Heilus rufescens
Creators: name: Lira, Aline De Oliveira
name: Sousa, Wesley Oliveira De
name: Rosado-Neto, Germano Henrique
name: Santos, Geane Brizzola Dos
name: Marques, Marinêz Isaac
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Heilus
Heilus rufescens

description: Heilus rufescens (Boheman, 1836)
(Figs. 7, 18E, 19D, 20D, 21D, 22D, 23E)
Heilipus rufescens Boheman, 1836:190 (description); Boheman 1843:71 (citation); Blackwelder 1947:819 (checklist).
Hilipus rufescens: Gemminger & Harold 1871:2429 (catalog); Dalla Torre et al. 1932:35 (catalog).
Heilus rufescens: Kuschel 1955:297 (combination); Wibmer & O’Brien 1986:145 (checklist).
Type material. Heilipus rufescens Boheman, 1836: we examined the images of the female holotype (Fig. 7), bearing the following label: “ H: rufescens; Dej: a Brasil. Chevrolat; Typus ♀; NHRS–TOBI 000003220”, deposited in the NHRS.
Redescription. Length (pronotum and elytra) of males and females 6.9 to 7.1/ 6.6 to 8.8 mm, respectively. Integument bright, varying from dark brown to reddish-brown. Rostrum about 1.7 times longer than length of pronotum, about 6.2 times longer than apical width of rostrum in females, and about 5.05 times longer in males.
Thorax. Pronotum (Figs. 7 A–B) about 1.4 times wider than long, rounded sides, densely covered with rounded granules with small punctation at apical margin in center, densely covered with yellow and whitish scales, with three bands of oblong, whitish or yellowish scales, two on sides and one at center of pronotum, distributed from base to median region. Elytra (Figs. 7 A–B) about 1.5 times longer than wide, oblique granules, slightly elevated, each one with short scale, very distinct at apex, inserted into interstriae, more condensed in humeral region, smaller and sparse granules in apical region; densely covered with setae ranging from light yellow to dark brown, median region with irregular macula of dark brown scales between striae 2 and 5, with transverse band of yellowish setae on posterior margin, and more condensed setae in apical region; moderately coarse elytral striae, finer at apex, flat interstriae. Male genitalia. Median lobe of aedeagus (Fig. 18E) with straight apex, with few setae; median lobe apodemes about 2.2 times longer than median lobe. Internal sac armed with bifurcate sclerite, with elongate spicules on sides (Fig. 19D). Tegmen (Fig. 20D) with manubrium about 1.8 times longer than dorsal lobes. Female genitalia (Fig. 21D). Coxites longer than wide, with short setae close to insertion of styli; styli longer than wide, with elongate setae at apex. Spermathecal duct short inserted into final portion of bursa copulatrix. Spermathecal capsule (Fig. 22D) slightly curved, collum narrow, ramus well-developed, robust, and rough, cornu subtriangular. Spermathecal gland elongate, enlarged at base, narrowing to apex.
Dimensions (mm). Males/females, respectively. TBL: 6.9–7.1/6.6–8.8; TRL: 3.1/2.2–3.0; MHx: 2.8–3.0/2.6– 3.5; RAW: 0.5/0.4–0.6; RBW: 0.5 /0.5–0.6; IO: 0.3/0.3–0.4; PnL: 1.6/1.3–2.0; PnMW: 2.2/2.2–2.7; PnBW: 2.1/2.1– 2.6; EL: 5.3–5.5/4.9–7.5; EW: 3.1–3.2/3.1–4.1.
Non-type material examined. In total, eight specimens were examined. BRAZIL: Espírito Santo: Rib. Engano, 1♀, x.1944, Travassos & M. Santos (MNRJ); Rio de Janeiro: Corcovado, 1♀, 1.xii.1966 (DZUP), Floresta da Tijuca, 1♂, 15.i.1961 (DZUP), Rep. R. Grande, 1♀, 10.xi.1966, F.M. Oliveira (DZUP); Paraná: Morretes, 1♀, 19.i.1985, C.I.I.F. (DZUP), 1♂, 22.xii.1984, C.I.I.F., light trap (DZUP); Santa Catarina: Corupá, 1♀, xi.1951, light trap (DZUP), Corupá, 1♂, i.1954, A. Maller (MNRJ).
Geographical distribution. The species occurs in Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil (Wibmer & O’Brien, 1986), and in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest (Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, and Santa Catarina states) (Fig. 23E).
Associated plants. Unknown.
Remarks. Heilus rufescens is one of the smallest South American species of the genus, measuring less than 8.9 mm. The main characters that distinguish H. rufescens from H. fasciculatus are the dense coating of setae on the elytra, the irregular macula in the median region of the elytra, and the band of setae on the posterior margin of the elytra. Heilus fasciculatus has less dense setae on the elytra, with scales short in the interstriae and has no apparent macula.
description: Published as part of Lira, Aline De Oliveira, Sousa, Wesley Oliveira De, Rosado-Neto, Germano Henrique, Santos, Geane Brizzola Dos & Marques, Marinêz Isaac, 2020, A review of the South American species of Heilus Kuschel, 1955 (Curculionidae Molytinae: Molytini: Hylobiina) with emphasis on those from Brazil, pp. 151-187 in Zootaxa 4861 (2) on page 165, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4861.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/4414684