Microperus nanus Beaver &amp; Hulcr 2008, new combination
Creators: name: Beaver, Roger A.
name: Hulcr, Jiri
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2008
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Microperus
Microperus nanus

description: <i>Microperus nanus</i> (Browne) new combination <i>Cryptoxyleborus nanus</i> Browne, 1949:903. <i>Xyleborus caelator</i> Browne, 1955: 354 (unnecessary replacement name for <i>Xyleborus nanus</i> Blandford 1896) Taxonomy: This minute species, only 1 mm long, and perhaps the smallest xyleborine known, was described from the female by Browne (1949) in the genus <i>Cryptoxyleborus</i>. Later (Browne, 1955), he described the male and transferred the species to the genus <i>Xyleborus</i> Eichhoff renaming it <i>X.caelator</i> to avoid homonymy with <i>X.nanus</i> Blandford (1896). Browne (1961) included the species in the <i>Xyleborus exiguus</i> species group, which is now placed in the genus <i>Xyleborinus</i> Reitter. The holotype (BMNH) and series of specimens from Brunei and East Malaysia in MSU, RAB and ZMLU have been examined. The form of the pronotum, declivity obliquely attenuated instead of acutely pointed, antennal club type 1, and flat protibia with no granules on its posterior side clearly exclude the species from <i>Cryptoxyleborus</i>, whilst the antennae and submerged scutellum indicate that it should be placed in the genus <i>Microperus</i> Wood (see Hulcr <i>et al.</i> 2007 <i>a</i>) rather than <i>Xyleborinus</i>. Distribution: East Malaysia (Sarawak), West Malaysia. The species is newly recorded here from Brunei Darussalam and East Malaysia (Sabah). New Records: BRUNEI: Temburong, nr. K.Belalong FSC, 4 <i>°</i> 33 <i>9</i> N, 115 <i>°</i> 09 <i>9</i> E, 150 m, ex <i>Shorea</i> sp., 25.ii.1992 (R.A.Beaver) (RAB); MALAYSIA, Sabah, Sipitang, Mendolong, 25.iv.1988, 3.v.1988 (S.Adebratt) (ZMLU); Sabah, Danum Valley, 117 <i>°</i> 48.75 <i>9</i> E, 5 <i>°</i> 01 <i>9</i> N, ex <i>Parashorea malaanonan</i> under bark, 11.vii.2006 (J.Hulcr) (MSU). Biology: This species is associated only with Dipterocarpaceae. It has previously been recorded from several species of <i>Shorea</i> and from <i>Hopea ferrea</i> (Browne 1961; Beaver &amp; Browne 1979). It is unusual among Xyleborina in breeding solely in the phloem layer, and not in the xylem. The gallery system is simple, the entrance leading to a gallery which usually follows the circumference of the stem at the xylem–phloem junction. It is enlarged in one or more places to form small chambers in which the eggs are laid and the larvae develop. Brood sizes are quite small (9–15, mean <i>5</i> 10.8, n <i>5</i> 6) (Browne 1961; pers.obs. RAB). It will attack both large logs and small stems down to 1.5 cm diameter (Browne 1961; pers.obs. RAB).
description: Published as part of <i>Beaver, Roger A. &amp; Hulcr, Jiri, 2008, A Review of the Ambrosia Beetle Genus Cryptoxyleborus Schedl (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), pp. 133-153 in The Coleopterists Bulletin 62 (1)</i> on pages 133-153, DOI: 10.1649/1026.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5461694
description: {"references": ["Browne, F. G. 1949. Notes on Malayan Scolytidae (Coleoptera) with descriptions of new species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, series 12, 1: 892 - 912.", "Browne, F. G. 1961. The biology of Malayan Scolytidae and Platypodidae. Malayan Forest Records 22: 1 - 255.", "Hulcr, J., S. A. Dole, R. A. Beaver, and A. I. Cognato. 2007 a. Cladistic review of xyleborine generic taxonomic characters (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae). Systematic Entomology 32: 568 - 584."]}