazaga, 2002 and Rhyncolus Germar, 1817 (represented by Melicius gracilis (Rosenhauer, 1856) and R. sculpturatus Waltl, 1839 correspondently) are recorded for the first time in Israel. Pseudomimus avocadi Folwaczny, 1972, described from Israel and previously considered as an endemic Israeli species of Afrotropical origin, is here considered a junior subjective synonym of Caulophilus oryzae (Gyllenhal, 1838), a widespread stored grain pest of Neotropical origin, which develops mainly in the rotten seeds of avocado, but also in wet and damaged stored products.

Friedman, A.-L.-L. 2023. A review of the saproxylic weevil subfamily Cossoninae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Israel. Israel Journal of Entomology 52: 75–96. 

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10623606

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Published

2023-12-31

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