Pachybrachis insidiosus Fall, 1915

3. Pachybrachis insidiosus Fall, 1915

( Fig. 5b View Fig , Map 1 View Map 1 )

Pachybrachys insidiosus Fall 1915: 340 .

Pachybrachis insidiosus: Riley et al. 2003: 158 (catalog).

Type. Fall’ s (1915) designated P. insidiosus holotype is a female, labeled “ ♀ [printed, white paper] // Tempe / Ari. / 3/28/82 [hand-inked, white paper] // on date / palm / Ckll. [hand-inked, white paper] // TYPE [printed] / insidiosus [hand-inked, white paper] // H.C. FALL / COLLECTION [printed, white paper] // M.C.Z. / Type [printed] / 24944 [hand-inked, red paper]”. This specimen was examined and photographed ( Fig. 5b View Fig ).

Redescription. Male. Fall (1915) reported that “A male from ‘Ari’ is quite surely identical”; however, this male was not found. Therefore, the following redescription is based entirely upon Fall’ s description of a male that he was not sure was P. insidiosus: Pale grayish yellow, thickly and entirely confusedly brown-punctate, feebly and obscurely maculate with brown.

Female. L = 2.27 mm ( n = 1); W = 1.46 mm ( n = 1); L/W = 1.56 mm ( n = 1); HW = 0.85 mm ( n = 1); IOD = 0.39 mm ( n = 1); IOD/HW = 0.46 ( n = 1).

Remarks. Pachybrachis americanus keys out in Fall’ s Group C as P. insidiosus . While sharing most characteristics, P. americanus does not have an entirely pale pygidium, and body beneath is black rather than brown. Coloration differences do not regularly suffice to separate closely related species of Pachybrachis . Unfortunately, with no known male specimen of P. insidiosus , a comparison of aedeagal median lobes cannot be made. Fall believed P. insidiosus to be very similar to P. immaculatus .

Distribution. Riley et al. (2003) reported this species from Arizona ( Map 1 View Map 1 ).

Biological Notes. This original type specimen of this species was noted as collected on date palm, Phoenix dactylifera L. ( Arecaceae ). It is unknown if this is in fact a host plant or accidental occurrence.

Specimens Examined. USA: ARIZONA: Maricopa Co., Tempe, 28.iii.1882, Cockerell [ 1♀, TYPE, MCZ-FALL] .