Arthropod fauna of the UAE, 2: 216–266 Date of publication: 31.03.2009 Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea Families Anthribidae, Brentidae, Apionidae, Nanophyidae, Curculionidae and Dryophthoridae Luigi Magnano, Enzo Colonnelli and Roberto Caldara INTRODUCTION The superfamily Curculionoidea is the most speciose of the Coleoptera since it contains around 62,000 species (Oberprieler et al., 2007), divided, according to the eclectic classification adopted by Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal (1999, 2002, 2006), into 23 families. Other authors have reduced this number to 7 (Oberprieler et al., 2007), although there is enough evidence that at least Dryophthoridae, Scolytidae and Platypodidae (Morimoto & Koijma, 2004) cannot be merged with Curculionidae, and that Attelabidae and Rhynchitidae are separate families (Legalov, 2003). In addition, Brentidae are clearly different from both Apionidae and Nanophyidae (Legalov, 2003). Moreover, the inclusion of Microcerinae Lacordaire, 1863, in Brentidae made by Oberprieler (2000) is highly questionable (Louw, 2004), like the assimilation of Brachyceridae with Curculionidae (Meregalli & Colonnelli, 2006). To Ithyceridae must also be given family rank (Anderson, 2002). Accordingly, we consider in this paper Apionidae, Nanophyidae and Dryophthoridae as families separate from Curculionidae. An article in preparation by another author in a forthcoming volume of this same series will deal with Scolytidae. The failure of cladistic analyses to determine incontrovertible relationships poses some questions on how and if evolution actually works on phylogenetical basis, but the answer is beyond the scope of this chapter. Present knowledge of the Curculionoidea of the Arabian Peninsula is very poor, since no comprehensive paper considering the whole of these beetles has ever been published, being available only scattered notes, the most recent of which are by Voss (1971), Colonnelli (1985), Caldara (1993), and Wanat (1990). The few records of Curculionoidea from the Emirates were summarized by van Harten (2005). After that there were published only two papers, one by Meregalli & Colonnelli (2006) and another by Meregalli (2008), dealing also with weevils from the Emirates. MATERIALS AND METHODS Complete data about localities where the specimens were collected, as well as collecting methods, are reported by van Harten (2007). Only data regarding the localities of the weevils sampled by the second author in 2008 or by other collectors are added here. Names of the plants are the same as in Jongbloed (2003). The book was also used by the second author to identify plants in the field when collecting in the Emirates. When the name of the collector is omitted, this means that the specimens were collected by A. van Harten. If there is no indication of the collecting method, a light trap was used. As is customary for weevils, body length of specimens means the sum of that of head, pronotum and elytra, unless otherwise specified. Rostral length is always excluded. Families are listed taxonomically, and tribes alphabetically. Within each tribe, species are arranged taxonomically for a better comparison with faunistic notes similar to this one. When describing new species, the locality labels are detailed in brackets as written: a semicolon indicates a change of line on the same label. To each of the type was in addition added the red Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 217 label with the name of the species, the describer, and the appropriate indication of holotype or paratype, following the rules of the Code (ICZN, 1999): these labels are not reported to make this chapter more concise. Specimens collected are divided between the United Arab Emirates Invertebrate Collection (UAEIC) and the authors’ collections. Some specimens are also preserved in the Meregalli collection (Rivalta, Italy). Holotypes of the new species, provisionally kept in the authors’ collections, will be deposited partly in the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Verona, Italy, partly in the Museo di Entomologia, University of Rome “La Sapienza”, Italy, and partly in the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Milan, Italy. Abbreviations are as follows: AvH = Antonius van Harten collector; AL = at light; BF = beaten from vegetation; BMNH = Natural History Museum, London; BT = B. Tigar collector; CEC = Enzo Colonnelli collection, Rome, Italy; CG = C. Gielis collector; CJP = Jean Pelletier collection, Monnaie; CLM = Luigi Magnano collection, Poggibonsi, Italy; CRC = Roberto Caldara collection, Milan, Italy; CMM = Massimo Meregalli collection, Turin, Italy; EC = Enzo Colonnelli collector; FT = Federica Turco collector; HC = hand collecting; KB = Keith J. Bensusan collector; KM = Khalid Mahmood collector; MB = Marco Bologna collector; MRT = Zoological Museum of the University “Roma Tre”, Rome, Italy; MT = Malaise trap; PT = pitfall trap; WT = water trap; NARC = National Avian Research Centre. SYSTEMATIC ACCOUNT Family Anthribidae Subfamily Urodontinae C.G. Thomson, 1859 Bruchela baudii (Desbrochers, 1893) Plate 1 Specimen examined: Near Mahafiz, 10 ex., 20.iii.2008, HC, EC. Sharjah-Khor Khalba, near tunnel, 1 ex., 24–30.v.2006. Length: 1.9–2.0 mm. Notes: Species of this genus feed on flowers of Resedaceae and Brassicaceae (Louw. 1993). Distribution: Algeria (Peyerimhoff, 1931). New to the UAE. Family Brentidae Subfamily Cyladinae Schoenherr, 1823 Cylas formicarius (Fabricius, 1798) Plate 2 Specimens examined: Fujairah, 3 ex., 15–22.iv.2006. Hatta, 1 ex., 17–24.viii.2006. Khor al-Khwair, 1 ex., 7–14.iv.2007. Near Mahafiz, 1 ex., 21–28.viii.2006, 2 ex., 8.xi.2007, AL. Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 13.xi–11.xii.2005. Wadi Maidaq, 14 ex., 2–16.ii.2006, 27.iv–4.v.2006, 1–8.vii.2006. Wadi Safad, 6 ex., 17–24.iv.2005, 27.xi–22.xii.2005. Length: 4.0–6.0 mm. Notes: A widespread pest of sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas. Larvae can develop also on other Ipomoea, and Risbec (1947) additionally reported an infestation by this weevil on sweet cassava, Manihot palmata. Literature records in UAE: Gassouma, 2003; van Harten, 2005. Distribution: Africa, Asia, Oceania, Central America. Family Apionidae 218 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara Subfamily Apioninae Schoenherr, 1823 Aplemonus arabicus (Wagner, 1909) Plate 3 Specimens examined: Al-Ajban, 4 ex., 17.x–9.xi.2005; 4 ex., 9.xi–7.xii.2005, MT; 1 ex., 19–26.vi.2006; 32 ex., 5.iii.2008, HC on Ziziphus spina-christi, EC & KM. Hatta, 4 ex., 24–30.v.2006; 1 ex., 4– 11.iv.2006; 10 ex., 4.iii.2008, HC on Z. spina-christi, EC. W of Hatta, 4.iii.2008, 2 ex., HC on Z. spinachristi, EC. Near Qurraya, 1 ex., 18.iii.2005, HC; 1 ex., 2.iii.2008, HC on Z. spina-christi, EC. Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 22.ii–9.iii.2005. Sharjah-Khor Khalba, near tunnel, 3 ex., 24–30.v.2006; 14 ex., 31.v–7.vi.2006; 2 ex., 7–14.vi.2006; 11 ex., 4.iii.2008, HC on Z. spina-christi, EC. NARC, near Sweihan, 1 ex., 1.xii–14.iii.2005; 4 ex., 2–30.iv.2005; 6 ex., 14.iii–2.iv.2006. Wadi Bih dam, 1 ex., 22.i–2.iii.2007; 2 ex., 15–22.iii.2007; 2 ex., 29.iii.2007, HC; 31 ex, 30.v–5.vi.2007; 2 ex., 24.iv– 1.v.2007; 1 ex., 29.iii.2008, HC; 1 ex., 6.iii.2008, HC; 25 ex., 8.iii.2008, HC on Z. spina-christi, EC. Wadi Maidaq, 3 ex., 21–22.x.2005, HC. Wadi Safad, 2 ex., 19.ii.2005, HC; 1 ex., 14–21.v.2006.. Wadi Shawkah, 18 ex., 2.iii.2008, HC on Z. spina-christi, EC & KM. Length: 3.0–3.5 mm. Notes: A species rather common on Ziziphus spina-christi. Adults feedings on leaves are in the form of small holes (Colonnelli, pers. obs.). Distribution: Iran (Borumand, 1998), Oman (Wanat, 1990), Qatar (al-Jemailiyah; W AlNasraniyah, 25°26'N 51°04'E, 10.iii.2003, leg. G. Sama, CLM), Egypt, Ethiopia, Camerun, Central African Republic (Hoffmann, 1968). New to the UAE and Qatar. Squamapion spec. Plate 4 Specimen examined: Sharjah-Khor Khalba, near tunnel, 1 ex., 7–14.vi.2006. Length: 2.0 mm. Notes: This single specimen could not be named, due to the lack of recent revision of the difficult genus Squamapion Bokor, 1823. At any rate, this is a new record of the genus for the UAE. All members of Squamapion whose biology is known live on Lamiaceae. Perapion marseuli (Wencker, 1864) Plate 5 Specimen examined: SSW of ad-Dhaid, 1 ex., 24–30.v.2006. Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 23–30.iv.2007; 1 ex., 12–21.v.2007. Length: 2.0 mm. Notes: This species has been collected in Algeria (Peyerimhoff, 1929) on Calligonum comosum, a small desert bush of the Polygonaceae also present in the Emirates. Distribution: Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia (Wanat, 1990). New to the UAE. Hoplopodapion tibesticola (Alonso-Zarazaga, 1983) nov. comb. Plate 6 Specimen examined: Um al-Quwain, 3 ex., 1.iii.2008, HC on Tamarix aucheriana, EC; 6 ex., 8.iii.2008, HC on T. aucheriana, EC; 3 ex., 9.iii.2008, HC on T. aucheriana, EC. Length: 1.6–1.8 mm Notes: There is still a great deal of confusion about the long-legged small apionine of the tribe Aplemonini Kissinger, 1968, living in the desert areas of west Asia and North Africa. Alonso-Zarazaga (1990, 2002) proposed to distribute members of the genus Onychapion Schilsky, 1901, among three different subgenera: Onychapion sensu strictu, O. (Hoplopodapion) F. Solari, 1933, and O. (Aphoplopodapion) Ehret, 1997. This was because part of the species reproduce on flowers of Tamarix and Reaumuria (Tamaricaceae), and part on Calligonum (Polygonaceae). However, whilst external and internal features (Győrffy, 1923; Alonso-Zarazaga, 1990) readily isolate the Tamarix-feeder Onychapion tamarisci (Gyllenhal, 1839), the type species of Onychapion, there is no possibility of further separation, as also pointed out by Schön (1993), of the remaining insects which live in deserts Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 219 Plates 1–6. 1: Bruchela baudii (Desbrochers); 2: Cylas formicarius (Fabricius); 3: Aplemonus arabicus (Wagner); 4: Squamapion spec. 5: Perapion marseuli (Wencker); 6: Hoplopodapion tibesticola (Alonso-Zarazaga). Not to scale. 220 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara or xeric habitats on both Tamarix and Reaumuria on one side, and on the often sympatric Calligonum on the other. Ehret (1997) rightly gave full generic rank to Hoplopodapion, and tried to separate under the subgeneric name of Aphoplopodapion the species developing on Tamaricaceae, but the characters invoked by him are absolutely inadequate: for instance the present species has pronotum with transverse wrinkles (main feature used by him to distinguish the Hoplopodapion feeding on Calligonum), and lives on Tamarix. In consequence: Hoplopodapion F. Solari, 1933 [= Hoplopodapion (Aphoplopodapion) Ehret, 1997, nov. syn. (Colonnelli hoc opus)]. Feeding on plants of different families by closely related species is not surprising when insects live in harsh environments (Colonnelli & Osella, 1998). The same behaviour for members of the closely related tribe Malvapiini Alonso-Zarazaga, 1990, was noted in South Africa in 2007 (Colonnelli, Giusto & Osella, pers. obs.). Very probably H. tibesticola is more widespread across the desert belt of North Africa and the Arabian Penisula, and perhaps the indication by Wanat (1990) of ‘Onychapion spec. near poupillieri’ from Yemen refers precisely to this species. Distribution: Algeria, Chad (Hoffmann, 1962a). New to the UAE. Family Nanophyidae Subfamily Nanophyinae Gistel, 1848 Nanophyes spec. Plate 7 Specimens examined: Al-Ajban, 1 ex., 9.iv–2.v.2006, MT; 2 ex., 5–12.vi.2006, MT. Bithnah, 1 ex., 31.xii.2005–2.ii.2006. Fujairah, 1 ex., 5.iii–6.iv.2005; 1 ex., 2.v–5.vi.2005; 1 ex., 5.vi–2.vii.2005; 1 ex., 30.vi–21.vii.2005; 1 ex., 28.ii–1.iv.2006. Hatta, 1 ex., 8–26.iv.2006. Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 5–12.v; 1 ex., 31.v–30.vi.2005; 1 ex., 30.vi–21.vii.2005; 1 ex., 11.xii.2005–18.i.2006; 1 ex., 25.ii–25.iii.2006; 1 ex., 15–22.iv.2007; 1 ex., 23–30.iv.2007; 2 ex., 20.x–24.xi.2007. Length: 2.0 mm. Notes: There is at the moment no possibility of identifying the present species, possibly a new one, since systematics of this widespread genus is very confused, the latest revisions by Formánek & Melichar (1916) of the Palaearctic species, and by Marshall (1927) of some of the tropical African ones dating back to almost one century ago, whereas the review of the Indian Nanophyinae by Pajni & Bhateja (1982) is too local to be of some utility in the study of the insects from the Arabian Peninsula. Although the species is unnamed, this is the first record of a Nanophyes Schoenherr, 1838, for the Emirates. There is, however, some doubt whether the present species truly belongs to this genus or to a new one, since its rostrum is inserted in the middle of the globose head, forming thus a clear angle with the latter. A feature like this is distinctive for example of the Palaearctic genus Nanodiscus Kiesenwetter, 1864, and of the African Phoroctenus Marshall, 1927. Generic classification of Nanophyini has never been studied on a worldwide basis, and the partial arrangements proposed by Pajni & Bhateja (1982) and Alonso-Zarazaga (1989) are far from satisfactory. Subfamily Corimaliinae Alonso-Zarazaga, 1989 Allomalia setulosa (Tournier, 1867) Plate 8 Specimens examined: Al-Ajban, 4 ex., 9.xi–7.xii.2005, MT: 7 ex., 10–17.x.2005, MT; 1 ex.,17.x– 9.xi.2005; 1 ex., 9–10.xi.2005; 4 ex. 28.xii.2005–29.i.2006, MT; 16 ex., 26.ii–2.iv.2006, MT; 2 ex., 2– 9.iv.2006, MT; 7 ex., 9–16.iv.2006, MT; 5 ex., 9.iv–2.v.2006; 8 ex., 17–24.iv.2006, MT; 3 ex., 5– 12.vi.2006, MT; 1 ex., 12–19.vi.2006, MT; 1 ex., 22.vi.2006; 6 ex., 26.vi–24.vii.2006, MT; 2 ex., 21– 28.viii.2006, MT; 1 ex., 21.viii–17.ix.2006 MT; 1 ex., 9.xi–7.xii.2006 MT; 1 ex., 27.xii.2006–8.ii.2007, MT. Fujairah, 2 ex., 5.iii–6.iv.2005; 21 ex., 2.iii.2008, HC on Tamarix nilotica, EC & KM. Hatta, 1 ex., Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 221 19–28.iii.2006. Jebel Ali, 5 ex., HC on Tamarix aucheriana, AvH & EC. Ras al–Khaimah, 21 ex., 7.iii.2008, HC on T. nilotica. Near Qurraia, 15 ex., 16.iii.2005, HC. Sharjah Desert Park, 2 ex., 14.x.2004, HC; 1 ex., 26.iii–6.iv.2005; 3 ex., 25.ii–25.iii.2006; 1 ex., 2.iii.2008, HC on T. nilotica, EC. Sharjah-Ajman, 3 ex., 12.iv.2004, HC. Sharjah-Khor Kalba, near tunnel, 1 ex., 24–30.v.2006. NARC near Sweihan, 2 ex., 14.iii–2.iv.2005; 2 ex., 1.ii–14.iii.2005. Um al-Quwain, 1 ex., 1.iii.2008, HC on T. aucheriana, EC; 3 ex., 8.iii.2008, HC on T. aucheriana, AvH & EC; 1 ex., 9.iii.2008, HC on T. aucheriana, EC. N of Um al-Quwain, 60 ex., 1.iii.2008, HC on T. aucheriana, EC & KM. Al-Wathba, 8 ex., 23.viii.2004, HC. Length: 1.1–2.0 mm Notes: Very common on species of Tamarix in salty habitats (Giordani Soika, 1937). Distribution: Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Lebanon (Giordani Soika, 1937), Chad (Hoffmann, 1962a), Azerbaidjan, Georgia, Turkey, Israel (Kovalev, 1995). New to the UAE. Corimalia brunneonotata (Pic, 1913) Plate 9 Specimen examined: Near Qurraya, 2 ex., 16.iii.2005, HC. NARC, near Sweihan, 1 ex., 14.iii– 2.iv.2005. Length: 2.9 mm. Notes: A rather uncommon species collected on Tamarix spec. near the river Euphrates (Zherichin, 1992), and surely associated with the same Tamaricaceae in the Emirates, although Kovalev (1995) reports with a question mark also Reaumuria as a possible host plant. Distribution: Iraq (Zherichin, 1992; Kovalev, 1995). New to the UAE. Hypophyes aphyllae (Peyerimhoff, 1929) Plate 10 Specimens examined: Al-Ajban, 3 ex., 17.x–9.xi.2005; 3 ex., 9.iv–2.v.2006, MT; 4 ex., 16.iv–2.v.2006, MT; 1 ex., 9.xi–7.xii.2006, MT; 8 ex., 17–24.iv.2006, MT; 5 ex., 26.ii–2.iv.2006, MT; 1 ex., 5– 12.vi.2006, MT; 2 ex., 21.28.viii.2006, MT; 4 ex., 17.x–9.xi.2005; 6 ex., 2–9.iv.2006, MT; 2 ex., 26.vi– 24.vii.2006, MT; 1 ex., 28.vi–24.vii.2006, MT; 1 ex., 12–19.vi.2006, MT; 6 ex., 9–16.iv.2006, MT; 1 ex., 25.vii–21.viii.2006, MT; 2 ex., 8.iv–1.v.2006, MT; 1 ex., 28.xii.2005–29.i.2006; 4 ex., 6–22.v.2006; 2 ex., 10–17.x.2005; 2 ex., 19–26.vi.2006; 2 ex., 9.xi–7.xii.2005; 3 ex., 1.iv–2.v.2006, MT; 2 ex., 27.v– 26.vi.2006; 1 ex., 5.iii.2008, HC on Tamarix spec., EC. Fujairah, 2.iii.2008, 24 ex., HC on Tamarix nilotica, EC & KM. Near Qurraya, 2 ex., 16.iii.2005, HC. Ras Ghanada, 5.iii.2008, 17 ex., HC on T. nilotica, EC & KM. Sharjah-Khor Kalba, near tunnel, 1 ex., 31.v–7.vi.2006. Wadi Shawkah, 2 ex., 18– 25.iii.2007, MT; 1 ex., 31.v–7.vi.2006, MT. Al-Wathba, 2 ex., 23.viii.2004, HC. Length: 0.8–1.0 mm. Notes: Rather common on species of Tamarix in desert habitats (Giordani Soika, 1937). Distribution: Algeria and Egypt (Giordani Soika, 1937), whereas the record for Kazakhstan by Kovalev (1995) is surely incorrect. New to the UAE. Family Curculionidae Subfamily Bagoinae C.G. Thomson, 1859 Bagous cyperorum Peyerimhoff, 1929 Plate 11 Specimens examined: Baynunah, Line 2 Z 39, 6–62–001E 26–54–335N, 1 ex., 11.iii.1994, PT, leg. B. Tigar (CRC); 1 ex., 7.iv.1994 (BMNH), PT, leg. B. Tigar; 1 ex., 10.iv.1994, PT, leg. B. Tigar (BMNH). Length: 3.5–3.7 mm. Notes: Due to its markedly characteristic habitus with numerous apomorphies, this uncommon species is currently placed in a monobasic group related to the Bagous chevrolati group (Caldara & O’Brien, 1998). In Algeria it was collected by Peyerimhoff sifting roots of Cyperus spec., whereas in the UAE it was found inside pitfall traps placed in a sand-gravel 222 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara plain with Haloxylon salicornicum (Chenopodiaceae) and Zygophyllum hamiense (Zygophyllaceae) as dominant plants (B. Tigar, pers. comm.). Literature records in UAE: Caldara & O’Brien, 1998. Distribution: Mauritania, Algeria, Tunisia, Chad, UAE. Bagous subruber Reitter, 1890 Plate 12 Specimens examined: Khor al-Khwair, 5 ex., 15–22.iii.2007; 6 ex, 7–14.iv.2007. Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 26.iii–6.iv.2005. Length: 2.5–3.0 mm. Notes: This species was collected in salty soil both in Spain, under Arthrocnemum spec. (Chenopodiaceae) (M. Meregalli & R. Borovec, pers. comm.) and Cyprus, under Frankenia pulverulenta (Frankeniaceae) (P. Sprick, pers. comm.). Distribution: Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Iraq, Iran (Caldara & O’Brien, 1998). New to the UAE. Subfamily Baridinae Schoenherr, 1836 Acythopeus curvirostris granulipennis (Tournier, 1873) Plate 13 Specimens examined: Ghalilah, 14 ex., 8.iii.2008, HC on Citrullus colocyntis, AvH & EC. Hatta, 4.iii.2008, several larvae observed inside the fruits of C. colocyntis. Length: 4.5–5.0 mm. Notes: Other subspecies of Acythopeus curvirostris (Boheman, 1844) occur in Algeria, Senegal, Nigeria, Sudan, Mali, Iran, Afghanistan, and India (Thompson 1973). Larvae feed mainly inside the fruits of wild Citrullus, although in some cases this species, the common name of which is ‘melon weevil’, can damage cultivated Cucurbitaceae (Thompson, 1973). Literature records in UAE: Thompson, 1973; Gassouma, 2003; van Harten, 2005. Distribution: This subspecies is known from Egypt, Sudan, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. We studied a specimen from Oman (near A’Tuwayah, 24°42.581'N 56°10.937'E, K.J. Bensusan coll.). New to Oman. Aegyptobaris arctithorax (Pic, 1899) nov. comb. Plate 14 Specimens examined: Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 22.ii–9.iii.2005. Wadi Shawkah, 1 ex., 20.vi– 2.vii.2007, WT. Length: 2.6 mm. Notes: Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal (1999) and Alonso-Zarazaga (2005) rightly split the Palaearctic members of the polyphiletic genus Baris Germar, 1817, into several genera, according both to their morphological characters and their host plants. For this very peculiar species the subgenus Baris (Aegyptobaris) was erected by Pic (1899). Differences between Baris and Aegyptobaris are however much greater than those existing between Baris and many others of its former subgenera, so that it became necessary to give full generic status also to Aegyptobaris Pic, 1899, new rank (Colonnelli hoc opus). The biology of A. arctithorax was described by Alfieri (1936). Larvae of the present species induce galls on stems of Portulaca oleracea, a member of Portulacaceae widespread across the UAE (Jongbloed, 2003). Distribution: Hitherto known only from Egypt (Hustache, 1938). New to the UAE. Elasmobaris alboguttata (C. Brisout, 1870) Plate 15 Specimens examined: Fujairah, 1 ex., 29.xi.2005–2.i.2006; 1 ex., 5.iii–6.iv.2006. 7 km S of al-Jazirat alHamra, 3 ex., 9.x.2004, HC; 3 ex., 18.xi.2004, HC; 11 ex., 1.xii.2004. Al-Khawaneej, Dubai, 4 ex., Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 223 Plates 7–12. 7: Nanophyes spec.; 8: Allomalia setulosa (Tournier); 9: Corimalia brunneonotata (Pic); 10: Hypophyes aphyllae (Peyerimhoff); 11: Bagous cyperorum (Peyerimhoff); 12: Bagous subruber Reitter. Not to scale. 29.ii.2008, HC on Suaeda aegyptiaca, EC. Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 22.ii–9.iii.2005; 2 ex., 30.vi– 21.vii.2005; 1 ex., 6–28.xii.2006; 1 ex., 17.ii–17.iii.2006; 1 ex., 10–17.iii.2007; 12 ex., 17–24.iii.2007; 1 ex., 1–8.iv.2007; 2 ex., 15–22.iv.2007; 4 ex., 30.iv–12.v.2007; 2 ex., 5–12.v.2007; 3 ex., 12–21.v.2007; 10 ex., 28.v–4.vi–2007; 3 ex., 20.x–24.xi.2007; 3 ex., 21.i–17.ii.2008, PT; 1 ex., 3–14.ii.2008. Wadi Bih dam, 1 ex., 6.iii.2008, HC on Haloxylon salicornicum, EC. Wadi Maidaq, 1 ex., 18.xii.06–20.ii.07, MT. Wadi Shawkah, 1 ex., 5–12.v.2007; 1 ex., 19–22.v.2007. Length: 3.5–4.2 mm. Notes: Rather common in desert habitats on Chenopodiaceae. Distribution: Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, West and Central Asia (Normand, 1937; Voss, 1959). Almost certainly the record for Abu Dhabi of ‘Elasmobaris cf. alboguttata’ by Tigar & Osborne (1999) and van Harten (2005) refers to this species. 224 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara Eumycterus albosquamulatus Boheman, 1838 Plate 16 Specimens examined: Sharjah Desert Park, 3 ex., 14.x.2004, HC; 1 ex., 6–28.xii.2006, PT. Wadi Shawkah, 1 ex., 19–22.v.2007; 1 ex., 19–28.xi.2007, WT. Length: 4.0 mm. Distribution: Greece, Cyprus, Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Uzbekhistan, Turkmenistan, Ethiopia (Normand, 1937; Hustache, 1938; Zumpt. 1938; Voss. 1959; Alonzo-Zarazaga, 2007; Korotyaev, 2002). New to the UAE. Subfamily Ceutorhynchinae Gistel, 1848 Ceutorhynchus farsetiarum Peyerimhoff, 1930 Plate 17 Specimens examined: Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex.; 25.i–22.ii.2005; 8 ex., 3.iii.2008, HC on Farsetia linearis, EC. Length: 1.7–2.8 mm. Notes: A desert weevil feeding on a number of species of the cruciferous genus Farsetia (Colonnelli, 2004). Distribution: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, Saudi Arabia. New to the UAE. Mesoxyonyx arabicus Korotyaev, 1997 Plate 18 Specimens examined: Mushrif Park, Dubai, 3 ex., 6.iii.2005, HC. Al-Rafah, 36 ex., 9.iii.2008, HC on Ephedra foliata, EC. SW of Ras al-Khaimah, 75 ex., 1.iii.2008, HC on E. foliata, EC & KM; 138 ex., 8.iii.2008, HC on E. foliata, EC. Length: 2.5–2.9 mm Notes: The many specimens collected in 2008 were beaten off Ephedra foliata, surely its host plant, since all other species of the genus whose biology is known live on the same genus of Ephedraceae. This is the first host plant record for M. arabicus. Distribution: Only known from Saudi Arabia (Colonnelli, 2004). New to the UAE. Oxyonyx khalidi Colonnelli nov. spec. Plate 19 Specimens examined: Holotype: , “United Arab Emirates; SW of Ras al-Khaimah; 25°43.72'N 55°55.48'E; 1.iii.2008 – E. Colonnelli”, “Ephedra; foliata Boiss.; ex C. A. Meyer” [green]. Paratypes: 8, 3, same data; 2, same locality and date, HC on E. foliata, KM. 7, same locality, but 6.iii.2008, HC on E. foliata, EC. 3, al-Rafah, 9.iii.2008, HC on E. foliata, EC. Diagnosis: An Oxyonyx similar to O. major from Turkmenistan, differing by the femora being so weakly toothed as to appear edentate, the wider elytral transverse band, the smaller rasplike tubercles on elytral declivity, the cluster of erect scales on anal sternite of male. Holotype: Length 2.3 mm. Integument brown, rostrum (tip excepted), tibiae and tarsi ferrousred, antennae (club excepted) honey-red. Dorsal vestiture of pronotum formed by recumbent strictly adpressed concave whitish, yellowish and brownish round scales, the similarly coloured scales on elytra are much larger, and form together with those on pronotum, the pattern of Plate 19. Legs with the same kind of scales, only much smaller than those on elytra. Underside with recumbent adpressed or sligthly embricate predominantly grey-whitish scales. Rostrum hardly shorter than pronotum, moderately curved, sligthly flattened dorsoventrally up to the scaled basal fourth, then smooth and bare. Antennae inserted about in the middle of rostrum, scape thin, sligthly curved and regularly clubbed at apex, funiculus about 1.5× as long as scape, segments 1–6 clearly longer than wide, 7 not transverse, club asymmetrically fusiform and as long as the 3 preceding segments. Head globose, frons faintly impressed and wider between eyes than base of rostrum. Eyes not protruding from head convexity. Pronotum 0.88 times as long as wide, abruptly constricted towards apex, sides Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 225 Plates 13–18. 13: Acythopeus curvirostris granulipennis (Tournier), from Egypt; 14: Aegyptobaris arctithorax (Pic); 15: Elasmobaris alboguttata (C. Brisout); 16: Eumycterus albosquamulatus Boheman; 17: Ceutorhynchus farsetiarum (Peyerimhoff); 18: Mesoxyonyx arabicus Korotyaev. Not to scale. strongly curved, anterior margin much raised in profile above head level and bilobed in front view, base moderately bisinuose, disc sligthly convex and with entire wide and shallow dorsal channel. Elytra 1.08 as long as wide, dorsally flattened and transversely impressed at base, maximum width at protruding humeri, sides weakly curved and converging towards the very strong preapical tubercles formed by 4 rasp-like glabrous tubercles on intervals 4–7, the strongest on interspace 5. Striae rather deep, linear and sligthly catenulate. Intervals much wider than striae, almost flat, interstriae 3 to 6 sinuose at apical fourth to accommodate the apical tubercles above described. Legs rather short, femora with such a weak tooth as to appear almost edentate, protibiae with minute apical mucro, that of mesotibiae strong and acute, and metatibial one smaller than mesotibial mucro. Tarsi narrow, segment 3 hardly wider than 2, claws long, edentate and strongly divergent. First two visible urosternites with large common impression in the middle, urosternite 5 with flat median fovea flanked by two 226 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara rather large tubercle-like tufts of clustered erect scales. Aedeagus curved and with sharply pointed apex, sides sinuose like those of O. zoltani Korotyaev, 1982, figured by Korotyaev (1992). Paratypes: Length 2.2–2.7 mm. Similar to the holotype, elytral and pronotal bands can be more or less dark. Females have rostrum a trifle longer with antennae inserted immediately basad of midpoint, their urosternites 1–2 are flat and the tuft of erect scales on sternite 5 is wanting, although in the same area there is a very weak tubercle. Remarks: An Oxyonyx Faust, 1885, easy to isolate among the four species of the genus with 7-segmented funiculus known so far. Oxyonyx khalidi can be somewhat similar to O. major Korotyaev, 1982, from Turkmenistan, with which it shares size and elytral shape, but the central Asian species differs by its femora evidently, although minutely, toothed, larger apical rasp-like elytral tubercles, thinner transverse dark elytral stripe, lack of erect scales on anal sternite of males, and different aedegal shape with less sinuose sides (Korotyaev, 1982). The three last characters, in addition to the larger size, easily distinguish the new species from O. kerzhneri Korotyaev, 1982, from Kazakhstan (Korotyaev, 1982). O. khalidi is immediately distinguished from O. brisouti (Faust, 1885), distributed in western and central Asia, by the elytra being nearly as wide as long and not at least 1.2 longer than wide. Besides the different shape of aedeagus, it is not possible to confuse the new species with the only other Oxyonyx with 7-segmented funiculus, O. kaszabi Korotyaev, 1982, from eastern Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China, owing to the small size and edentate femora of the latter (Korotyaev, 1982). Notes: All specimens were beaten off Ephedra foliata climbing on ghaf trees, Prosopis cineraria, growing on sandy dunes. Feeding habits of Oxyonyx on Ephedra are well known (Korotyaev, 1982; Colonnelli, 2004). Etymology: The new species is named after Khalid Mahmood, one of its collectors, who was of so much help during the journey of the second author in the Emirates. Hypurus vanharteni Colonnelli nov. spec. Plate 20 Specimens examined: Holotype: , “United Arab Emirates; Wadi Safad; 25°13'N 56°19'E; 22.ii– 4.iii.2006; leg. A. van Harten; light trap”. Paratypes: 1, same data as holotype. 1, Wadi Shawkah, 31.x–27.xi.2006, WT. Diagnosis: Close to H. portulacae and H. litoralis, immediately distinguished by the smaller size and the subrectangular shape of elytra. Holotype: Length 2.2 mm. Integument pitchy brown, rostrum, antennae, head, fore margin and underside of pronotum, humeri and tip of elytra apicad of preapical tubercle enclosed, and legs ferrous-red. Dorsal vestiture formed by slanted rather sparse whitish and brownish seta-like scales, some of them, triangularly enlarged, are at apex, on sides and at base of dorsal pronotal channel, and on elytral intervals, primarily the outer ones, and form the nebulose pattern of fig. 20. Under side and legs with almost recumbent sparse lanceolate whitish scales. Rostrum 0.55 times as long as pronotum, moderately curved, sligthly flattened dorsoventrally, basal 2/3 scaled and finely coarsely punctured, then rostrum smooth and bare beyond antennal insertion, where its sides are sligthly bisinuose. Antennae inserted at apical third of rostrum, scape thin, straight, gradually clubbed to apex and as long as the first 4 funicular segments, those gradually shorter towards apex, segments 1–6 clearly longer than wide, 7 not transverse, club shortly fusiform and a trifle shorter than the 3 preceding segments. Head globose, frons impressed, coarsely punctured and wider between eyes than base of rostrum. Eyes sligthly protruding from head convexity. Pronotum 0.67 times as long as wide, sides strongly curved basally, then converging almost in straight line to the somewhat constricted and sligthly indented anterior margin, base moderately bisinuose, disc sligthly convex, coarsely punctured and with entire but exceedingly shallow dorsal channel. Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 227 Elytra subrectangular, 0.875 times as long as wide, dorsally flattened, maximum width at protruding humeri, sides almost straight and just a little converging towards the rather weak preapical tubercles, then quickly narrowing to apex. Striae rather deep, catenulate, with small seta-like scales, which are difficult to see. Intervals not wider than striae, flat, rugulose and with two not very regular rows of setae. Femora clubbed, elongate, toothed, tooth of broadened metafemora stronger than others. Mesotibiae with acute apical mucro. Tarsi rather narrow, segment 3 bilobe and much wider than 2, claws edentate and strongly divergent. First two visible urosternites usually sligthly impressed in the middle. Aedeagus with sligthly sinuose sides and sharply elongate pointed apex, internal sac with series of irregular teeth. Paratypes: Length 2.1–2.2 mm. Similar to the holotype, one specimen differing sligthly by its paler rusty colour and deeper sulcus of pronotal disc. Both of the females lack tibial mucros and have rostrum sligthly smoother than that of male, the apex of their elytra being shaped like that of male. Remarks: The lack of elytral mucro of females readily distinguishes Hypurus vanharteni from the similar but larger H. bertrandi (Perris, 1852), with which the new species shares the subrectangular elytral shape. Hypurus bertrandi is a subcosmopolitan pest species spread by man with the cultivation of common purslane, Portulaca oleracea (Colonnelli, 2004). The simple sutural apex of females approaches H. vanharteni to both H. portulacae (Marshall, 1916) from India and Pakistan and H. litoralis (Colonnelli, 1979) from Somalia, but the new species is much smaller (up to 2.2 mm instead of 2.5–2.8 mm) and sides of its elytra are subparallel instead of obviously curved. Elytral pattern and general shape of the remaining three species of Hypurus Rey, 1882, all from Madagascar (Colonnelli, 2004) prevent them from being confused with the new species. Etymology: The species is named after its collector, Antonius van Harten, whose very careful exploration of the country and his great skill led to discover so great a number of new arthropod taxa in the Emirates. Subfamily Cossoninae Schoenherr, 1825 Proeces filum (Marshall, 1933) Plate 21 Specimens examined: Fujairah, 1 ex., 05.vi–02.vii.2005; 1 ex. 17–24.vi.2006. Near Mahafiz, 2 ex., 21– 28.viii.2006. Wadi Safad, 1 ex., 17–24.vi.2006. Length: 2.1–2.5 mm. Notes: A species breeding inside dead petioles of oil palm Elaeis guineensis (Marshall, 1933), and surely introduced into the Emirates in conjunction with the cultivation of that plant. Distribution: Democratic Republic of Congo (Marshall, 1933). New to the UAE. Subfamily Curculioninae Latreille, 1802 Derelomus spec. Plate 22 Specimens examined: Al-Ajban, 1 ex., 19–26.vi.2006. Fujairah, 1 ex., 1–8.iv.2005; 2 ex., 28.ii– 1.iii.2006. NARC, near Sweihan, 2 ex., 2–30.iv.2005. Length: 2.8 mm. Notes: It is not possible at the moment to find out whether this is a new species or an imported African one, due to the genus Derelomus Schoenherr, 1825, being badly in need of revision. Anyhow, the high variability of many of Derelomus species (Marshall, 1954; Alziar, 2007) makes it not advisable to propose a name with such a scant material at hand. Several Afrotropical species feed on Acacia instead of on palm flowers (Hoffmann, 1968; Colonnelli, pers. obs.) 228 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara Mecinus longirostris (Pic, 1921) Plate 23 Specimens examined: Sharjah Desert Park, 5 ex., 21.i–17.ii.2008; 7 ex., 3.iii.2008, HC on Tribulus terrestris, EC. Length: 1.8–2.1 mm. Notes: In Algeria some adults were collected by Peyerimhoff on Plantago ciliata (Caldara, unpublished data), a plant also common in the Arabian Peninsula and belonging to a genus of Plantaginaceae which is the host of many other Mecinus. It is probable that Tribulus terrestris (Zygophyllaceae) represents only a refuge plant (sensu Colonnelli & Osella, 1998) for this species. Distribution: This species, which was described from the Saharian region of Algeria, lives also in Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia (Caldara, unpublished data). New to the UAE. Rhinusa scrophulariae Caldara nov. spec. Plate 24 Type specimens: Holotype: , “United Arab Emirates; Wadi Safad – m 150; 25°13.24'N 56°18.68'E; 2.iii.2008 – E. Colonnelli”, “Scrophularia; deserti; Delile” [green]. Paratypes: 6 ex., same data as holotype. SYRIA: 6 ex., (Damas) Maaloula, 1600 m [33°52'N 36°37'E], 13.vi.2003, leg. P. Weill (CJP); 4 ex., same locality and collector but 8.vi.2002 (CJP). 1 ex., Doura Eur, 10.iii.2004, “sur scrophulaire”, leg. P. Weill (CJP). Diagnosis: A species of the R. bipustulata group characterized by the whitish dorsal vestiture rather densely covering integument, the reddish legs, the rostrum short and only sligthly longer in female than in male. Holotype: Length 2.1 mm. Body moderately elongate, moderately robust, with reddish brown integuments except head, basal two thirds of rostrum, prothorax and base and interstria 1 of elytra blackish-brown, covered with seta-like whitish scales. Rostrum moderately long (length/width 4.55/1), about as long as pronotum, subcylindrical, in lateral view very sligthly curved, of same width from base to apex, in dorsal view subparallel-sided to apex, with scrobes somewhat visible, with distinct striae and punctures to near apex then nearly smooth, covered with somewhat dense, subrecumbent to recumbent scales in basal two thirds. Frons as wide as rostrum at base, without fovea. Eyes flat. Antennae inserted at middle of rostrum, scape 4 times as long as wide, funicle sligthly longer than scape, its first segment 1.5 times as long as wide, 1.3 times longer than segment 2, which is 1.2 times as long as wide, segments 3–5 transverse; club oval, moderately long, pubescent except basal part of segment 1 smooth and shining. Pronotum with punctures dense and almost regular, with intervals between punctures smooth and moderately shining, barely visible between the somewhat dense subrecumbent to recumbent scales; transverse (width/length 1.42/1), sides weakly curved, widest at basal proximity, moderately convex. Elytra moderately elongate (length/width 1.37/1), moderately convex, 1.38 times wider than pronotum, with subparallel sides and base weakly concave. Surface of interstriae rather easily visible between scales, which are 6–10 times longer than wide, suberect and arranged in 2–3 irregular rows. Striae clearly visible and with a row of fine scales shorter than those covering interstriae. Femora robust, subclavate, with distinct small tooth, tibiae with moderately robust unci, all similar in length and shape, with pointed apex; tarsi with segments 1 and 2 sligthly longer than wide, segment 3 bilobed and distinctly wider than 2, and segment 4 times as long as segments 1–3 taken together. Paratypes: Length 2.0–2.4 mm. Female as male except rostrum sligthly longer than pronotum, nearly smooth and shining, sligthly more curved in lateral view, antennal insertion between basal and middle third, unci of metatibiae smaller. Somex a triangular part of the elytra from the base to the middle of first interval is blackish-brown. Scales on elytral interstriae may be partly subrecumbent and vary distinctly in density, being arranged from one to 3–4 rows on each interval. Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 229 Plates 19–24. 19: Oxyonyx khalidi Colonnelli nov. spec., holotype; 20: Hypurus vanharteni Colonnelli nov. spec., holotype. 21: Proeces filum (Marshall); 22: Derelomus spec.; 23: Mecinus longirostris (Pic); 24: Rhinusa scrophulariae Caldara nov. spec., paratype from the Emirates. Not to scale. Remarks: Rhinusa scrophulariae belongs to the R. bipustulata group, which is presently composed of R. bipustulata (Rossi, 1794), and the two very close R. algirica (H. Brisout, 1862) and R. emmrichi (Bajtenov, 1978). All these species have in common the shape of transverse pronotum, subrectangular elytra and form of genitalia (Caldara, 2001), and live on Scrophularia. The new species clearly differs from the three above-mentioned ones by the rostrum being only sligthly longer in female than in male and by the denser dorsal vestiture. From R. bipustulata it differs also by the thicker and opaque scales, the usually smaller size, and the completely reddish legs. 230 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara Notes: All specimens from the UAE were collected by the second author on Scrophularia deserti, a widespread species distributed also in Syria, so that this is almost certainly the true host plant of R. scrophulariae. Etymology: The name refers to the genus of plant on which the new species was collected. Rhamphus micros Colonnelli nov. spec. Plate 25 Specimens examined: Holotype (sex not checked), “United Arab Emirates; Wadi Shawkah – m 260; 25°06.26'N 56°02.13'E; 29.ii.2008 – E. Colonnelli”, “Acacia; tortilis; (Forssk.) Hayne” [green]. Paratypes: 6 ex., same data as holotype. 2 ex., Wadi Safad, 10.ii.2005, HC; 4 ex, 2.iii.2008., HC on Acacia tortilis, EC. 1 ex., al-Ajban, 28.xii.2005–29.i.2006; 48 ex., 1.iv–2.v.2006, MT; 1 ex., 6– 22.v.2006; 21 ex., 5–12.vi.2006, MT; 11 ex., 12–19.vi.2006, MT. 2 ex., Fujairah, 5.iii–6.iv.2005; 1 ex., 28.ii–1.iv.2006. 2 ex., Wadi Maidaq, 29.iii–10.iv.2006, WT; 2 ex., 30.i–3.ii.2008, WT. 1 ex., Wadi Wurayah, 25.iv–2.v.2007, MT. Diagnosis: A Rhamphus somewhat similar, owing to its very small size, to R. emeljanovi, but easily recognised by prominence of frons, pronotum less strongly constricted towards apex, and dark colour of all antennal segments. Holotype: Length 1.0 mm. Integument piceous. Rostrum 1.65 times as long as pronotum, shining, moderately curved and sligthly flattened. Antennae inserted at the very base of rostrum, scape oval, shorter that the first funicular segment, which is not much thicker than scape and of elongate oval shape, segments 2 to 5 thin, subconical and diminishing in length, 5 not transverse, club fusiform elongate. Head subglobular, frons with a moderate protuberance at the top of which antennae are inserted, eyes large and fairly protruding from head convexity. Pronotum 0.75 times as long as wide, bell-shaped, constricted towards apex and narrowing also to base; punctures large, coarse but rather shallow and microreticulate. Elytra 1.38× longer than wide, elongate, and widening from base to apical fourth, then rounded together from here to apex. Striae moderately deep, and with catenulate punctures. Intervals only sligthly convex, widening towards apex and here wider than striae. Legs quite elongate, metafemora only moderately stouter than others, tibiae moderately flattened, tarsi narrow, segment 4 just a little shorter than the length of the preceding ones together. Paratypes: Length 0.9–1.0 mm. Very similar to the holotype. Some examples have first segment of antenna dark piceous brown instead of blackish. Remarks: The study of several Australian, African and Palaearctic species (some unnamed) of Rhamphus proved that the genus Rhamphonyx Voss, 1964, cannot be mantained until a thorough revision of the world species of the first probably polyphiletic genus has been done. The same is for the subgeneric division proposed by Korotyaev (1984), since a number of the quite diverse species of Rhamphus has one or another of the characters proposed by him and by Voss (1964) to establish subgenera or genera, respectively. Moreover, the thus far known host plant associations do not support any splitting only based on morphological characters. Consequently, the following new synonymies are proposed (Colonnelli hoc opus): Rhamphus Clairville, 1798 (= Rhamphonyx Voss, 1964, nov. syn.; = Rhamphus (Trichorhampus) Korotyaev, 1984, nov. syn.; = Rhampus (Nanorhamphus) Korotyaev, 1984, nov. syn. In doing so, we agree completely with the considerations made on page 140 by Caldara & O’Brien (1998) when revising the Palaearctic species of the wordwide distributed genus Bagous Germar, 1817. Note that Korotyaev (1994) made no mention of subgenera when describing a number of species from Oriental and Afrotropical regions, some of them very peculiar. The very small size somewhat approaches R. micros to R. emeljanovi Korotyaev, 1984, from Kazakhstan (one paratype studied). The new species is immediately distinguished by its prominent frons, prothorax much less strongly constricted in front, dark colour of its antennal Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 231 segments and much longer segment 4 of tarsi. Elongate elytral shape and small size make R. micros similar also to R. kiesenwetteri Tournier, 1873, from southern Algeria, Egypt (Peyerimhoff, 1931) and Ethiopia (Korotyaev, 1994), whereas the label “Sicily” of the type is surely incorrect (Peyerimhoff, 1931). Rhamphus kiesenwetteri, also associated with Acacia, has, however, the base of antennae honey-yellow, and much more convex elytral intervals. The new species is in addition quite similar to R. mimosae Hustache, 1936, from Ethiopia (types studied), which has head sulcate, more elongate pronotum with thinner and sparser punctures, elytral striae deeper, intervals moderately transversely wrinkled and base of antenna honey-red. Second to fifth antennal segments honey-red, deep striae and very convex intervals distinguish Rhamphus tarsalis (Voss, 1964), comb. nov. from Sudan – also collected on Acacia – from R. micros. Apart from the above species, the new one cannot be confused with any other Rhamphus described so far. Notes: All specimens collected by the second author in 2008 were beaten off branches of Acacia tortilis, surely its host plant. Known larvae of Rhamphus are leafminers, and small size is most probably an adaptative response to the selective pressure, thus allowing great numbers of weevils to survive even in extremely dry climates. Several Palaearctic, Afrotropical and Australian species of the genus are associated with Acacia (Peyerimhoff, 1931; Marshall, 1946; Voss, 1964). Etymology: One of the smallest species of Rhamphus, and the chosen name remarks this fact, from the Greek (= small). Sharpia heydeni Tournier, 1874 Plate 26 Specimens examined: SW of Ras al-Khaimah, 15 ex., 1.iii.2008, HC on Convolvulus prostratus, EC & KM; 14 ex., 6.iii.2008, HC on C. prostratus, EC. Length: 3.1–3.9 mm. Notes: Adults were all collected under the prostrate branches and near the rootneck of grazed Convolvulus prostratus growing on a sandy dune. Nothing was known about the ecology of this species. Distribution: Egypt, Azerbaijan, Siberia (Zumpt, 1936), Afghanistan, Iraq (Zumpt, 1938), Iran (Voss, 1959), Chad (Hoffmann, 1962a). New to the UAE. Sharpia rubida (Rosenhauer, 1856) Plate 27 Specimens examined: Al-Ajban, 1 ex., 19–26.vi.2006. Sharjah-Khor Kalba, near tunnel, 1 ex., 31.v– 7.vi.2006. NARC, near Sweihan, 1 ex., 14.iii–2.iv.2005. Length: 2.0–3.0 mm. Notes: An extremely variable insect (Zumpt, 1936), possibly in the current meaning being an assemblage of sibling species. According to Hoffmann (1958), S. rubida has been reared from roots of Atractylis humilis (Asteraceae) in southern France. Distribution: Southern Europe, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Egypt, Turkmenia, Uzbekhistan (Osella & Di Marco, 1996), Chad (Hoffmann, 1962a). New to the UAE. Sharpia sabulicola Colonnelli nov. spec. Plate 28 Specimens examined: Holotype: , “United Arab Emirates; SW of Ras al-Khaimah; 25°43.72'N 55°55.48'E; 1.iii.2008 – E. Colonnelli”, “Convolvulus; prostratus Forssk.” [green]. Paratypes: 2, 2, same data as holotype; 1, 1, same data as holotype but leg. KM; 4, 3, same data as holotype but 6.iii.2008. 1, Sharjah Desert Park, 3.iii.2008, HC, EC. Diagnosis: Similar to Sharpia soluta but differing by its entirely reddish rostrum, longer second tarsal segment, sligthly widened elytra on apical fourth, and thicker sclerotized apex of aedeagus. 232 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara Holotype: Length 2.7 mm. Integument dark brown, whole rostrum, scape, antennal club and tibiae ferrous-red. Dorsal vestiture of recumbent strictly adpressed and partly embricate whitish, yellowish, brownish and nacreous roundish scales forming the vague pattern of Plate 28, the scales on pronotum and legs smaller than those on elytra. In addition, there are sligthly slanted curved white elongate scales which on elytra are arranged in a row on each interspace. Under side with dense predominantly greyish recumbent scales. Rostrum 1.11 times as long as pronotum, sligthly curved, dorsum with a faint median carina a little more visible between antennal insertion where dense clothing of basal 3/5 ends, apical portion of rostrum anteriad of antennae with thin elongate punctures. Antennae inserted at a distance of 0.46 of the rostral length from its apex, scape sligthly curved and abruptly clubbed at apical 4/5, funiculus about as long as scape, club fusiform elongate and sligthly longer than the three preceding segments. Head globose and inserted inside pronotum up to eyes level. Frons sligthly convex and hardly wider than base of rostrum. Eyes not protruding from head convexity. Pronotum 0.75 times as long as wide, sides regularly and moderately curved, anterior margin almost as wide as the very weakly bisinuate base, disc moderately convex and densely punctured. Elytra 1.38 times longer than wide, moderately convex, maximum width at apical third, humeri protruding, preapical tubercles very weak. Striae linear-shaped. Intervals almost flat, much wider than striae. Legs rather elongate, tarsal segment 4 (claws excepted) 1.2 times longer that the two preceding segments together. First two visible urosternites faintly convex together in the middle. Aedeagus similar to that of S. soluta, differing by its apex being with thicker sclerotized part. Paratypes: Length 2.3–3.0 mm. Essentially similar to the holotype, a slight variation of dorsal pattern can be observed. Females have rostrum 1.2 times as long as pronotum, antenna inserted about at midpoint of rostrum, and abdominal sternites 1–2 quite strongly convex together. Remarks: Similar to Sharpia soluta, but quite easily distinguished by its rostrum being entirely or almost entirely reddish instead of brown with extreme apex reddish, tarsal segment 4 much longer instead of hardly longer than 2+3, different shape of apex of aedeagus. The new species should be also similar to S. uniseriata Voss, 1959, from Afghanistan, which has long tarsi and elytra oval (Voss, 1959), but the central Asiatic species surely differs by its longer rostrum, and its legs and rostrum being dark brown. Apart from the above species, it is not possible to confuse S. sabulicola with any of the other Sharpia Tournier, 1874, so far described (Zumpt, 1936). Notes: This species was collected at the base of grazed Convolvulus prostratus growing on sandy dunes, along with Sharpia heydeni above. Etymology: The new species was collected on dunes, and this is emphasized by its name, meaning in Latin ‘sand-dweller’. Sharpia soluta Faust, 1885 Plate 29 Specimens examined: Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 12–21.v.2007. Length: 2.6 mm. Distribution: Romania, Cyprus, Azerbaidjan, Turkmenia, Uzbekhistan (Zumpt, 1936; Alziar, 2008; Legalov, 2008). New to the UAE. Smicronyx (Smicronyx) rufipennis Tournier, 1874 Plate 30 Specimens examined: SSW of ad-Dhaid, 1 ex., 24–30.v.2006. Hatta, 1 ex., 4–11.iv.2006; 1 ex., 27– 30.v.2006. Khor al–Khwair, 1 ex., 2–12.v.2007; 1 ex., 24.ii–1.v.2007; 2 ex., 16–23.v.2007. SharjahKhor Kalba, near tunnel, 1 ex., 24–30.v.2006; 3 ex., 31.v–7.vi.2006. Wadi Bih dam, 2 ex., 30.v– 5.vi.2007; 3 ex., 24.iv–1.v.2007; 3 ex., 19.ii–1.iii.2008; 4 ex., 1–6.iii.2008; 1 ex., 17–25.iii.2008. Wadi Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 233 Maidaq, 1 ex., 27.iv–4.v.2006, 2 ex., 2–16.ii.2006; 1 ex., 28.xii.06–20.ii.07, MT. Wadi Safad, 1 ex., 31.i–21.ii.2006; 1 ex., 15–22.iv.2006. Length: 2.5 mm. Notes: The absolute majority of the Smicronyx Schoenherr, 1843, of the nominotypical subgenus whose biology is known is associated with Cuscutaceae, and just a few of them live on Gentianaceae. One species, Smicronyx gossypii Marshall, 1941, has been found on cotton (Marshall, 1941). Most probably S. rufipennis develops on Cuscuta planiflora, the only Cuscutaceae widespread across the Emirates. Distribution: Northern Africa, Sudan, Camerun, Congo (Hoffmann, 1965). New to the UAE. Sibinia jelineki Caldara, 1987 Plate 31 Specimens examined: Al-Ajban, 1 ex., 21–26.viii.2006, MT. Length: 2.0 mm. Notes: This species was described from two specimens collected at Bandar Abbas and Ziarat in southern Iran (Caldara, 1987). Recently were also studied three other specimens from southern Iran, collected in the Kerman province and preserved in the Zoological Institute of St. Petersburg. Distribution: Iran. New to the UAE. Sibinia modesta Desbrochers, 1895 Plate 32 Specimens examined: Fujairah, 1 ex., 20–27.v.2006, LT. Length: 1.9 mm. Notes: At the moment this species is the sole taxon in the genus Sibinia whose distribution ranges from southwestern Palaearctic to southern Africa (Caldara, 1993b; Osella et al., 1998). Distribution: Middle East, Sudan (Caldara, 1979), Ethiopia, Botswana (Caldara, 1993b). New to the UAE. Sibinia subirrorata Faust, 1885 Plate 33 Specimens examined: SSW of ad-Dhaid, 7 ex., 24–30.v.2006. Fujairah, 1 ex., 5.vi–2.vii.2005. Sharjah, 1 ex., 6–22.vii.2005. Sharjah Desert Park, 2 ex., 17–24.iii.2007; 2 ex., 1.iv.2007. Sharjah-Khor Kalba, near tunnel, 1 ex., 7–14.vi.2006. Wadi Maidaq, 1 ex., 27.iv–4.v.2006. Wadi Safad, 2 ex., 14–21.v.2006. Length: 1.3–1.7 mm. Notes: Nothing is known about the biology of this species. It is probable that it lives on members of the Plumbaginaceae, like Statice or Limonium, on which other related species of Sibinia are usually collected. Distribution: Turkey, southern Russia, central Asia (Caldara, 1979). New to the UAE. Tychius bicolor C. Brisout, 1862 Plate 34 Specimens examined: Ghayl, 1 ex., 17.iii.2008, HC. Wadi Shawkah, 1 ex., 2.iii.2008, HC, EC. Length: 1.7–2.3 mm. Notes: This is a species with a widespread distribution, yet not reported from the Arabian Peninsula. In France and Italy it lives on Melilotus spp., usually M. officinalis, but it has also been collected on Astragalus monspessulanus in France (Caldara, 1990), all Fabaceae. Distribution: Southern Palaearctic Region, from Madeira, the Iberian Peninsula and Morocco in the west to Afghanistan in the east (Caldara & Aguín-Pombo, 2008). New to the UAE. Tychius bruleriei Desbrochers, 1875 Plate 35 Specimens examined: Ras Ghanada, 8 ex., 5.iii.2008, HC on Lotus garcinii, EC. Ras al-Khaimah, 21 ex., 9.iii.2008, HC on L. garcinii, EC, Length: 2.3–2.9 mm. 234 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara Plates 25–30. 25: Rhamphus micros Colonnelli nov. spec., holotype; 26: Sharpia heydeni Tournier: 27: Sharpia rubida (Rosenhauer); 28: Sharpia sabulicola Colonnelli nov. spec., holotype; 29: Sharpia soluta Faust; 30: Smicronyx rufipennis Tournier. Not to scale. Notes: Nothing was previously known on the biology of this species, collected in the Emirates on Lotus garcinii, the genus of Fabaceae on which some closely related species like T. hoffmanni Tempère, 1957, and T. capucinus Boheman, 1843, were also found (Caldara 1990). Distribution: Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt (Caldara 1990). New to the UAE. Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea Tychius vicinus Roudier, 1954 235 Plate 36 Specimens examined: Fujairah, 1 ex., 2.v–2.vi.2005. Sharjah, 1 ex. 18.i–25.ii.2006. Wadi Maidaq, 1 ex. 21.xii.2005–2.ii.2006. Wadi Safad, 1 ex., 20.xii.2005–2.vi.2006. Length: 2.3–2.7 mm. Notes: The possible host plant of this Tychius in Algeria may be Lotononis bullonii (Caldara, 1990). Species of this genus of Fabaceae are to be found also in the Emirates (Brown & Sakkir, 2004). Distribution: Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen (Caldara, 1993a). New to the UAE. Subfamily Cyclominae Schoenherr, 1826 Entomoderus albofasciatus (Pic, 1895) Plate 37 Specimens examined: Wadi Shawkah, 1 ex. 1–7.iv.2007, WT. Length: 6.0 mm. Notes: Our knowledge of the Palaeartic Cyclominae of the tribe Rhythirrinini Lacordaire, 1863, is very poor, the last revisions dating back to many decades ago (Desbrochers, 1910, 1911; Melichar, 1923). Solari (1940) provided a key to genera, many of them today provisionally considered subgenera of Entomoderus Raffray, 1873 (Alonso-Zarazaga, 2002), but several species, like the present one, cannot be reliably assigned to any of them. Distribution: Egypt, Greece (Hoffmann, 1957), although the indication from the latter country of this desert species is most probably wrong. New to the UAE. Gronopidius jekeli (Allard, 1870) Plate 38 Specimens examined: Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 21.xii.2007–23.i.2008; 1 ex., 3–14.ii.2008. Length: 5.0 mm. Notes: Gronopidius F. Solari, 1940, is comprised of two species: G. fasciatus Küster, 1851, from southern Spain and Egypt, and G. jekeli to which the two males from the Emirates can be consistently attributed. Distribution: Algeria, Egypt (Schenkling & Marshall, 1929), Djibouti (Voss, 1962c). New to the UAE. Subfamily Entiminae Schoenherr, 1823 Amblyrhinus poricollis Schoenherr, 1826 Plate 39 Specimen examined: Al-Ajban, 2 ex., 10–17.x.2005, MT; 7 ex., 17.x–9.xi.2005; 7 ex., 9.xi–7.xii.2005; 1 ex., 7–28.xii.2005; 1 ex., 28.xii.2005–29.i.2006; 1 ex., 25.ii–27.iii.2006; 10 ex., 9–16.iv.2006, MT; 6 ex., 6–22.v.2006; 3 ex., 5–12.vi.2006; 7 ex., 19–26.vi.2006; 9 ex., 25.vii–21.viii.2006, MT; 1 ex., 9.xi– 7.xii.2006, MT; 2 ex., 5.iii.2008, HC on Ziziphus spina-christi, EC. Bithnah, 8 ex., 31.xii.2005– 2.ii.2006. SSW of ad-Dhaid, 4 ex., 24–30.v.2005; 37 ex., 10–29.xii.2005; 5 ex., 24–30.v.2006; 13 ex., 2–14.viii.2006. Fujairah, 5 ex., 15–22.iv.2004; 185 ex., 5.iii–6.iv.2005; 95 ex., 6.iv–2.v.2005; 27 ex., 1 ex., 2.v–5.vi.2005; 10 ex., 2.vi–6.vii.2005; 1 ex., 10–17.x.2005; 1 ex., 13.xi–10.xii.2005; 28 ex., 28.ii– 1.iv.2006; 21 ex., 1–8.iv.2006; 8 ex., 8.iv–2.v.2006. Hatta, 1 ex., 4–11.iv.2006; 3 ex., 24–30.v.2006. Jebel Jibir, 1 ex., 27.iii.2007, HC. Khor al-Khwair, 16 ex., 8–14.iii.2007; 1 ex., 15–22.iii.2007; 49 ex., 2–23.v.2007. Near Mahafiz, 123 ex., 21–28.viii.2006; 11 ex., 19–26.iv.2008. Mushrif Park, Dubai, 1 ex., 6.iii.2005, HC. Sharjah, 25 ex., 1–31.i.2005; 5 ex., 1–10.ii.2005; 28 ex., 27.iv–5.vi.2005; 30 ex., 12–28.vi.2005; 17 ex., 28.vi–23.vii.2005; 1 ex., 1–2.iii.2006; 8 ex., 12–21.v.2007. Sharjah Desert Park, 2 ex., 14.x.2004, HC; 2 ex., 10.xi.2004, HC; 1 ex., 22.xi.2004, HC; 1 ex., 25.i–22.ii.2005; 2 ex., 22.ii– 9.iii.2005; 82 ex., 9.iii–6.iv.2005; 50 ex., 6–30.iv.2005; 8 ex., 31.iv–31.v.2005; 41 ex., 31.v–30.vi.2005; 10 ex., 30.vi–31.vii.2005; 10 ex., 31.vii–5.viii.2005; 16 ex., 20.x–28.xi.2005; 1 ex., 18.i–25.ii.2006; 1 ex., 22.ii–9.iii.2006; 4 ex., 30.iv–31.v.2006; 1 ex., 7–14.vi.2006; 2 ex., 17.ii–3.iii.2007; 41 ex., 17– 24.iii.2007; 1 ex., 8–15.iv.2007; 1 ex., 15–22.iv.2007; 5 ex., 22–30.iv.2007; 16 ex., 30.iv–12.v.2007; 4 236 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara Plates 31–36. 31: Sibinia jelineki Caldara, from Iran; 32: Sibinia modesta Desbrochers, from Saudi Arabia; 33: Sibinia subirrorata Faust; 34: Tychius bicolor C. Brisout; 35: Tychius bruleriei Desbrochers; 36: Tychius vicinus Roudier. Not to scale. ex., 12–21.v.2007; 4 ex., 18.v–4.vi.2007; 26 ex., 20.x–24.xi.2007; 1 ex., 3.iii.2008, HC, EC. SharjahKhor Kalba, near tunnel, 1 ex., 18–31.i.2006; 3 ex., 24–30.v.2006; 4 ex., 31.v–7.vi.2006; 6 ex., 714.vi.2006. NARC, near Sweihan, 2 ex., 1.ii–14.iii.2005; 1 ex., 14.iii–2.iv.2005; 8 ex., 2–30.iv.2005; 1 ex., 11–21.v.2005; 1 ex., 30.i–26.ii.2006; 4 ex., 26.ii–2.iv.2006. Wadi Bih dam, 3 ex., 22.i–2.iii.2007; 1 ex., 29.iii.2007, HC; 3 ex., 24.iv–1.v.2007; 39 ex., 30.v–5.vi.2007; 2 ex., 1–6.iii.2008; 4 ex., 17– 25.iii.2008. Wadi Hayl, 1 ex., 20.iii.2007, HC. Wadi Maidaq, 2 ex., 21.xii.2005–2.ii.2006; 6 ex., 2– 16.ii.2006; 49 ex., 27.iv–4.v.2006; 62 ex., 1–8.vii.2006; 1 ex., 29.vii–26.viii.2006; 1 ex., 26.viii– 3.ix.2006. Wadi Safad, 35 ex., 27.xi–22.xii.2005; 1 ex., 20.xii.2005–1.ii.06; 1 ex., 26.xii.2005– 1.ii.2006; 1 ex., 22.ii–4.iii.2006; 9 ex., 15–22.iv.2006; 13 ex., 14–21.v.2006; 10 ex., 17–24.vi.2006; 5 ex., 1–8.vii.2006. Length: 4.0–6.0 mm. Notes: Very common in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh on the Fabaceae Dalbergia sissoo (Pajni, 1990). Distribution: India (Pajni, 1980). New to the UAE. Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea Amblyrhinus cylindricollis Magnano nov. spec. 237 Plate 40 Specimens examined: Holotype:  (aedeagus and abdomen glued on the same label bearing the specimen), “United Arab Emirates; Wadi Safad; 25°13'N 56°19'E; 14–21.v.2006; leg. A. van; Harten; in light traps”. Paratypes: 1 ex., Hatta, 4–11.iv.2006; 6 ex., 11–26.iv.2006. 1 ex., Khor al-Khwair, 7– 14.iv.2007; 19 ex., 24.iv–1.v.2007; 1 ex., 2–13.v.2007. 4 ex., near Mahafiz, 21–28.viii.2006. 4 ex., Sharjah Desert Park, 25.ii–25.iii.2006. 2 ex., Sharjah-Khor Kalba, near tunnel, 24–30.v.2006; 10 ex., 31.v–7.vi.2006; 6 ex., 7–14.vi.2006. 1 ex., Wadi Maidaq, 27.iv–4.v.2006; 1 ex., 1–8.vii.2006. 9 ex., Wadi Safad, 15–22.iv.2006; 10 ex., 14–21.v.2006; 2 ex., 1–8.vii.2006. 5 ex., Wadi Shawkah, 5– 12.v.2007; 5 ex., 30.vi–2.viii.2007; 3 ex, 25.x–5.xi.2007; 2 ex., 19–28.xi.2007; 3 ex., 2.iii.2008, HC on Ziziphus spina-christi, EC. Diagnosis: An Amblyrhinus with cylindrical pronotum, interocular space hardly convex, eyes just a little convex, and light brown vestiture of scales. Holotype: Length including rostrum 4.4 mm, maximum elytral width 1.7 mm. Integument dark brown, densely clothed by irregularly polygonal to almost round sienna and scattered golden scales, intermingled with few elongate claviform scales hardly lifted on pronotum which form a thin longitudinal central and a wider lateral light brown pronotal bands. Scales on elytra are arranged in regular row along the middle of intervals. Antennae and legs with oval and claviform scales. Club with minute oval scales and sparse erect setae. Rostrum conical and separated from head. Epistoma with a right-angled thiny keeled indentation, and with long hazel setae on inner margin. Epifrons with a groove gradually less deep towards interocular space and with a short and thin carina from apex up to middle, sides of epifrons scarcely converging towards interocular space, which is 1.5 times wider than epifrons at the level of antennal insertion. Scrobes reaching rostral apex, situated on sides of epifrons, and completely visible from above. Head conical, 2.6 times as wide as long. Eyes sligthly oval, hardly protruding from head convexity, maximum width of one on them is 2/3 of the distance between eyes. Pronotum cylindrical, hardly transverse, sides weakly rounded, apical margin truncate, base deeply three-lobed with the median lobe much longer than lateral ones. Ocular lobes weak and with short fringe of white setae at apex. Elytra parallel-sided, 1.65 times longer than wide, base emarginate against median lobe of pronotal base. Areolate punctures of thin striae separated by a distance of 3 times the diameter of each of them. Intervals barely convex and 3 times wider than striae. Visible urosternites convex, with dense light nacreous round or oval scales intermingled with claviform lifted ones similar to those that are on pronotum. Femora feebly claviform. Protibiae straight, with a small inner spur at apex and spinulae of the corbel of the same colour of scales. Corbels of metatibae open. First tarsal segment triangular and 2.3 times as long as wide at apex (condylus excepted), second triangular and as wide as long, third deeply bilobe, onychium sligthly longer than 2+3. Claws free. Paratypes: Females are usually larger and with elytra wider than those of males. Somex elytra show ill-defined small patches of darker scales, and there can also exist scattered scales with golden lustre. Size varies from 2.7 to 4.7 mm. Remarks: Among the members of Amblyrhinus Schoenherr, 1826, with cylindrical pronotum, the new species is similar to A. biformis Tournier, 1879 (= A. millingeni Tournier, 1879) from Arabia, but the latter has head and rostrum concave, whereas in A. cylindricollis they are sligthly convex. Features of A. rabdetanus Hustache, 1934, from Gebel Elba (Egypt/Sudan), A. subcingulatus Voss, 1960, from Aden, A. minuticornis Pajni, 1980, and A. subrecticollis Marshall, 1913, both from India are very different from those of the new species. Etymology: The cylindrical shape of the pronotum of the new species suggested its name. Myllocerus ochraceus Magnano nov. spec. Plate 41 Specimens examined: Holotype: , “United Arab Emirates; Fujairah, 25°08'N 56°21'E, 15–22.iv.2006; A. van Harten leg. – light trap”. Paratypes: 5 ex., SSW of ad-Dhaid, 10–29.xii.2005; 3 ex., 29.xii.2005– 238 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara 7.i.2006; 15 ex., 24–30.v.2006; 1 ex., 10.xi–21.xii.2006. 33 ex., Fujairah, 5.iii–6.iv.2005; 89 ex., 6.iv– 2.v.2005; 113 ex., 2.v–5.vi.2005; 70 ex., 5.vi–2.vii.2005; 7 ex., 13.xi–10.xii.2005; 27 ex., 29.xi.2005– 2.i.2006; 27 ex., 28.ii–1.iv.2006; 22 ex., 6–30.iv.2006; 63 ex., 20–27.v.2006. 57 ex., near Mahafiz, 19– 26.iv.2008. 5 ex., Sharjah, 31.v–30.vi.2005. 1 ex., Sharjah Desert Park, 14.x.2004, HC; 1 ex., 22.ii– 9.iii.2005; 3 ex., 28.iii–6.iv.2005; 8 ex., 8–30.iv.2005; 5 ex., 30.iv–31.v.2005; 1 ex., 30.vi–21.vii.2005; 1 ex., 20.x–28.xi.2005; 1 ex., 2–30.i,2006; 1 ex., 17–24.iii.2007; 2 ex., 22–30.iv.2007. 5 ex., NARC, near Sweihan, 14.iii–2.iv.2005; 57 ex., 2–30.iv.2005; 3 ex., 18.xi–21.xii.2005; 3 ex., 28.ii–2.iv.2006; 9 ex., 11–21.v.2006. Diagnosis: A Myllocerus with tridentate metafemora, immediately distinct from all other species with this feature by the uniform ochreous colour of its vestiture. Holotype: Length 5.0 mm, maximum elytral width 1.7 mm. Integument dark brown. Dorsal vestiture of head consisting of ochreous rounded scales covering punctures. Scape with thin slanting moderately dense ochreous scales, those on funiculus more elongate, club with the same kind of scales clothing scape, only a little denser. Ochreous scales on pronotum rather small, pronotum also with longitudinal bands of nacreous larger scales, one on each side of middle ochreous band, and another on sides of prothorax, mingled with thin lanceolate scales inserted on punctures. Elytra with integument visible through the rather dense ground ochreous scales, intervals with 1–2 rows of areolate punctures bearing scales similar to those of pronotum; punctures of striae with minute scales inserted on their anterior margin. Rostrum parallel-sided and 1.3 times wider than long. Epistoma acutely triangular-shaped, extended a little beyond antennal insertion, limited laterally by a fine shining keel, and with long ochreous setae on inner margin; proximal half of epistoma is limited by a smooth area lying at a level lower than that of sides. Epifrons with angulate sides barely converging towards inner margins of eyes. Scrobes not widening outwards, closed forwards, foveiform and placed on sides of rostrum. Scape sligthly curved, gradually thickening towards apex, first two funicular segments twice as long as wide and of the same length, 3–6 hardly longer than wide, 7 sligthly thicker, club fusiform, twice as long as wide and as long as the 4 preceding segments. Head twice as wide as long, interocular distance sligthly wider than epifrons between antennal insertion and 1.5 times as the larger diameter of an eye. Eyes oval, convex. Pronotum transverse, 1.3 times wider than long, sides sligthly rounded from apex to basal third, then quickly narrowing up to nearly base, from here widened and forming an acute angle, apex of pronotum truncate, base sligthly bisinuose. Elytra 1.7 times longer than wide, almost parallel-sided, humeri moderate but clearly protruding. Punctures of striae larger on disc than on sides and towards posterior declination, and separated by a distance half of their diameter. Intervals flat, twice as wide as striae on disc. Femora tridentate. Paratypes: Length 4.0–5.2 mm. Variation is slight, elytra of females are somewhat wider and a little more convex than those of males. Remarks: Myllocerus ochraceus cannot be confused with any other of the genus with tridentate femora by the distinctive almost uniformly dark ochreous colour of the scale clothing. Etymology: The peculiar ochreous colour of the new species suggested its Latin name. Myllocerus undecimpustulatus Faust, 1891 Plate 42 Specimens examined: Fujairah, 1 ex., 1–8.iv.2005; 2 ex., 6.iv–2.v.2005; 7 ex., 2.v–5.vi.2005; 12 ex., 5.vi–2.vii.2005; 3 ex., 13.xi–10.xii.2005; 1 ex., 18.xii.2005–2.i.2006; 4 ex., 2–30.i.2006; 5 ex., 28.ii– 1.iv.2006; 4 ex., 15–22.iv.2006; 6 ex., 20–27.v.2006. Sharjah, 1 ex., 12–28.vi.2005. Wadi Bih dam, 9 ex., 22.i–2.iii.2007. Length: 4.6–6.2 mm. Notes: A polyphagous weevil, occasionally damaging cultivated or ornamental plants (Ramamurthy & Ghai, 1988; O’Brien et al., 2006). Literature records in UAE: Gassouma, 2003; van Harten, 2005. Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 239 Distribution: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan (Ramamurthy & Ghai, 1988), and recently accidentally introduced in the southeastern USA (O’Brien et al., 2006). Myllocerus strangulaticollis Magnano nov. spec. Plate 43 Specimens examined: Holotype:  (aedeagus and abdomen glued to the same label bearing the specimen), “United Arab Emirates; Sharjah Desert Park; 25°17'N 55°42'E – 29.iii–06.iv.2005; A. van Harten leg. – light trap”. Paratypes: 36 ex., same data as holotype. 1 ex., al-Ajban, 10–17.x.2005; 1 ex., 9.xi–17.xii.2005; 1 ex., 21–28.xii.2005; 1 ex., 25.ii–27.iii.2006; 1 ex., 6–22.v.2006. 36 ex., near Bin Maijid beach resort, 9.iii.2008, HC on Fabaceae, EC. 1 ex., Fujairah, 16–24.ii.2005; 1 ex., 9– 24.iii.2005; 1 ex., 6.iv–2.v.2005; 4 ex., 29.xi.2005–2.i.2006. 16 ex., al-Rafah, 9.iii.2008, HC on Lycium shawii, EC. 3 ex., S of Ras al–Khaimah, 1.iii.2008, CH on L. shawii, EC; 1 ex., 20.iii.2008, HC, KM; 1 ex., 20.iii.2008, HC, leg. J. Bosák. SW of Ras al-Khaimah, 3 ex., 8.iii.2008, HC on L. shawii, EC. Sharjah Desert Park; 3 ex., 20.x–28.xi.2005; 18 ex., 9–21.iii.2005; 13 ex., 21–29.iii.2005; 43 ex., 6– 30.iv.2005; 1 ex., 25.i–22.ii.2005; 1 ex., 22.ii–9.iii.2005; 2 ex., 10–17.iii.2007; 1 ex., 18.i–25.ii.2006; 1 ex., 17–24.iii.2007; 1 ex., 5–12.v.2007; 3 ex., 17–24.iii.2007; 2 ex., 12–21.v.2007; 1 ex., 15–22.iv.2007; 1 ex., 20.x–24.x.2007; 1 ex, 19–23.iii.2008; HC, KM; 1 ex., 17–24.iii.2007. Wadi Maidaq, 1 ex., 18.xii.2006–20.ii.2007, MT. Diagnosis: A Myllocerus with tridentate metafemora and first two funicular segments subequal in length, differing from M. discolor by the interocular distance being wider than epifrons between antennal insertion, and by the narrow half-lifted white scales on elytral intervals which are as long as one-third of their width. Holotype: Length: 6.0 mm; maximum elytral width 2.5 mm. Integument black. Head and rostrum clothed with roundish dense striolate nacreous scales, mingled with flattened elongate scattered scales which are widening towards apex and are 3 times as long as the round ones. Similar scales are on prothorax, on both sides of which is visible a darker longitudinal stripe.Vestiture of elytra consisting of the same kind of dark scales, except for the middle part covered by nacreous scales, and for dark grey spots visible also on sides. Interstriae with two rows of semi-erect scales. Rostrum hardly narrowing towards apex. Epistoma reaching the level of antennal insertion, acutely angulate, with long white setae on inner margin, sides carinate. Pterygia open in front, sligthly rounded outwards. Frons illdefined. Epifrons strongly narrowing from apex of rostrum up to antennal insertion, then regularly widened to the upper margin of eyes, sligthly concave and with a thin median keel reaching the middle of interocular space. Scrobes open backwards. Scape sligthly curved, gradually thickening towards apex, funiculus thin, first and second funicular segments of nearly the same length and width, both 3 times longer than wide, 3 to 7 conical and 1.5 times longer than wide. Club fusiform, 3.5 times longer than wide and as long as the 4 preceding segments. Head twice as wide as long. Eyes large, convex, oval, their greater diameter a little shorter than interocular distance, and their anterior margin parallel to upper edge of epifrons and placed very near fore margin of prothorax. Interocular distance 1.45 times as wide as the narrowest width of epifrons. Prothorax 1.5 times wider than long, strongly cordiform from apex up to basal fifth, then abruptly widening towards base and here sharply angulate laterally, making more evident the bulging and strongly bilobe base. Elytra 1.7 times as long as wide. Striae barely visible under the dense clothing, punctures sligthly elongate and separated by a distance equal to the diameter of one of them. Interstriae flat, 3 times wider than striae. Visible urosternites 1 and 2 with areolate punctures thin and sparse, 3–5 with thin and dense punctures. Pro and mesofemora with two teeth, the tooth-like larger one on the thickest part of femur, the much smaller other near the apex. Metafemora tridentate. Paratypes: Length 4.0–6.0 mm. Apart from a slight variation of the colour pattern, paratypes do not differ much from the holotype. Females have elytra more widening towards apex, and their size is on average larger. 240 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara Plates 37–42. 37: Entomoderus albofasciatus (Pic): 38: Gronopidius jekeli (Allard); 39: Amblyrhinus poricollis Schoenherr; 40: Amblyrhinus cylindricollis Magnano nov. spec., paratype; 41: Myllocerus ochraceus Magnano nov. spec., holotype; 42: Myllocerus undecimpustulatus Faust. Not to scale. Remarks: Among the species with tridentate metafemora, Myllocerus strangulaticollis basically differs from M. discolor Boheman, 1834, distributed in India, Burma and Sri Lanka (Ramamurthy & Ghai, 1988) by the vestiture formed by dark ochreous scales, the different shape of head with interocular distance broader than the width of epifrons measured across antennal insertion, and the half-lifted scales of elytral interspaces. In M. discolor the interocular distance is equal to the width of epifrons, and the scales on intervals, along with Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 241 the almost uniform colour, are much thinner and hardly visible. The new species already differs from M. undecimpustulatus Faust, 1891, by the second funicular segment clearly shorter than the first, the dark patches of scales on elytra, the peculiar pronotal shape, the lack of rows of lifted seta-like scales on interstriae, and the pronotum strongly and abruptly constricted near base with quite sharp basal angles. Notes: Specimens collected by Enzo Colonnelli in 2008 were tapped from Lycium shawii (Solanaceae) and from an unknown species of Fabaceae. Surely, therefore, the adults are polyphagous, like many other species of the genus (Rhamamurthy & Ghai, 1988). Etymology: Named from the strong apical and basal constriction of pronotum. Cyrtepistomus sabulosus Magnano nov. spec. Plate 44 Specimens examined: Holotype: , “United Arab Emirates; Wadi Safad; 25°13'N 56°19'E – 22.ii– 4.iii.2006; leg. van Harten – light trap”. Paratypes: 1, Khor al-Khwair, 7–14.iv.2007. 2, 2, Sharjah, 19.ii.2005, HC. 4, 4, Wadi Safad, 19.ii.2005, HC; 2, 15–22.iv.2006. Diagnosis: The interocular space being wider than rostrum between antennae characterizes this species. Holotype: Length 4.5 mm, maximum elytral length: 2.5 mm. Integument piceous, antennae and legs brown. Vestiture of recumbent sandy round closely fitting scales, a trifle smaller and less dense than those of under side; rostrum, head and pronotum with small dark spots from each of which originates a narrow lifted scale twice longer than the ground ones; scape and tarsi clothed by similar lifted scales intermingled with even longer white setiform scales; on elytral intervals there are dark spots with an irregular series of seta-like brown lifted scales pointing backwards and gradually lengthened towards apex. A lateral sligthly sinuose band on prothorax brown, and brown spots on intervals 3 and 5 of elytra. Scutellum much more densely clothed by sand-coloured scales. Rostrum hardly wider than long, pterygia weakly widened outwards. Epistoma obtusely triangular, apex reaching the level of antennal insertion. Head twice as wide as long, eyes oval, subdorsal and convex, interocular space 1.3× as wide as the maximum diameter of an eye and 1.3× wider than rostrum between antennal insertion. Scape gradually widening at apex, first funicular segment 2.5× as long as wide and clubbed, second twice as long as wide, 3–5 about 1.5× as long as wide, club fusiform, 3× longer than wide and as long as segments 1–7 together. Pronotum 1.3× as wide as long, sides parallel from apex to nearly base, then constricted and immediately abruptly dilated, forming thus a very basal acute angle; base sligthly bisinuose. Scutellum large, subtriangular. Elytra parallel-sided, 1.85× longer than wide and 3× as long as pronotum. Punctures of striae small and close, intervals flat, 3× as wide as striae. Femora edentate, tibiae straight. Second visible urosternite 1.5× wider than 1 and as long as 3+4, anal sternite flat. Paratypes: Length 3.75–5.0 mm. Females have elytra sligthly enlarged apicad of middle, and in some examples pronotal and elytral brown spots are faint and somex almost absent. Remarks: Immediately distinguished from all other species of Cyrtepistomus Marshall, 1913, by interocular space being wider than rostrum at the level of antennal insertion. Other species of the genus are distributed in India, Burma, China and Pakistan (Pajni, 1990). Etymology: The species takes its name from the sand-coloured scales densely clothing the integument. Pseudobarirrhinus Magnano nov. gen. Type species: Pseudobarirrhinus conicus Magnano nov. spec. Diagnosis: Mentum bisetose. Rostrum very elongate, lateral carinae on epifrons reaching eyes and converging towards apex. Head and rostrum not conically shaped together, epistoma 242 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara semicircular, scrobes not extending towards eyes. Description: Medium sized. Winged. Mentum bisetose. Integument dark brown. Epistoma semicircular, almost as wide as the anterior margin of rostrum and with long white setae on inner edge. Rostrum conical, hardly longer than wide, with a deep gular groove separating it from head below. Scrobes completely visible from above and not extending towards eyes. Epifrons with angulate sides converging almost to antennal insertion, then abruptly widening to form the upper margin of scrobes. Pterigia open forwards, sligthly widening outwards. Antennae inserted very near apex of rostrum. Scape straight and reaching up the anterior margin of prothorax. Head not forming a cone with rostrum since rostral sides are subparallel towards base. Eyes entirely visible from above. Prothorax transverse, ocular lobes obvious, base sligthly bisinuose, anterior margin straight. Scutellum round. Elytra much longer than wide, with parallel sides and prominent humeri. Striae thinly sulciform, with deep close punctures. Intervals convex and 3 times wider than striae. Visible urosternite 2 hardly wider thar 3+4. Tibiae straight, with a series of minute dark brown spines on inner egde. Protibiae longer than others. Corbels of hind tibiae open. Femora with minute tooth. Procoxae contiguous and located in the middle of prosternum. Mesosternal process narrow and rounded at anterior margin. Remarks: Among the tribe Cyphicerini Lacordaire, 1863, Pseudobarirrhinus approaches only to Amblyrhinus Schoenherr, 1826, occurring in West Africa, southwestern Palaearctic, and India, Baryconorhinus Voss, 1959, only known from Iran, and Barirrhinus Marshall, 1944, from India, with which it shares strongly conical rostrum, eyes entirely visible from above, head closely fitting into pronotum so that eyes almost contact lateral lobes. Amblyrhinus has bisetose mentum like Pseudobarirrhinus, but differs from the new genus by much shorter rostrum, and antenna inserted much more basad, far from its apex. Baryconorrhinus has quadrisetose mentum, much shorter rostrum, epifrons sulcate and with a shallow transverse sulcus in front of eyes, whereas Pseudobarirrhinus has bisetose mentum, much longer rostrum, carinae on epifrons starting from eyes. Members of Barirrhinus have bisetose mentum, both their rostrum and head are conically shaped together, lateral carinae of epifrons are straight and parallel from anterior margin of eyes to apex, epistoma is angulate, scrobes extend towards eyes, while in Pseudobarirrhinus head and rostrum are not conically shaped together, lateral carinae of epifrons converge towards apex, epistoma is semicircular, scrobes do not extend towards eyes. Etymology: The masculine name, meaning false Barirrhinus, calls attention to the close relationship of the new genus with Barirrhinus Marshall, 1944. Pseudobarirrhinus conicus Magnano nov. spec. Plate 45 Specimens examined: Holotype:  (aedeagus and abdomen glued to the same label bearing the specimen), “United Arab Emirates; Wadi Wurayah; 25°24'N 56°17'E – 12–14.iv.2005; T. Pape leg. – water trap”. Paratypes: 1, 1, same data as holotype. 1, Hatta, 8–26.iv.2006. 2, 2, W of Hatta, 4.iii.2008, HC on Ziziphus spina-christi, EC. 1, NARC, near Sweihan, 14.iii–2.iv.2005. Holotype: Length 5.0 mm. Densely clothed with greyish semicircular scales, except vertex, head, antennae and legs bearing oval nacreous scales. On pronotum and elytra grey scales are variegated with dark to light brown ones. On elytral declivity can be seen minute piliform slanting scales a little longer that those of vestiture. Under side densely clothed with nacreous scales. Sides of rostrum gently sloping, with a thin groove from anterior margin of eyes to the narrowest point of rostrum separating them from epifrons. First funicular segment 2.5 times longer than wide, clubbed, second 1.5 times longer than wide, sub-conical; 3–7 sub-conical, 1.2 times longer than wide, club fusiform, 3 times longer than wide, a little longer than segments 5–7 together. Head 1.7 times as wide as long. Eyes placed just below the level of Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 243 interocular space, flat, irregularly sub-oval. Interocular space flat, 1.4 times wider than epifrons at the level of antennal insertion. Prothorax 1.3 times wider than long, punctures completely hidden by scales. Elytra 1.7 times as long as wide. Striae half-concealed by the dense scaling of elytra. Visible urosternites with sparse minute punctures. First tarsal segment clubbed and 1.8 times longer than wide, second 1.3 times longer than wide; third deeply bilobe and as long as wide, onychium as long as tarsal segment 1, claws free. Paratypes: Length 5.0–6.5 mm. Very similar to the holotype, apart a slight colour pattern variation. Females are generally sligthly larger and their elytra are wider than those of males. Notes: The specimens collected by the second author in 2008 were all beaten off branches of Ziziphus spina-christi growing along a dry stream. Etymology: Named from the conical rostrum. Pseudoparascaphus Magnano nov. gen. Type species: Pseudoparascaphus maculatus Magnano nov. spec. Diagnosis: Epifrons flat and with angulate sides sligthly converging towards apex, pterygia barely dilated outwards elytra oval with projecting humeri. Description: Small. Two setae on mentum. Winged. Upper margin of eyes at the same level of interocular space, eyes oval and rather sharp below. Rostrum longer than wide, pterygia barely dilated outwards. Epistoma very short and with right angled margin. Epifrons flat, with angulate sides sligthly converging from base to midpoint, then gradually widened s towards apex of rostrum where they form the inner margin of scrobes, which are parallel–sided and reach the middle of rostrum. Antennae scaled, scape hardly exceeding anterior margin of prothorax, funicle just a little longer than scape. Fore margin of prothorax almost reaching eyes. Pronotum as long as wide, base truncate, ocular lobes strong. Scutellum projecting from the level of elytral base. Elytral sides straight and sligthly diverging up to apical third, then regularly rounded; humeri projecting. Femora with minute spine-like tooth. Corbels of hind tibiae open. Remarks: The new genus is close to Parascaphus, whose members live in India and Nepal (Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal, 1999; Magnano, pers. rec.). Pseudoparascaphus differs from Parascaphus by thinner rostrum, sides of epifrons sligthly narrowing towards apex, epifrons flat and clearly circumscribed, pterygia evidently much less dilated outwards, funiculus thinner and longer than scape, elytra perfectly oval, humeri more protruding. Etymology: The masculine name of the new genus emphasizes its affinity with Parascaphus Marshall, 1944. Pseudoparascaphus maculatus Magnano nov. spec. Plate 46 Specimens examined: Holotype:  (aedeagus and abdomen glued on the same label bearing the specimen), “United Arab Emirates; Al-Ajban; 24°36'N 55°01'E – 28.xii.2005–20.i.2006; A. van Harten Malaise &; light trap”. Paratypes: 2 ex., Fujairah, 5.vi–2.vii.2005. 1 ex., al-Ajban, 9.xi–7.xii.2005. 3 ex., Wadi Bih dam, 30.v–5.vi.2007. 1 ex., Sharjah Desert Park, 17–24.iii.2007; 1 ex., 12–21.v.2007. Holotype: Length (prothorax plus elytra) 3.0 mm, maximum elytral length 1.25 mm. Integument dark brown, antennae and legs paler. Frons clothed with small sparse nacreous scales. Epifrons and head with large nacreous scales transversely oval and narrowly embricate. Pronotum with narrow median longitudinal band of scales similar to those on head, but smaller and darker, on both sides of which is a stripe of scales identical to those on head, mingled with long recumbent spatulate ones. Furthermore, on side of these lateral stripes one can see another dark band lined by a stripe of nacreous scales the same as those on epifrons. Elytra with dense opaque nacreous scales, intervals with one median row of semierect gradually spatulate scales, as long as the width of an interval. At base of interstriae 1 244 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara and 2 and on humeri a patch of pale nacreous scales. Antennae with small sparse sligthly spatulate elongate scales 2.5 times longer than wide, intermingled with thin recumbent brown setae. Femora with nacreous narrowly separated scales of the same kind of those on rostrum. Scales on tibiae the same as the darker ones on pronotum, mixed with semi-erect scales. Visible urosternites with a thick layer of slanting nacreous scales, mingled with scattered ones similar to those on tibiae. Epistoma rectangular-shaped, carinate. The clearly limited frons reaches forwards to the level of antennal insertion, is folded downwards near apex, and is at a lower level than its lateral keeled edges. Epifrons with angulate sides sligthly converging up to middle, then gradually widening to apex, forming here the inner edge of scrobes. Pterygia moderately roundly dilated outwards, scrobes thin and reaching the middle of rostrum. Scape straight and gradually thickening towards apex, first funicular segment 1.5 times as long as wide, clubbed and hardly broader than others, second scarcely shorter than 1 and 1.5 times longer than wide, 3–7 cylindrical and as long as wide, club shortly fusiform, 2.5 times longer than wide and not much longer than the four preceding segments. Head twice as wide as long. Eyes oval, lower margin somewhat angulate, upper one at the same level of the interocular space and oblique, so that this latter is widest on head vertex. Pronotum as long as wide, sides regularly rounded, anterior margin straight and narrower than sligthly rounded base. Ocular lobes visible. Elytra with straight sides sligthly diverging up to apical third, then regularly rounded. Punctures on striae obvious, as distant from each other as their diameter. Interstriae hardly convex and 3 times as wide as striae. Visible urosternites with thin and dense punctures mingled with scattered larger ones. Femora with small spine-like tooth, tibiae straight. First tarsal segment a little more than twice as long as wide (condylus excepted), second 1.5 times as long as wide, third deeply bilobe and a little shorter than 2, onychium as long as 2+3, claws free. Paratypes: Length 3.0–4.5 mm. These specimens are rather constant in shape and colour, females are only a little larger than males. Etymology: The dark elytral patches suggested the name of the new species. Parakasakhstania Magnano nov. gen. Type species: Parakasakhstania densesquamosa Magnano nov. spec. Diagnosis: The new genus is set apart from other Mesostylini by the combination of projecting humeri and regularly bisinuate pronotal base. Description: Small. Integument dark brown. Entire body, claws excepted, densely clothed with irregularly polygonal brownish scales intermingled with nacreous scales which cover also scutellum. On legs and antennae there are also obvious more or less lifted piliform scales. On each elytral interval there is a median row of piliform or lanceolate or spatulate scales whose length ranges from one half to the entire width of an interval. The small triangular epistoma is glabrous and extends over the apical middle of rostrum. Frons limited by nacreous scales up to the level of antennal insertion. Mandibular process directed latero– anteriad with an angle of 45°, apex of the process bent forwards. Scrobes forming an angle of some 45° with rostral axis, foveiform, approached to apex and sligthly projecting anteriad of middle of rostrum. Epifrons grooved along middle and with a tubercle-like protuberance on each side formed by lifted scales. Scape curved on basal third and clubbed, funiculus just a little narrower than scape. Head 3 times wider than long, interocular distance a little less than twice as epifrons at the level of antennal insertion, and twice as long as the maximum eye width. Eyes oval, hardly projecting from head convexity. Pronotum subparallel-sided at basal half, then narrowing towards apex, on apical fourth subcylindrical and somewhat collarshaped, its base bisinuose, angularly rounded over scutellum, with basal angles formed by erect nacreous scales sligthly projecting outwards. Elytra parallel-sided for 2/3 of their length, Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 245 humeri protruding. Striae barely visible under the scale cover, intervals barely convex and 3– 4 times wider than striae. Scutellum large, semicircular. Femora edentate, hind ones broader than others. Protibiae straight and dilated outwards and inwards, mesotibiae straight, metatibiae gradually dilated from base to apex, all with spur on inner apical angle and with oblique comb of setae on external one. Claws free. Remarks: The new genus belongs in the tribe Mesostylini Reitter, 1913, comprising to date four genera: Mesostylus Faust, 1894, Parastylus Arnoldi, 1960, Amesostylus Arnoldi, 1960, and Kasakhstania Arnoldi, 1960, distributed in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and whose members are all psammophilous. The projecting humeri of the new genus liken it to Amesostylus and Kasakhstania, to which Parakasakhstania is more closely related. Etymology: The resemblance of the new genus to Kasakhstania Arnoldi, 1960, is stressed by its feminine name. The following key, modified from that by Arnoldi (1960), may help to separate the hitherto known genera of Mesostylini: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – Elytra oval, humeri weakly rounded. Head oval, rostrum conically and abruptly constricted towards apex ................................................................................................. 2 Elytra shortly oval, humeri clearly protruding. Head and rostrum not conically constricted towards apex ................................................................................................. 3 Mandibular process pointing outwards and sligthly forwards, and with inner margin only sligthly curved inwards. Protibiae much thickened, their lateral margin with cutting edge from basal third to apex, somex almost angularly widened. Length 5.0–8.0 mm .................................................................................................................Mesostylus Faust Mandibular process usually pointing forwards and sligthly outwards, and with inner margin more or less strongly curved inwards (except P. truchmenus (Faust, 1894) from Turkmenia). Protibiae weakly enlarged at basal third and without cutting edge. Length 3.0–4.8 mm............................................................................................Parastylus Arnoldi Base of pronotum and elytra straight.................................................Amesostylus Arnoldi Base of pronotum bisinuose ............................................................................................. 4 Pronotum bell-shaped, sides of base protruding outwards and also sligthly backwards in the form of conical tubercle. Base of pronotum almost straight in front of humeral elytral tubercles, then strongly curved. Length 3.5–3.8 mm.......................Kasakhstania Arnoldi Pronotum subparallel-sided on basal half, then narrowing towards apex and subcylindrical on apical fourth where it is somewhat collar-shaped. Base of pronotum regularly bisinuose. Length 4 mm ......................... Parakasakhstania Magnano nov. gen. Parakasakhstania densesquamosa Magnano nov. spec. Plates 47–48 Specimens examined: Holotype: , “United Arab Emirates; SW of Ras al-Khaimah, 25°43.72'N 55°55.48'E; 1.iii.2008 – E. Colonnelli”. Paratype: 1, Sharjah Desert Park, 21.i–17.ii.2008, PT. Holotype: Length 4.0 mm, maximum elytral length 1.75 mm. Rostrum hardly narrower at apex than at base and strongly transverse (length/width = 1/1.33). First funicular segment 1.5 as long as wide, subconical and with the basal half curved inwards, second conical, as long as wide at apex, 3–7 strongly transverse and strictly adpressed, seventh apparently joined to club, which is shortly oval, 1.5 times as long as wide, with its first segment hardly longer than segments 2+3, and as long as antennal segments 4–7. Elytra 1.34 times longer than wide and 2.54 times as long as pronotum. First tarsal segment 2.5 times longer than wide, conical and curved outwards on basal third, 2 conical and as long as one-half of first, third not wider and sligthly shorter than 2, deeply indented to accommodate onychium which is somewhat shorter 246 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara that the preceding 3 tarsomeres. Paratype: Length 4.0 mm. Similar to the holotype, but disc of elytra uniformly clothed by nacreous scales. Notes: The holotype was collected at dawn under the leaves of an unidentified species of Rumex (Polygonaceae) growing on a sand dune near the seashore. Etymology: The Latin name, meaning ‘with dense scales’ draws attention to one of the striking features of the new species. Parageotragus Magnano nov. gen. Type species: Parageotragus griseus Magnano nov. spec. Diagnosis: Similar to Geotragus, differing by metepisterna fused with metasternum and corbels of posterior tibiae open. Description: Medium sized. Wingless. Rostrum 1.5 times as long as wide, dorsally flattened. Epistoma small and acutely triangular, separated from frons by thin carina. Frons sloping forwards, hardly projected anteriad of the level of antennal insertion. Epifrons flat, with median sulcus from posterior margin of frons to the middle of interocular space. Scrobes barely visible from above on their anterior part, then gradually curved downward, and passing widely below eyes. Antennae subapical, scape reaching anterior margin of eye in repose; first two funicular segments elongate, others as long as wide. Eyes lateral, convex, scarcely oval and lying just below the level of the flat interocular space. Pronotum 1.3 times as long as wide, sides regularly rotundate, apex and base straight, apical margin only a little narrower than broader basal one. Sides of anterior margin of pronotum with a tuft of lifted curved setae inserted sligthly below the eyes. Elytra with rounded sides which widen up to posterior third, then narrowing to apex. Visible urosternite 2 sligthly longer than 3+4, suture between urosternites 1 and 2 somewhat angulate in the middle. Metepisterna completely fused with metasternum. Epipleura sligthly curved in front of metacoxae. Anterior legs longer than others. Inner margin of protibiae denticulate. Metatibial corbels open and sligthly ascending, claws connate at base. Remarks: The group of related genera of the Tanymecini Lacordaire, 1863, of the subtribe Piazomiina Reitter, 1913, all have metepisterna fused with metasternum only in its posterior half, whereas in Parageotragus meta and metepisternum merge completely. In addition, the new genus differs from the similar Geotragus Schoenherr, 1845, by longer rostrum and metatibial corbels open (sensu van Emden, 1944). Etymology: The masculine name of the new genus emphasizes its affinity and resemblance with Geotragus. Parageotragus griseus Magnano nov. spec. Plate 49 Specimens examined: Holotype:  (aedeagus with abdomen glued on the same label bearing the specimen), “United Arab Emirates; Ghalilah; 26°00'N 56°05'E – 8.iii.2005 – A. van Harten leg. – hand collecting”. Paratypes: 1 ex., same data as holotype; 4 ex., same locality but 8.iii.2008, HC under small pieces of wood, EC. 1 ex., al-Ajban, 28.xii.2005–29.i.2006. Holotype: Length (prothorax + elytra) 6.0 mm, maximum elytral width 3.7 mm. Integument piceous. Scale vestiture sand-coloured. Sculpture of integument with dense small areolate granules, on which are inserted polygonal scales approached but not touching each other. On elytral intervals also with short recumbent setae as long as scales and hardly visible: those setae are lifted only on elytral declivity where they are twice as long as scales. Scape straight and gradually clubbed, first funicular segment thick, clubbed and twice as long as wide, second thinner, 1.6 times longer than wide, subcylindrical, 3–6 times as long as wide, 7 subconical, barely longer than wide and apparently united to club which is long-oval, 2.3 times longer than wide and a little longer than 3 preceding funicular segments. Head 1.2 times Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 247 Plates 43–48. 43: Myllocerus strangulaticollis Magnano nov. spec., holotype; 44: Cyrtepistomus sabulosus Magnano nov. spec., paratype; 45: Pseudobarirrhinus conicus Magnano nov. gen., nov. spec., holotype; 46: Pseudoparascaphus maculatus Magnano nov. gen., nov. spec., paratype; 47: Parakasakhstania densesquamosa Magnano nov. gen., nov. spec., holotype, dorsal; 48: Parakasakhstania densesquamosa Magnano nov. gen., nov. spec., holotype, ventral. Not to scale. as long as wide, interocular interval flat, eyes lateral, convex and lying just below the level of interocular interspace. Elytral striae shallowly areolate, punctures deeper on disc and separated by a distance equal to the diameter of one of them. Intervals barely convex, 3 times wider than striae. Paratypes: Length 6.5–8.0 mm. Variability is very low, females have elytra a trifle more enlarged than that of males and are on the average larger. Etymology: The sandy-greyish colour of vestiture of scales is emphasized by the name of the new species, meaning grey in Latin. 248 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara Dereodus albofasciatus Magnano nov. spec. Plate 50 Specimens examined: Holotype: , “United Arab Emirates; Khor al-Khwair; 25°57'N 56°03'E – 16– 23.v.2007; A. van Harten leg. – light trap”. Paratypes: 6 ex., same data as holotype; 7 ex., Khor alKhwair, 7–14.iv.2007. Diagnosis: A Dereodus with rostrum tapering from base to apex, elytral base feebly keeled, lateral band of light nacreous scals extending from sides of rostrum to elytral apex, and interstriae 1–8 with scales inserted on areolate punctures. Holotype: Length 7.5 mm, maximum elytral width 3.5 mm. Piceous. Head and rostrum above with round nacreous, and on lateral and inferior sides also with piliform scales. Dense scales on epifrons extending to sides of median sulcus, a round patch on head, between eyes and in apical part is clothed by rotundate scales darker than others and mingled with piliform scales. Pronotum with scattered large areolate punctures, and with small dots on which are scales of the same kind of the described dark ones, plus on sides with a band of dense scales similar to those of underside of head and rostrum, whereas underside of prothorax shows ocreous scales. The lateral band of head and prothorax extends to intervals 9–11 of elytra. Under side with very dense layer of scales. Rostrum trapeziform, 1.3 times as long as wide. Incision of epistoma rectangular and reaching the middle of distance between rostral apex and antennal insertion. Scrobes gradually curved downward and extending up the basal third of rostrum. Epifrons with angulate sides, and with deep longitudinal groove from antennal insertion to fore margin of prothorax, edged by shallow sulcus extended posteriad to the middle of internal margin of eyes. Scape straight, clubbed and reaching up the anterior margin of eyes, funiculus gradually widening towards club, first segment broader than 2 and 1.3 times as long as wide, second as long as wide, 3–7 gradually wider than long, club 2.3 times longer than wide, as long as the 5 preceding segments, its second segment longer than wide. Head 1.5 times as wide as long, interocular space 2 times wider than the maximum diameter of an eye, and 1.2 times as wide as epifrons between antennae. Eyes oval, lateral. Pronotum sligthly trapezifrom, hardly longer than wide, widest at sligthly bisinuous base, sides barely rounded, disc with a transverse impression on basal third. Elytra 1.4 times longer than wide, 4 times longer than pronotum, hardly widening towards apex, base sligthly indented and weakly carinate. Punctures on striae deep, with a small scale inserted on each of them. Interstriae twice as wide as striae, sligthly convex and with fine punctures each bearing a scale of the same kind of those on pronotum. Fore legs longer than others. Femora clubbed, protibiae sligthly curved inwards towards apex, corbels of hind tibiae open, scaled, ascending, and with fringe of setae. First tarsomere 1.2 times as long as wide (condylus excepted), second triangular and as long as wide at apex, third deeply bilobe and as long as wide, onychium long as tarsomeres 1+2, claws connate at base. Paratypes: These specimens are very similar to the holotype. Remarks: According to the original description, the new species appears related to Dereodus sparsus Boheman, 1840, from western Bengal. Following the key by Marshall (1916), D. albofasciatus differs from D. sparsus by pronotal impression simply transversal and not cross-like, and in addition D. sparsus does not show any lateral stripe from rostrum to elytral sides. However, the inclusion of this new species in Dereodus Schoenherr, 1826, members of which are distributed from Kashmir across India, Ethiopia, central and southern Africa, is intended as provisional since definitions of this genus by Lacordaire (1863), Marshall (1916), and van Emden (1944) are quite different. Etymology: Species named from the lateral whitish stripe extending from rostrum to apex. Coelositona vanharteni Magnano nov. spec. Plate 51 Specimens examined: Holotype: , “United Arab Emirates; Sharjah Desert Park; 24°36'N 55°01'E; Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 249 29.iii–6.iv.2005; A. van Harten – light trap”. Paratypes: 7 ex., same data as holotype. 1 ex., al-Ajban, 9–16.iv.2006. 1 ex., Fujairah, 24.xi.2005–2.i.2006. 1 ex., 7 km S of al-Jazirat al-Hamra, 7.iv.2005, HC. 1 ex., Sharjah Desert Park, 17–24.iii.2007. Diagnosis: A Coelositona close to C. ocellatus, from which differs by its parallel-sided rostrum, shorter interocular distance, less convex eyes, pronotum transverse and with more rounded sides. Holotype: Length 7.8 mm, maximum elytral width 1.7 mm. Black. Frons with metallic green oval scales on punctures. Epifrons and head with dense and thin ash-grey setae mingled with oval light yellow scales condensed in the middle of basal part of rostrum and around the fovea between eyes. On sides of head a patch of oval white scales, and above eyes some long sparse setae. Under side of rostrum and prothorax with ash-grey scales and nacreous lifted setae. Pronotum with ash-grey setae and with a narrow longitudinal median band of light yellow scales, a small patch of white ones on each side near the apex, plus two similar marks near the middle on each side. Elytra with ash-grey setae and light yellow scales irregularly clustered on interstriae 3 and 5, white scales are on scutellum and immediately behind, and form a patch at base of interstria 5. Intervals with a row of irregular curved lifted setae. Visible urosternites completely clothed by recumbent elongate ash-grey scales mingled with sligthly slanted slim nacreous ones. Legs with a subtle ground pubescence intermingled with ash–grey scales. Parallel-sided rostrum as long as wide. Frons heart-shaped, areolate and shining, reaching up the level of antennal insertion. Epifrons barely concave, with lateral edges smooth, and with thin median sulcus. Scape reaching the middle of eyes, first funicular segment 3 times as long as wide, hardly longer and broader than 2, second 3 times as as long as wide and barely clubbed; 3–6 hardly longer than wide, 7 sligthly transverse, subconical, club elongate-oval, 2.5 times as long as wide and a little longer than the preceding 3 segments. Head, eyes included, 1.8 times wider than long, interocular space flat and with elongate fovea in the middle. Eyes oval, convex, their maximum width is hardly shorter than interocular distance between anterior margins of eyes. Pronotum as long as wide, constricted near apex, sides convex so that its maximum width is in the middle. Elytra 1.55 times as long as wide, sligthly widening up to apical third, then regularly rounded. Punctures on striae round and separated by a distance equal to their width. Interstriae flat, finely punctured and 3 times as wide as striae. Visible urosternites minutely and densely granulate, granules flat. Anterior legs longer than others, femora clubbed, tibiae straight. Paratypes: Length 5.0–7.3 mm. Females are usually larger than males, and variation is very low in the studied examples. Remarks: To Coelositona Gonzáles, 1971, was recently given generic rank by Velázquez de Castro et al. (2007). The new species belongs in the C. limosus group – ‘Oculati’ of Reitter (1903) – comprising C. limosus (Rossi, 1792), C. ocellatus (Küster, 1859), and C. latipennis (Gyllenhal, 1834). Coelositona vanharteni differs from C. limosus by parallel-sided rostrum, anterior legs clearly larger, wider interocular distance, narrower and less convex elytra. The new species is separate from C. ocellatus by parallel-sided rostrum, narrower interocular distance, less convex eyes, prothorax more transversal and with more strongly rounded sides. Coelositona vanharteni cannot be confused with C. latipennis by the much narrower elytra. In addition, the particular pattern of intervals 3 and 5 easily distinguishes the new species. Etymology: Named after its collector, Antonius van Harten. Subfamily Lixinae Schoenherr, 1823 Ammocleonus ashabadensis (Faust, 1884) Length: 13.5–14.0 mm Plate 52 250 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara Literature records in UAE: Walker & Pittaway, 1987; Gillet & Howarth, 2004 (Jebel Hafit), van Harten, 2005. Notes: It is somewhat doubtful whether the records of this species from the UAE actually refer to Ammocleonus ashabadensis or to the close A. hieroglyphicus. Distribution: Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan (Voss, 1958), Turkmenia, Pakistan (Voss, 1959). Ammocleonus hieroglyphicus (Olivier, 1807) Plate 53 Specimens examined: Ajman, 10 ex., 1.iii.2008, HC under Cornulaca monacantha, EC & KM. N of Ajman, 1 ex., 16–21.iv.2008, WT. SSW of ad-Dhaid, 3 ex., 22.ii.2007, HC. 7 km S of al-Jazirat alHamra, 2 ex., 4.i.2005, HC; 1 ex., 8.iii.2008, HC, EC. Al-Jazirat al-Hamra, crossroad to airport on road E11, 25°66.709'N 55°76.770'E, 2 ex., 11.iii.2005, HC, MB & FT (MRT). Near al-Mataf, 25°50.000'N 56°00.892'E, 2 ex., HC, KB. S of Ras al-Khaimah, 35 ex., 29.iii.2008, HC. Length: 13.5–14.0 mm Notes: Apparently associated with Chenopodiaceae (Hoffmann, 1962b); found under prostrate branches of Cornulaca monacantha in the UAE. Distribution: North Africa, Middle East, Ethiopia (Hoffmann, 1962b). New to the UAE. Asproparthenis spec. Literature record in UAE: Gillett & Howart, 2004, sub Bothynoderes spec. (Jebel Hafit); van Harten, 2005, sub Bothynodores [sic!] spec. Notes: Although the species is unnamed, this is the first record of the genus in the Emirates. Cosmogaster cordofanus (Fåhraeus, 1842) Plate 54 Specimens examined: S of Ras al-Khaimah, 1 ex., 26.iii.2008, HC, KM. Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 15– 22.iv.2007; 1 ex., 5–12.v.2007. Wadi Maidaq, 2 ex., 26.x–9.xi.2006, WT. Length: 9.0–10.0 mm. Distribution. Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Niger, Senegal (Faust, 1904; Hustache, 1925; Csiki. 1934; Marshall, 1950), whereas records from Madagascar and Tibet are almost surely due to confusion with other species (Marshall, 1950). New to the UAE. Rhabdorrhynchus emir Meregalli, 2008 Plate 55 Literature record in UAE: Meregalli, 2008 (1 ex., near Jebel Ali, sand dunes, 15.iii.1990, leg. H.J. Bremer & 1 ex., Dubai Emirate, 24°56'N 55°40'E, 16.iv.1993, leg. B.J. Tigar), Length: 5.7–7.6 mm. Distribution: Only known from the UAE. Broconius biskrensis (Capiomont, 1874) Plate 56 Specimens examined: Al-Ain al-Fayda, 1 ex., 8.iv.2005, HC. Al-Khawaneej, Dubai, 1 ex., 29.ii.2008, HC on Suaeda aegyptiaca, EC. 7 km S of al-Jazirat al-Hamra, 1 ex., 1.xii.2004, HC. Length: 8–10 mm. Notes: Species associated with Chenopodiaceae of the genus Salsola in North Africa (Pelletier & Colonnelli, pers. rec.) and found on Suaeda in the Emirates, so that it is very likely that larvae can develop on other members of the same plant family. Distribution: Thus far only known from Algeria (Petri, 1904), Tunisia (Normand, 1937), Egypt (Alfieri, 1976). New to the UAE. Hypolixus nubilosus (Boheman, 1836) Plate 57 Specimens examined: SSW of ad-Dhaid, 2 ex., 24–30.v.2006. Fujairah, 1 ex., 28.ii–1.iv.2006; 6 ex., 20– 27.v.2006; 1 ex., 4.vii–12.viii.2006, MT. Hatta, 1 ex., 24–30.v.2006. 7 km S of al-Jazirat al-Hamra, 6 ex., 9.x.2004, HC. Sharjah-Khor Kalba, near tunnel, 1 ex., 24–30.v.2006; 1 ex., 31.v–7.vi.2006; 1 ex., Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 251 Plates 49–54. 49: Parageotragus griseus Magnano nov. gen., nov. spec., holotype; 50: Dereodus albofasciatus Magnano nov. spec., holotype; 51: Coelositona vanharteni Magnano nov. spec., holotype; 52: Ammocleonus ashabadensis (Faust), from Iran; 53: Ammocleonus hieroglyphicus (Olivier); 54: Cosmogaster cordofanus (Fåhraeus). Not to scale. 7–14.vi.2006; 1 ex. 4.iii.2008, HC on Ziziphus spina-christi, EC. Wadi Bih dam, 1 ex., 15–22.iii.2007. Wadi Maidaq, 1 ex., 7–14.iii.2006, WT; 10 ex., 27.iv–4.v.2006; 1 ex., 1–8.vii.2006. Wadi Safad, 3 ex., 1–8.vii.2006. 252 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara Length: 7.0–13.0 mm. Distribution: Cyprus, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Sudan, Ethiopia, Chad, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Congo (Csiki, 1934; Hoffmann, 1954, 1962b; Marshall, 1950). New to the UAE. Lixus (Prionolixus) albovittatus (Pic, 1920) Plate 58 Specimens examined: Al-Ajban, 1 ex., 25.ii–27.iii.2006; 15 ex., 6–22.v.2006. SSW of ad-Dhaid, 3 ex., 23.iv.2005; 2 ex., 25.iii.2006, HC. Near Mahafiz, 1 ex., 6.xi.2007, CG. Sharjah, 1 ex., 29.iii–6.iv.2005. Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 3.iii.2008, HC on Haloxylon salicornicum, EC, Length: 6.5–7.1 mm. Notes: We attribute with some confidence these examples to this species rather unaccurately described by Pic (1920) from Egypt as subspecies of Lixus beauprei (Pic, 1905) from Algeria; only the study of the type would make us sure of the identity of the specimens from the UAE. Distribution: Egypt (Alfieri, 1976). New to the UAE. Lixus (Prionolixus) soricinus (Marseul, 1868) Plate 59 Specimens examined: Mushrif Park, Dubai, 1 ex., 25.ii.2006, HC. Length: 5.5 mm. Notes: This single specimen agrees well with the description by Marseul (1868). Distribution: Algeria (Csiki, 1934). New to the UAE. Lixus (Compsolixus) talamellii Colonnelli nov. spec. Plates 60–61 Specimens examined: Holotype: , “United Arab Emirates; Wadi Maidaq – m 250; 25°.18'N 56°07'E; 29.ii.2008 – E. Colonnelli”, “Ochradenus sp. [green]”. Paratypes: 1, Wadi Maidaq, 14–25.i.2006, WT; 1, 29.ii.2008, HC on Physorrhynchus chamaerapistrum, EC. 2, 7 km S of al-Jazirat al-Hamra, 4–15.ii.2006, WT. Diagnosis: A Lixus (Compsolixus) close to L. repletus, and differing by plumper shape, thicker rostrum, disc of pronotum much more roughly punctured and with more or less evident median keel. Holotype: Length 9.7 mm. Integument piceous, funicle and tarsal segments 3 and 4 brown, scape, claws and tibial mucros dark ferrous-red. Dorsal vestiture of rather sparse recumbent thin small grey seta-like scales; very dense thicker recumbent white scales form an uninterrupted stripe on sides of pronotum and on intervals 8–10 of elytra; some white longer rather sparse scales are on sides of rostrum, on area above margin of eyes, on vertex and form a very faint light longitudinal stripe on each side of pronotal keel. A caducous rusty pruinosity covers the vestiture. Under side with the same dense simple white scales of the pronotal and elytral lateral bands, with almost invisible very small dark spots on first two urosternites. Legs with dense recumbent simple white-greyish hairs including some illdefined darker marks. Rostrum 0.6 times as long as pronotum, cylindrical, very sligthly curved, thicker than profemora, dorsum faintly convex and coarsely punctured like the head. Frons sligthly impressed and with small fovea. Eyes sligthly convex. Antennal scape almost straight and regularly widening towards apex, funiculus about as long as scape, club fusiform elongate and as long as the five preceding segments. Pronotum as long as wide, sides feebly curved, anterior margin sligthly narrower than weakly bisinuate base, disc rather coarsely and irregularly punctured and with a longitudinal keel from apex to basal fourth basad of which is a shallow impression in front of scutellum. Elytra moderately convex, 2.62 times as long as wide, base faintly wider than that of pronotum, sides straight up to apical fourth, then sligthly curved and narrowing towards acuminate apex, disc flattened at basal fourth. Striae formed by close rectangular shallow punctures. Intervals not wider than striae, flat and finely punctured. Legs robust. First two visible urosternites longitudinally flattened together. Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 253 Plates 55–57. 55: Rhabdorrhynchus emir Meregalli, holotype from Meregalli (2008); 56: Broconius biscrensis (Capiomont); 57: Hypolixus nubilosus (Boheman). Not to scale. Paratypes: Length 9.7–10.7 mm. Very similar to the holotype, just differing by the usual sexual characters of convex abdomen, sligthly longer (about 0.72 times pronotum), and a little more curved rostrum. The longitudinal keel of pronotum can be a little weaker than that of the holotype. Remarks: The subgenus Compsolixus Reitter, 1916, is comprised of some groups, only three of which have pronotum and elytra with only one white lateral stripe: The Lixus juncii group, characterized by frons with deep fovea and abdomen with simple white hairs and obvious glabrous spots; the L. ascanii group distinguished by similar spotted abdominal clothing and shallow frontal fovea; the L. linnei group with shallow or even wanting frontal fovea and two first abdominal segments clothed by dense bifid hairlike scales (Dieckmann, 1980). To these groups can be added the L. repletus group, set apart by shallow frontal pit and abdominal vestiture of recumbent white hairlike scales so dense as to make small dots almost invisible. So far the repletus group comprised only Lixus repletus Smreczyński, 1968, described from “Aegyptus” (Smreczyński, 1968), and collected by the second author in the Sinai peninsula (Wadi Sudr, 29°48'N 33°03'E, 10.iii.1999) on the desert crucifer Zilla spinosa. The new species is close to L. repletus which is however much thinner and has pronotum rather finely punctured and without median keel-like line (Plates. 61 and 62). Notes: The holotype was collected beating stems of an unidentified species of Ochradenus (Resedaceae), while one paratype was tapped from stems of the cruciferan Physorrhynchus chamaerapistrum. Although the latter plant was common and intensively searched both in Wadi Maidaq as well as in other localities by the second author in 2008, no additional specimens could be found. However, considering the known biology of members of the 254 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara subgenus Compsolixus (Ter-Minassian, 1967; Dieckmann, 1980), very probably Lixus talamellii can breed on both of the above mentioned plants. Etymology: The species is named after our friend Fabio Talamelli, whose papers are significantly increasing our knowledge of the Cleoninae of the difficult tribe Lixini Schoenherr, 1823. Lixus spec. Literature records in UAE: Tigar & Osborne, 1999; van Harten, 2005. Notes: Perhaps one of the other species dealt with in this chapter. Microlarinus lypriformis (Wollaston, 1861) Plate 63 Specimens examined: Sharjah Desert Park, 9 ex., 3.iii.2008, HC under prostrate stems of Tribulus terrestris, EC & KM. Length: 3.0–3.5 mm. Notes: Taxonomy of Palaearctic Microlarinus Hochhuth, 1847, is in a rather chaotic status. Seven names have been proposed in a span of some 80 years for members of this genus from the Palaearctic: M. rhinocylloides Hochhuth, 1847, M. lareynii (Jacquelin du Val, 1852), M. lypriformis (Wollaston, 1861), M. humeralis Tournier, 1873, M. diecki Faust, 1890, M. peloritanus Vitale, 1903, and M. eliasenae Marshall, 1928. At the beginning of the 1960’s two of the above species became of economic interest for the biological control of the weedy Tribulus terrestris in America: Microlarinus lareynii (puncturevine seed weevil) and M. lypriformis (puncturevine stem weevil). The latter was described from Cape Verde, and its identity with the Mediterranean M. peloritanus was implied from the native distribution given by Andres & Angelet (1963) when proposing its introduction into the USA. Already Petri (1907) had cast doubt also on the specific rank of M. humeralis, and Zumpt (1938) informally proposed the correct synonymy between M. humeralis, M. diecki and M. peloritanus: for instance specimens from Egypt differ in no respect from either Italian or UAE specimens. As for M. rhinocylloides, the single character apparently separating this Caucasian and Central Asian species from the extremely close M. lypriformis is the blackish colour of the integument (Petri, 1907; Ter-Minassian, 1967) versus the brownish or reddish one of the latter. It is however probable that also M. lypriformis cannot be reliably separated from M. rhinocylloides, although we have no specimens of the latter at hand to ground this possible additional synonymy. Note that the specimen from Cyprus figured by Alziar (2008) is surely a M. lypriformis, so that also the indications from Greece by Petri (1907) and Csiki (1934) almost certainly refer to this species. Microlarinus lypriformis is associated with Zygophyllaceae, mainly Tribulus terrestis and closely related plant species. Distribution: Spain, France, Italy, Greece (Petri, 1907, partly sub M. rhinocylloides), Cyprus (Alziar, 2008, sub M. rhinocylloides), Iraq (Zumpt, 1938, sub M. humeralis), Egypt (Alfieri, 1976, sub M. humeralis). Imported in the USA, Mexico, Hawaii and Caribbean islands as biocontrol agent (Goeden, 1978). New to the UAE. Microlarinus irregularis Colonnelli nov. spec. Plate 64 Specimens examined: Holotype: , “United Arab Emirates; Sharjah Desert Park; 25°16.95'N 55°41.48'E; 3.iii.2008 – E. Colonnelli”, “Tribulus pentandrus Forssk. [green]”. Paratypes: 7, 7, same data as holotype; 1, 14.x.2004, HC; 1, 1, 22.xi.2004, HC. 1, Wadi Maidaq, 24.ix–22.x.2006, WT. Diagnosis: A Microlarinus differing from all other species by the quite irregular rows of erect setae on elytral intervals and the dense greyish recumbent vestiture lacking markings. Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 255 Plates 58–63: 58: Lixus albovittatus (Pic); 59: Lixus soricinus (Marseul); 60: Lixus talamellii Colonnelli nov. spec., holotype, ventral; 61: Lixus talamellii Colonnelli nov. spec., holotype, dorsal; 62: Lixus repletus Smreczyński, from Egypt. 63: Microlarinus lypriformis (Wollaston). Not to scale. Holotype: Length 4.0 mm. Integument piceous-brown, anterior margin of pronotum, antennae and legs ferrous-red. Dorsal vestiture of rather dense recumbent grey-yellowish and much longer erect seta-like scales which are irregularly uniseriate on elytral intervals and of different length so that the insect looks rather uniformly hirsute. A caducous yellow pruinosity partly covers the vestiture. Under side with moderately dense recumbent simple greyish hairs. Rostrum 0.42 times as long as pronotum, sligthly shorter than head, dorsum flat, coarsely and longitudinally rugosely punctured like the head. Frons flat. Eyes sligthly convex. Antennal scape sligthly curved at base and quite abruptly clubbed at apex, funiculus sligthly longer than scape, fusiform club as long as the four preceding segments. Pronotum 256 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara 0.90 times as long as wide, sides feebly curved, anterior margin smooth and sligthly narrower than weakly bisinuate base, disc very coarsely and irregularly punctured and with a transverse impression at apical third. Elytra convex, 1.67 times as long as wide, base clearly wider than that of pronotum, sides straight and sligthly widening to apical third, then curved and narrowing towards apex. Striae punctured, shallow. Intervals wider than striae, flat and sligthly rugose. Legs rather robust. First two visible urosternites flattened together. Paratypes: Length 3.9–4.5 mm. Very similar to the holotype. Females have first two urosternites weakly convex instead of flat. Remarks: This species is quite easily distinguishable from all other Microlarinus by the dense seriate vestiture of erect setae on all elytral intervals which gives it a woolly appearance. All other Palaearctic and Afrotropical species have more or less lifted and regularly uniseriate row of setae on intervals. Microlarinus irregularis belongs in the group of the species whose elytra are at base clearly wider than the base of prothorax, being somewhat similar, apart for the vestiture above described, to M. masaicus Voss, 1965, from Tanzania, with which it shares rostrum and body shape, but last antennal segments, femora and tibiae of the African species are piceous, lateral band on its pronotum is formed by bifid hairs, and its elytra are marbled with patches of grey setae and less densely clothed (Voss, 1965). Notes: Fourteen of the types were collected under the prostrate branches of Tribulus pentandrus (Zygophyllaceae). However, the identification of the plant poses some doubts, since taxonomy of members of Tribulus of the Emirates is still quite obscure (Jongbloed, 2003). Etymology: The name refers to the unique feature separating this species from all the members of the genus, the irregularly seriate elytral setae. Microlarinus minimus Colonnelli nov. spec. Plate 65 Specimens examined: Holotype: : “United Arab Emirates; 7 Km S al-Jazirat al-Hamra; 25°40'N 55°45'E – hand collected; 9.x.2004, A. van Harten leg.”. Paratypes: 4 ex., same data as holotype. Diagnosis: A Microlarinus differing from all other species by narrow body shape and very small size. Holotype: Length 2.7 mm. Integument ferrous-red. Dorsal vestiture of rather sparse recumbent white-yellowish seta-like scales, which are sligthly slanted on head, and condensed to form ill-defined light spots on dorsal margin of eyes, a band on each side of pronotum, a lateral irregular stripe on sides and humeri of elytra, plus a spot at base of interval 3 and another at apical third of interval 6. In addition, elytral interstriae have a not so regular row of semierect rather short and not very obvious thin golden setae. Traces of the caducous yellow pruinosity which covers the fresh specimen. Under side with sparse recumbent simple greyish hairs. Rostrum 0.43 times as long as pronotum, straight and relatively thin, sligthly shorter than head, dorsum quite flat and with a faint trace of median keel, quite coarsely and longitudinally rugosely punctured up to apical third, then smooth and almost bare. Head with longitudinally rugose punctures. Frons sligthly transversely impressed. Eyes very little convex. Antennal scape sligthly curved at base and quite abruptly clubbed at apex, funiculus almost twice as long as scape, club fusiform-oval and sligthly longer than the four preceding segments. Pronotum 1.09 times longer than wide, sides very feebly curved, anterior margin almost as wide as weakly bisinuate base, disc coarsely and irregularly punctured and with a transverse impression at apical fifth. Elytra quite convex, 1.66 times longer than wide, base hardly wider than that of pronotum, sides straight and sligthly widening to apical third, then curved and narrowing towards apex. Striae moderately deep and with large rectangular punctures. Intervals not wider than striae, faintly convex and Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 257 Plates 64–66. 64: Microlarinus irregularis Colonnelli nov. spec., holotype; 65: Microlarinus minimus Colonnelli nov. spec., holotype: 66: Ocladius eremorum Meregalli & Colonnelli. Not to scale. imperceptibly transversely wrinkled. Legs rather robust. First two visible urosternites longitudinally impressed together in the middle. Paratypes: Length 2.2–2.5 mm. Almost identical to the holotype, females lack sternal impressions. Remarks: The size of all other Microlarinus is much greater (3.0–5.0 mm) than that of the new species and this immediately distinguishes it from them. Body shape of M. minimus is much like that of the sympatric M. lypriformis, but in the new species pronotum and rostrum are clearly more elongate, and setae on elytral intervals are rather confusedly disposed and slanted, not erect and arranged in a regular row. Notes: Surely associated with Tribulus, like all other species of the genus. Etymology: The name emphasizes that this is the smallest species of the genus thus far known. Subfamily Ocladiinae Lacordaire, 1866 Ocladius eremorum Meregalli & Colonnelli, 2006 Plate 66 Specimens examined: Sharjah Desert Park, 1 ex., 21.xii.2006–23.i.2007; 4 ex., 21.i.–17.ii.2008; 1 ex., 3.ii.2008, HC on Farsetia linearis, EC. Length: 5.5–6.0 mm. Literature record in UAE: K line 1 Z 40, 3-31-511E 26-41-169N, 1 ex., 20.x.1993, pitfall trap, OLW, AMG, BJT (Meregalli & Colonnelli, 2006). Almost surely the record for Abu Dhabi of Ocladius spec. by Tigar & Osborne (1999) and van Harten (2005) refers to this species. Distribution: Saudi Arabia, Oman, Yemen, UAE (Meregalli & Colonnelli, 2006). Subfamily Phytonominae Gistel, 1848 Coniatus (Bagoides) kuntzei Voss, 1943 Plate 67 Specimens examined: Jebel Ali, 2 ex., 7.iii.2008, HC on Tamarix aucheriana, EC. Sharjah Desert Park, 258 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara 3 ex., 14.x.2004, HC. Um al-Quwain, 4 ex., 1.iii.2008, HC on T. aucheriana, EC; 50 ex., 8.iii.2008, HC on T. aucheriana, AvH & EC. Length: 2.5–3.0 mm. Notes: Only the type specimens from Egypt, also collected on Tamarix, were thus far known (Voss, 1943). The species is not recorded in the catalogue of Egyptian Coleoptera by Alfieri (1976). Distribution. Egypt (Voss, 1943), Israel (Colonnelli, pers. rec.). New to the UAE. Brachypera (Antidonus) isabellinus (Boheman, 1834) Plate 68 Specimens examined: Mushrif Park, Dubai, 1 ex., 6.iii.2005, HC. Um al-Quwain, 1 dead ex., 8.iii.2008, HC, EC. Length: 6.6 mm. Notes: A species rather common in desertic or xeric habitats. Distribution: Sicily, Greece, North Africa, Turkey, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Arabia, Egypt, Canary Islands, Madeira (Petri, 1901; Zumpt, 1938; Hoffmann, 1962b; Borumand, 1998; Colonnelli, 2003). New to the UAE. Hypera (Hypera) postica (Gyllenhal, 1813) Plate 69 Specimens examined: Hatta, 8 ex., 19–28.iii.2006; 14 ex., 4–11.iv.2006; 10 ex., 8–26.iv.2006. Length: 5.6–6.0 mm. Notes: A dangerous pest of several cultivated Fabaceae, known as “alfalfa weevil”. Distribution: Europe, Macaronesia, North Africa, North and Central Asia, North America, New Zealand (Osella, Marotta, Di Marco & Zuppa, 2005). New to the UAE. Family Dryophthoridae Subfamily Rhynchophorinae Schoenherr, 1833 Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier, 1790) Plate 70 Specimens examined: Bithnah, 1 ex., 3–11.vi.2006. Length: 19–42 mm. Notes: This is the red palm weevil, severely damaging cultivations of oil and dates palms across tropical regions (Wattanapongsiri, 1966). At the present this species is actively spreading also in northern Mediterranean, feeding on ornamental palms in the gardens (Vicidomini & Pignataro, 2007). Literature records in UAE: Gassouma, 1991; Murphy & Briscoe, 1999; van Harten, 2005. Distribution: SE Asia, China, Japan, Arabian Peninsula, S Europe, N Africa, Canaries, Middle East, Australia, S. Pacific (Malumphy & Moran, 2007; Wattanapongsiri, 1966). Sitophilus granarius (Linnaeus, 1758) Literature record in UAE: Walker & Pittaway, 1987. Length: 2.2–4.9 mm. Distribution: Cosmopolitan (Steffan 1963). Notes: One of the worst pests of stored grains (Steffan, 1963). CONCLUSIONS Plate 71 Order Coleoptera, superfamily Curculionoidea 259 Plates 67–71. 67: Coniatus kuntzei Voss; 68: Brachypera (Antidonus) isabellinus (Boheman); 69: Hypera postica (Gyllenhal); 70: Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), from Italy. 71: Sitophilus granarius (Linnaeus), from Italy. Not to scale. The total number of species of the Curculionoidea families here considered is 71, five of them identified only at generic level. Previously only 11 species were recorded from the Emirates, all but 6 recollected during the present survey. Four genera (Parageotragus Magnano, Parakasakhstania Magnano, Pseudobarirrhinus Magnano, Pseudoparascaphus Magnano), and 18 species of Curculionidae are described as new in this paper, namely (alphabetically): Amblyrhinus cylindricollis Magnano, Coelositona vanharteni Magnano, Cyrtepistomus sabulosus Magnano, Dereodus albofasciatus Magnano, Hypurus vanharteni Colonnelli, Lixus talamellii Colonnelli, Microlarinus irregularis Colonnelli, Microlarinus minimus Colonnelli, Myllocerus ochraceus Magnano, Myllocerus strangulaticollis Magnano, Oxyonyx khalidi Colonnelli, Parageotragus griseus Magnano, Parakasakhstania densesquamosa Magnano, Pseudobarirrhinus conicus Magnano, Pseudoparascaphus maculatus Magnano, Rhamphus 260 L. Magnano, E. Colonelli & R. Caldara micros Colonnelli, Rhinusa scrophulariae Caldara, Sharpia sabulicola Colonnelli, all but one thus far endemic to the UAE. Hoplopodapion (Aphoplopodapion) Ehret, 1997, is newly synonymized with Hoplopodapion F. Solari, 1933 in Apionidae. In Curculionidae Aegyptobaris Pic, 1899, is newly raised to generic level from subgenus of Baris Germar, 1817. Rhamphonyx Voss, 1964, Rhamphus (Nanorhamphus) Korotyaev, 1984 and Rhamphus (Trichorhampus) Korotyaev, 1984 are newly considered synonyms of Rhamphus [Clairville], 1798 in Curculionidae. The faunal composition, based on the 66 taxa for which is reported in the above text the known distribution and considering that the range of some of them comprises more than one zoogeographic region, is as follows: 2 cosmopolitan (2,8%), 38 Palaearctic (52,8%), 9 Afrotropical (12,5%), 2 Oriental (2,8%), 2 Arabian (2,8%), 18 endemic (25,0%). If we combine the last two, the percentage of the Arabian weevils is 22.8% approaching thus one fourth of the total. 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