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Collection of specimens of the Neotropical weevil genus Coptonotus Chapuis in Ecuador led to the discovery that Coptonotus cyclopus Chapuis, 1869 was comprised of multiple species. Parsimony analysis of morphological and molecular characters produced a well-supported phylogeny of seven Coptonotus specimens, which contained morphologically diagnosable monophyletic groups. Two new superficially similar species are described: Coptonotus doppelganger Smith and Cognato, new species from Peru and Brazil, and Coptontous uteq Smith and Cognato, new species from Ecuador. Coptonotus uteq was collected from a host tree, providing the first report of the natural history of the genus. Larvae are described for the first time. A key to the species is presented, and the relationship of Coptonotinae to other weevil subfamilies is discussed.

Immanus virago Wang, Smith and Cognato, new species, is described from Borneo (Sabah). It is distinguished from the morphologically similar species I. sarawakensis (Eggers) by the absence of large granules on the elytral declivity. This additional species increases the known diversity of Immanus Hulcr and Cognato species to nine. A recent key to species is modified to include the new species.

A new species of exotic ambrosia beetle, Ambrosiophilus peregrinus Smith and Cognato, likely native to Asia, is described after its establishment in the United States. This species was first detected in Cherokee County, Georgia in June 2013. Since its initial discovery, the species has been found in two neighboring counties in northern Georgia. A key is presented to the species of Ambrosiophilus Hulcr and Cognato occurring in North America.

The Neotropical bark beetle genera Cnemonyx Eichhoff, 1868 and Scolytus Geoffroy, 1762 are reviewed as part of ongoing research on the higher-level taxonomy of Scolytini. Ceratolepis Chapuis, 1869, Loganius Chapuis, 1869, and Cnemonyx setulosus (Eggers, 1929) are given new status. Twenty-four new combinations are reported: Ceratolepis amazonica Eggers, 1929 (not Schedl, 1952), Ceratolepis boliviae (Blackman, 1943), Ceratolepis hylurgoides (Schedl, 1949), Ceratolepis insignis (Wood, 1969), Ceratolepis jucunda Chapuis, 1869, Ceratolepis maculicornis Blandford, 1896, Ceratolepis nigra (Eggers, 1929), Loganius confinis Wood, 1961, Loganius equihuai (Wood, 1983), Loganius euphorbiae (Wood, 1986), Loganius evidens (Wood, 1983), Loganius exilis Wood, 1967, Loganius fastigius Wood, 1961, Loganius ficus Schwarz, 1894, Loganius flavicornis Chapuis, 1869, Loganius gracilens (Wood, 1969), Loganius impressus Wood, 1961, Loganius liratus Wood, 1961, Loganius niger Wood, 1961, Loganius prociduus Wood, 1961, Log...

In 2015, a trapping effort was initiated to collect individuals of the polyphagous shot hole borer, Euwallacea nr. fornicatus (Eichhoff), at five sites in northern Vietnam. The traps tested the usage of quercivorol (paramenthenol), a-copaene, cubeb oil, conophthorin, and ethanol as potential lures. These compounds have been effective in collecting individuals in the USA but have not been tested within the species' putative native range. As reported for the USA, the species responded best to the quercivorol lure. Throughout the duration of the study, 21 species were collected. Among them were Ambrosiophilus nodulosus (Eggers, 1941), Beaverium magnus (Niisima, 1910), new combination, Xyleborus glabratus Eichhoff, 1877, and Xylosandrus discolor (Blandford, 1898), all of which are new country records. Arixyleborus nudulus Smith, Rabaglia, and Cognato, new species, was also collected and is described and illustrated.

The pheromone (Z)- and/or (E)-14-methyl-8-hexadecenal (Trogodermal) is the main sex attractant for pest carpet beetles, Trogoderma granarium Everts, 1898, Trogoderma inclusum LeConte, 1854, Trogoderma glabrum (Herbst, 1783) and Trogoderma variable Ballion, 1878. This pheromone is often used to detect these pests within granaries, but it has not been reported to have been used to trap beetles in outside environments. We used Trogodermal-baited traps to collect over 3,000 dermestids in 43 dispersed locations in North and Central America; only 85 dermestids were collected in unbaited traps. Nine species of Trogoderma Dejean and individuals of Megatoma Herbst, Orphilus Erichson, Orphinus Motschulsky, and Thaumaglossa Redtenbacher were collected. This study is the first documentation of intergeneric dermestid response to Trogodermal.

The ambrosia beetle genus Camptocerus Dejean is native to the Neotropics and ranges from northern Argentina to Veracruz, Mexico. Species are rarely collected and there is a corresponding paucity of biological information. We report observations of Camptocerus attracted to felled Protium Burm. f. in southeastern Peru. Host colonization, aggregation, leaf feeding, courtship, mating, and predation are reported for four species. These species aggregated to leaves surrounding potential hosts, bored into leaves, and fed, all of which is unusual behavior for scolytines. Males competed for mates with physical contact. Ant predation killed ∼50% of colonizing individuals for one species.

Orthotomicus chaokhao new species is described from Northern Thailand. It is morphologically similar to O. angulatus Eichhoff, 1878 but can be distinguished by the presence of a spine located on the face of declivity near the apex of the declivity and also by straight posterior margin of elytra in both sexes.

Akrobothrus ecuadoriensis, new genus and species of bark beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Bothrosternina) is described from the Ecuadorian Amazon. Its highly unusual elytral morphology, with a distinct depression around the scutellum, distinguishes it from all known species within the subtribe. In the male specimen, this depression results in a large spade-shaped scutellum that extends out over the elytral suture. Akrobothrus can be separated from other genera of Bothrosternina by a unique combination of characters. The antennal club is elongate and parallel-sided with 3 segments divided by procurved and recurved sutures. The lateral margins of the pronotum are costate and the prothroracic intercoxal piece has a transverse subcarinate ridge.

The firefly Microphotus octarthrus occurs allopatricallly throughout pinyon-oak and juniper- oak habitats of the deserts of southwestern US. Adult dispersal is limited thus individuals are likely to be genetically isolated by geographic distances. However, during the Pleistocene, habitats may have been contiguous allowing for greater dispersal and genetic continuity. In this study we investigated the patterns of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I haplotypes among disjunct populations of M. octarthrus to determine whether current populations were historically contiguous. A total of 26 mtDNA COI haplotypes was found for 28 individuals from six populations spanning the beetle's range. Cladistic analysis of individuals resulted in 15,500 equally parsimonious trees. Strict consensus of these trees was mostly resolved except for a few individuals within well supported clades. Individuals from the same population were monophyletic and genetic isolation by distance was observed. Mean branch lengths for t...

Smith, Sarah M., Beaver, Roger A., Cognato, Anthony I. (2017): The Ambrosia Beetle Ambrosiophilus peregrinus Smith and Cognato, Introduced to the USA, is Ambrosiophilus nodulosus (Eggers), New Combination (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae). The Coleopterists Bulletin 71 (3): 552-553, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065X-71.3.552, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1649/0010-065x-71.3.552