Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs Volume 10 A Reclassification of the Genera of Scolytidae (Coleoptera) Article 2 12-1986 A reclassification of the genera of Scolytidae (Coleoptera) Stephen L. Wood Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum and Department of Zoology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbnm Part of the Anatomy Commons, and the Zoology Commons Recommended Citation Wood, Stephen L. (1986) "A reclassification of the genera of Scolytidae (Coleoptera)," Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs: Vol. 10 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/gbnm/vol10/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Western North American Naturalist Publications at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs A Reclassification of the Genera of Scolytidae (Coleoptera) No. 10 Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 1986 Stephen L. Wood Abstract. — A ta.\oiiomic revi.sion of the genera oi Scolytidae (Coleoptera) in tlie world fauna i.s pre.sented. Included are 215 valid genera and 27.3 invalid generic and subgeneric name.s. The type-species for each genus-group name was examined, including the type-specimen of the type-species in those taxa where a holotype. Icctotype, or neotype has been designated—with the exception of four contemporary genera, the type-series of which are lost, and six fossil genera for which no eflort was made to locate the types. Taxonomic keys to the families of the Curculionoidea, and to the subfamilies, tribes, and genera of Scolytidae are presented. Descriptions and citations of the original validations of the two subfamilies and 25 tribes of Scolytidae are included. For each genu.s-group name there is a citation of its original validation, type-species, and synonymy. For each valid genus there is an indication of its distribution, the approximate number of valid species, basic feeding and mating habits, and citations of pul)lished ke\'s foi' the identification of species. Of general interest to coleopterists is a review of the status and position of the families Platypodidae and Scolytidae within the Curculionoidea, including several characters not previously presented. These two families are entirely distinct from one another and from Curculionidae. The phyletic position of Pfatypodidae and Scolytidae is near the more primitive families oi Curculionoidea and quite remote from specialized Curculionidae. Because of their immense economic impact caused practical foresters to enter the fields of on world forests, forest products, and certain naming and identifying species to meet their aspects of agriculture, considerable attention own limited needs. With two pre-1960 e.xcep- has focused on the Scolytidae. Although the tions, taxonomic work on Scolytidae was done literature is filled with reports of the economic by senior foresters who lacked a fundamental ravages and of efforts made to manipulate interest or training in the study of diversity, their populations, comparatively little atten- phylogeny, or evolution. These exceptions tion was given to other aspects of their study were Chapuis, who produced a classical work prior to 1960. Since then, there has been a on Platypodidae (Chapuis 1S65) and was start- virtual explosion of information about many ing to work on Scolytidae (Chapuis 1869) be- other facets of their existence. fore jurisdictional problems arose, and Hage- Although advances in basic commimication dorn, whose brief career (1904-1912) ended involving nomenclature and classification nor- tragically. The unwillingness to accept and mally preceded the expansion of knowledge in apply the concept of evolution and to abandon other groups of organisms, this was not the the typological (morphological) species con- case with the Scolytidae. There appear to be cept by more recent influential workers also several reasons for this delay. The sheer num- delayed progress. ber of species and the urgency to do some- The present study iiad its origin in a conver- thing with the management of populations sation with C. D. Michener, at Logan, Utah, compelled local foresters to act. The un- in August 1949, during wliich he suggested a availability of trained taxonomists apparently reclassification of the genera of Scolytidae in Life Science Museum and Department of Zooloey, Bn^tlam ^'nuni; Uni/'ersitv. I*r<»\(>, I'tali S.l(i()2, I'S.A Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs No. 10 the world fauna as an appropriate subject for History my doctoral dissertation. Fortunately, for me and for science, a more limited topic was cho- Linnaeus (17.58) included five species of sen, but the suggestion was never forgotten Scolytidae in his Systema Naturae, edition 10, and has remained a lifelong objective. In all under the name Dennestcs (typographus , 1981, when I was asked by colleagues to final- micrographus poligraphus piniperda, do- , , ize a comprehensive world catalog of Scolyti- mesticus). Fabricius (1801) expanded this to dae, completion of the generic study became include 52 species under the generic names mandatory and urgent. Although this presen- Apate (5), Bo.strichiis (21), and Hylesinus (26). tation is a bit premature, its basic objectives Gemminger and Harold (1872) list 535 species are achieved. More thoughtful selection of in 60 genera. Hagedorn (1910a, b) lists 1,234 illustrations and greater detail in their presen- species in 115 genera. There has been no tation would have been helpful to the user. comprehensive classification or catalog of the The Scolytidae are among the more difficult family on a worldwide basis since the work of insects to classify; yet their tremendous eco- Hagedorn, but it is estimated that more than nomic importance is so great that immediate 6,000 biological species are currently recog- and precise identification is demanded by nized. The first generic name erected for a those industries threatened by the activities of member of this family was Scohjtiis Geofifroy these insects. Although my attraction to the (1762; Ghina 1962, International Commission Scolytidae was to their fundamental struc- on Zoological Nomenclature 1963). Since ture, diversity, ecology, and behavior from then, 488 generic and subgeneric names have theoretical and other points of view, as knowl- been proposed for the group, of which 215 are edge began to accumulate, my rural back- treated below as valid. ground and religious philosophy made me In an attempt to estimate the number of sensitive to the economic interests of others species remaining to be named from America and to a need for me to assist them with what I north of Mexico, White (1975), in his example had learned. Another need was also para- using Scolytidae, recognized 592 species in mount. Among the great frustrations in learn- 1970 and projected that there would be 650 ing are those resulting from errors that have named by the end-point year of 2040, when been transmitted from one generation to the 100% would be known. That estimate was next and, once learned, must be unlearned made prior to publication of my monograph and corrected before progress can continue. (Wood 1982). In the monograph, numerous Biological nomenclature and classification species were placed in synonymy and others have been profoundly impeded in their pro- were named or they extended their distribu- gress by this problem. Therefore, the primary tions into the United States and Ganada, leav- objectives of this study are (1) to review the ing about the same total number of species holotypes or syntypes of the type-species of all and projection as before. Meanwhile, more named genera and subgenera to make certain than half of the scolytid fiiuna of Mexico and that they are correctly placed in appropriate Gentral America was named from 1960 to genera, then find the correct generic names 1982. This rapid expansion of the fauna south for them, and review as many species as possi- of the United States made a projection for the ble and group them in those genera, and (2) to larger area meaningless at the present time. devise a scheme of classification such that oth- Few attempts to classify the higher cate- ers can identify those genera. If these objec- gories of Scolytidae on a worldwide basis have tives are achieved in at least some measure, it been published. Perhaps the first contribu- is hoped that the constant name changing and tion worthy of note was that of Ferrari (1867), duplication of effort (resulting from syn- who listed and described the genera of Tomi- onymy) that has impeded taxonomic progress cides (my Scolytinae with Scolytini deleted). in my generation will be reduced to a mini- There was no attempt to actually classify the mum. This classification of categories above genera by Ferrari. Eichhoff (1878a) published the species level will be the framework on a classical monograph of this same group in which the catalog of species, now in prepara- which he presented keys and descriptions to tion, will be organized. all known genera and species. His family 1986 WOOD: Genera of Scolytidae Tomicini included 40 genera that were dis- genera that are currently distributed (below) tributed among the subfomiUes Crypturgidae among the tribes Cryphalini, Dryocoetini, {Cn/pturgus, Dohirgus, Aphanarthruin, Trio- and Xyleborini. teranus, Pijcnarthrum), Cryphahdae (Li- Wood (1978) reviewed