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Issue: Vol. 5701 No. 4: 6 Oct. 2025
Type: Article
Published: 2025-10-06
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5701.4.5
Page range: 483-491
Abstract views: 90
PDF downloaded: 3

Alcidodes erosa (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a new species from India feeding on Hopea erosa (Bedd.) Slooten, a critically endangered tree species of the Western Ghats

KSCSTE-Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences; Near GA College; Kozhikode; Kerala-673014
KSCSTE-Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences; Near GA College; Kozhikode; Kerala-673014
KSCSTE-Malabar Botanical Garden and Institute for Plant Sciences; Near GA College; Kozhikode; Kerala-673014
Integrative Insect Ecology Research Unit; Department of Biology; Faculty of Science; Chulalongkorn University; Bangkok; Thailand; Kalinga Foundation; Agumbe; Karnataka
Division of Germplasm Collection and Characterisation; ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources; Bengaluru; Karnataka 560024; India
Division of Germplasm Collection and Characterisation; ICAR-National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources; Bengaluru; Karnataka 560024; India
Coleoptera weevil molecular systematics morphology species discovery

Abstract

Alcidodes (Curculionidae) is a hyperdiverse group of weevils that pose a potential threat to various crop species, trees, and other plants. Through a combination of morphological and genetic analyses, we have identified a previously undescribed species of this genus, which we name Alcidodes erosa Mithun, Mahendiran & Pooja sp. nov. The validity of the new species is supported by both morphological and molecular data. All known adult specimens were collected from the critically endangered tree species, Hopea erosa (Bedd.) Slooten (Dipterocarpaceae), which is endemic to the Western Ghats. A recent assessment by the IUCN indicates that fewer than 200 individuals of this tree species exist and it is estimated that approximately 78-82% of seed damage is caused by Alcidodes erosa.

 

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How to Cite

Venugopal, M., Pushkaran, P., Pradeep, N.S., Ranjith, A.P., Jose, A. & Mahendiran, G. (2025) Alcidodes erosa (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a new species from India feeding on Hopea erosa (Bedd.) Slooten, a critically endangered tree species of the Western Ghats. Zootaxa, 5701 (4), 483–491. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5701.4.5