Katsura Morimoto

A New Species Megabruchidius sophorae (Coleoptera, Bruchidae), Feeding on Seeds of Styphnolobium (Fabaceae) New to Bruchidae

Abstract A new species Megabruchidius sophorae (Insecta, Coleoptera) is described from Japan (Honshu). The larval host of this bruchid is the seeds of the tree legume ‘enju’, or chinese scholar tree, Styphnolobium japonicum (a senior synonym of Sophora japonica), which is a new host genus to Bruchidae. Styphnolobium is positioned basally in molecular phylogeny of the leguminous subfamily Papilionoideae. Other members of Megabruchidius are known to feed on Gleditsia, the tree legumes that belong to the most ancestral subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Therefore, Megabruchidius utilizes ancestral groups of legumes as its host plants. Megabruchidius has been inferred to be ancestral, based on its behavior. The character state of the host for this third Megabruchidius species supports that the genus is ancestral, at least in the subfamily Bruchinae. We also reviewed the genera closely related to Megabruchidius, i.e., Bruchidius and Sulcobruchus in Bruchidini, and wrote a key to the species in the genus Megabruchidius.

A novel host shift and invaded range of a seed predator, Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), of an invasive weed, Leucaena leucocephala

An endophagous seed predator, Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae), utilizes Neotropical Leucaena (Fabaceae: Mimosoideae). One of its hosts, Leucaena leucocephala, is a fast‐growing nitrogen‐fixing tree that serves as a multipurpose beneficial plant but eventually becomes an aggressive invader where it was introduced. Herein, we report A. macrophthalmus invasion of the Far East, South Asian tropics and subtropics (Japanese Pacific Islands, Taiwan, Southern China, Northern Thailand and Southern India). Of other field‐collected mimosoid legumes, an introduced tree, Falcataria moluccana, in Taiwan was found to be used by the seed predator. Conversely, our published work review revealed that the seed predator had retained high host specificity to Leucaena species in its native and introduced regions. Acanthoscelides macrophthalmus was able to utilize aphagously postharvest mature seeds for oviposition and larval development, which is a trait of post‐dispersal seed predators. We confirmed that A. macrophthalmus that was reared on L. leucocephala was able to utilize F. moluccana as well. Although the relatively high host specificity of the oligophagous beetle is suitable for controlling the weedy L. leucocephala, the potential host range expansion confirmed by this study must be cautioned.

A Synopsis of the Bruchid Fauna of Japan

A total of 27 species of bruchids known from Japan is revised, of which 14 species are recognized as indigenous or established including an undescribed one. Five species have not been properly verified as to their establishment in the field, 6 species are newly synonymized, and 3 species are adventitious or their localities are mislabelled and thus excluded from our fauna. Keys for the identification of genera and species of Spermophagus and Bruchidius are given.

A New Lignyodes Dejean, A New Representative of the Genus and the Tribe Lignyodini from the Eastern Palaearctic Region (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract A new species of the genus Lignyodes Dejean, which is a new representative of the genus and the tribe Lignyodini Bedel, was discovered in Japan on the eastern periphery of the Palaearctic region. It is described herein as L. japonicus new species. The discovery of this species shows the discontinuous distribution of this genus in East Asia–North America, and Europe, with the Bering Arc relationship in the temperate region of the northern hemisphere. This species is very rare in collections and no biological information is available. The probable host and distribution in Japan are predicted from previous records of related species.

Two New Species and Two Newly Recorded Species of Anthribidae (Coleoptera) from Korea

Abstract This paper describes two new species of the Anthribidae from Korea, Euparius koreanus n. sp. and Uncifer angulatus n. sp. Two other species, Eucorynus crassicornis (Fabricius) and Habrissus analis Morimoto are new to the fauna of Korea. Their important features are illustrated. The genera, Uncifer, Eucorynus, and Habrissus are newly recognized from Korea.