Coleoptera) (Excluding Anthribidae
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A FAUNAL SURVEY AND ZOOGEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE CURCULIONOIDEA (COLEOPTERA) (EXCLUDING ANTHRIBIDAE, PLATPODINAE. AND SCOLYTINAE) OF THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF TEXAS A Thesis TAMI ANNE CARLOW Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE August 1997 Major Subject; Entomology A FAUNAL SURVEY AND ZOOGEOGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE CURCVLIONOIDEA (COLEOPTERA) (EXCLUDING ANTHRIBIDAE, PLATYPODINAE. AND SCOLYTINAE) OF THE LOWER RIO GRANDE VALLEY OF TEXAS A Thesis by TAMI ANNE CARLOW Submitted to Texas AgcM University in partial fulltllment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Approved as to style and content by: Horace R. Burke (Chair of Committee) James B. Woolley ay, Frisbie (Member) (Head of Department) Gilbert L. Schroeter (Member) August 1997 Major Subject: Entomology A Faunal Survey and Zoogeographic Analysis of the Curculionoidea (Coleoptera) (Excluding Anthribidae, Platypodinae, and Scolytinae) of the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas. (August 1997) Tami Anne Carlow. B.S. , Cornell University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Horace R. Burke An annotated list of the Curculionoidea (Coleoptem) (excluding Anthribidae, Platypodinae, and Scolytinae) is presented for the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas. The list includes species that occur in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Wigacy counties. Each of the 23S species in 97 genera is tteated according to its geographical range. Lower Rio Grande distribution, seasonal activity, plant associations, and biology. The taxonomic atTangement follows O' Brien &, Wibmer (I og2). A table of the species occuning in patxicular areas of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, such as the Boca Chica Beach area, the Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary, Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park, and the Falcon Dam area is included. A table ot' the species and their host associations is also presented. Genera (number of species in parentheses) with the largest number of species represented are: Anrhonomus (12), Apirrn (13). Conorrucheius (11), Lisn'onorus (17), Sibinia (10), and Smicronyvr (15). Thirty percent of the total species in the Lower Rio Grande Valley belong in thesegenera. There ate 22 undetermined and/or undescribed species recorded. Zoogeographic comparisons are made between the LRGV and Guatemala. North Dakota, Victoria County. San Patricio County, Big Bend National Park, and southern Florida. A high percentage of species of the LRGV were found to have northern affinities. Eight non-native species were not included in the zoogeographic comparisons. Twelve species appear to be endemic to the LRGV. Fifty-seven percent of the 227 species analyzed have the LRGV as either their northern or southern boundary. Four representative collecting sites in the LRGV were chosen to make comparisons. The greatest diversity of weevil species of the LRGV occurs in the Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary i32%). This may be due to more extensive collecting at this site. Approximately one-third of the total diversity of the LRGV occurs on these 32 acres of land. Plant associations are known for 337r of the weevils occurring in the LRGV, although some of the associations may have been recorded from areas outside of the LRGV. Out of the 433 plant associations, 4L3% involve the families Fabaceae, Malvaceae, and Asteraceae. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank Dr. Horace R. Burke, my committee chairman, for his helpful suggestions, patience. and support duting this study. Appreciation goes to Dr. James Woolley and Dr. Gilbert Schroeter. my other graduate committee members for ctitical)y reviewing the manuscript and providing suggestions. I thank Edward Riley, Texas A&M University (TAMU), College Station, TX; David Furth, Museum of Comparative Zoohigy, Cambridge, MA; Robert Anders&m, Canadian Museum ot Nature, Ottawa; Donald Bright, Canadian National Collection of insects, Ottawa; James Pakaluk; Nationa) Museum of Natural History, Washington. DC; and the people of Texas A&I University, Kingsville. TX, for letting me examine specimens in their care. I thank Robert Turnbow (Fort Rucker. AL) lor data on l.ower Rio Grande Valley weevils from his personal collection, Edward Riley for the use of his personal collection, and Anne Howden (Ottawa. Canada) for making her personal collection available to me. Acknowledgements go to Horace Burke (Texas A&M University). Henry Hespenheide (UCLA) and Charles O' Brien (Florida A&M University, Tallahassee. FL) for help with the identiftcation of specimens: to Joseph Wipff and Stanley Jones (Texas A&M University) for help with plant identittcations; and to Rene Davis (Remote Sensing Laboratory. USDA-ARS, Weslaco) tor the aerial photograph of the Brownsville area. Appreciation goes to Alvin Hutchinson, Robett Gordon and F. Christian Thompson for helping with library work and Mike Scauff for computer help. Thanks also go to Rose Farmer (Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary, Brownsville, TX) for permission to survey the weevi]s of the the Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary and David Riskind (Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife) for permits to collect in the Lower Rio Grande State Parks. Thanks go to Dr. Natalia Vandenberg, Dr. Michael Schauff, Dr. Tom Henry, Rohit Malhotra, Shawn Carlow, and Will Godwin for critically reviewing the manuscript. Greatest appreciations go to Horace Burke (TAMU) for his patience and critical review of the manuscript, to Edward Riley (TAMU) for accompanying me on collecting trips and the collecting information he provided, and to my mom for constant encouragement. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . TABLE OF CONTENTS. Vu LIST OF FIGURES. 1X LIST OF TABLES . XI INTRODUCTION. LITERATURE REVIEW. METHODS. 13 DESCRIPTION OF STUDY SITFS. 16 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION . 29 Annotated List of Curculionoidea of the L«wer Ri«Grande Valley of Texas (Cameron, Hidalgo, State and Willacy counties). , . 29 Biogeographical Analysis. 162 Ecological Considerations. 163 Plant Associations. 165 Endemism. 165 Species Comparisons within the LRGV and with Other Areas. 167 Comparison of LRGV and Southern Florida Weevil Faunas. 172 Distributional Patterns of Selected Genera of LRGV Curculionoidea. 175 Page CONCLUSIONS. 237 LITERATURE CITED. 239 APPENDIX A . 258 APPENDIX B. , . 260 APPENDIX C . 263 APPENDIX D. 265 APPENDIX E. 267 . 274 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE Page 1. Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas 2. Some important collection localities in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. 3 3. Tamaulipan Biotic Province according to Dice (1943), Goldman & Moore (1946), Blair (1950). and Baro de Jones (1992).. 5 4. Eleven biotic communities of the Lower Rio Grande Valley according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (1985) 6 5. A) Vegetation behind dunes at Boca Chica Beach. B) Salt flats beyond dunes at Boca Chica Beach. 17 6. A) Edge of a lorna with Y«cca near Boca Chica Beach. B) A lorna t'urther inland with thicker vegetation including an ebony tree. , . „.. 18 7. A, B Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary 8. A, B Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park .20 9. Fa)con Dam area vegetation and Rio Grande River, . .21 10. A) Southpoint Nursery with Sabal texana grove. B) Southpont Nursery with Sabal texana in the background . .22 11. A) Anzalduas County Park B) Anzalduas County Dam . .23 12. A, B Rio Grande River at Salineno and Mexican vegetation. , . , 24 13. A) Aerial photograph (USDA, ARS 1989) showing Rio Gmnde River, crops, part of Brownsville. Mexico, and the Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary. B) Cotton (foreground) and sugarcane (backround) crops. 25 14. Pselaphrtrhynchites macropthairn«s. 31 15. Apion xanthoxyli 16. Epicaerus mexi canus 17. Mitostvlus tenuis 18. Pandeletei«s cinereus. , 46 19. Aphrastus uni color, 20A. Brachystylus sp. , nr. microphthalmus, dorsal . FIGURE 20B. Brachystylus sp. , nr. mi crophthulmus, lateral 50 21. Eudiagogus pulcher, A) dorsal. B) lateral. .52 22. Li stronotus salico&niae , . 59 23. Andrunthobius sp. 78 24. Laemosaccus nephele . 25. Brachyognn&s ornatus. .83 26 Anthonomus leucostictus. 27 Anthonomus unipustulatus. A) dorsal, B) lateral. Cionopsis maculata, A) dorsal, B) lateral. 29. Tachyerges niger. 30. Rhyssomatus pruinosus, A) dorsal, B) lateral. , . 109 31 Rhyssomatus rugulipenni s . 32 Conotrachelus cameronensis, A) dorsal, B) lateral . 114. Conotrachelus rubescens, A) dorsal, B) lateral. 117 34. Conontrachelus texanus, A) dorsal, B) lateral 119 35. Chalcodermus vittatus, A) dorsal, B) lateral. 122 36 Gerstaeckeria nobilis, A) dorsal, B) lateral . 125 37 Phyrdenus di vergens, A) dorsal. B) lateral . 127 38 Tylode&mu subpubescens. A) dorsal, B) lateral. 130 39. Acanthoscelidius sp, A) dorsal, B) lateral. 138 40. Microbari» galvestonica 143 41. Madarellus cuneatus, A) dorsal. B) lateral 147 Centrinopus heh&inus. 149 43 Prosaldius blanditus. 153 LIST OF TABLES TABLE Page 1. Number of taxa collected in specified areas in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. 169 2, Species of Curculionoidea (excluding Anthribidae, Scolytinae, and Platypodinae) recorded from the collecting sites of Boca Chica Beach area (BCBA), Sabal Palm Grove Sanctuary (SPGS), Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park (BRGSP), and Falcon Dam area (FDA). 182 3. List of species of Curculionoidea of the LRGV (Excluding Anthribidae Platypodinae, and Scolytinae) and Their Plant Associates. .. .. .. .. I II 9 4. List of Plants and Their Cumulionoidea Associates of the LRGV (Excluding Anthribidae, Platypodinae and Scolytinae). .. .. .. .2I4 INTRODUCTION The Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), or Matamoran District (Blair 1950) of the Tamaulipan Biotic Province of southern