Phloeoborus minusculus

Genus / Species: Phloeoborus minusculus | Image Author: SM Smith | Location: Panamá, Panamá, Isl. Barro Colorado | Image Type: holotype | Collection: Entomology

I have examined a single male specimen of this species from Nicaragua that agrees in all particulars with Wood’s (2007) description. Wood does not mention that there is a short, weakly elevated median carina near the epistoma which is visible in the holotype. Another character by which this species is readily distinuished from asper is that the pronotum and elytral interstraie of minusculus are shining, without the prominent reticulation visible in both sexes of asper.

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Phloeoborus nitidicollis

Wood (2007:38) removed nitidicollis from synonymy with punctatorugosus primariy based on characters of the frons and vertex of both males and females. I have had the opportunity to examine large numbers of specimens from Belize to Bolivia. The characters cited by Wood can be seen in some specimens, but in my opinion these differences are not consistent within series and across geographical regions. I have not seen Chapuis’ types of nitidicollis or brevisuculus, but I believe them to be synonyms.

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