Oncid ID: Tool for Diagnosing Adult Twig Girdlers (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Onciderini)
Home   ¦   Twig Girdlers   ¦   Key to Genera   ¦   Genus Fact Sheets   ¦   Gallery   ¦   Morphological Atlas   ¦   Glossary   ¦   References   ¦   About


Previous Genus       Next Genus

Genus: Microcanus

Diagnostic Features
  • Description: Elongate-oblong, small-sized, ranging from about 8–9 mm in length. Integument generally dark brown or ferrugineous with whitish, ferrugineous, and ochraceous pubescence. Head with frons subquadrate to transverse, about as wide as width of four lower eye lobes. Eyes with lower lobes ovate. Genae elongate, distinctly taller than lower eye lobes. Antennal tubercles prominent, widely separated; tubercles not armed at apex; antennae about as long as overall body length, or as much as 1 2/3 times as long; scape clavate, about as long as antennomere IV; antennomere III nearly straight or curved, longer than scape and about as long or longer than antennomere IV. Pronotum transverse, roughly cylindrical and conical, distinctly narrower at base, with or without lateral tubercles. Elytra with sides roughly parallel to slightly expanding to apex; elytral apices jointly rounded; elytra generally uniform in coloration to lightly speckled; base of elytra with without prominent tubercles at humeri. Basal 1/3 of elytra with dense punctation, surface coarsely punctate to granulate-punctate. Procoxae without projection or with small acute projection. Mesosternal process with apex subtruncate to feebly emarginate. Metafemora short to distinctly short in length, about 1/4–1/5 as long as elytra.

  • The combination of the following characters will help to distinguish this genus: relatively small; small eyes, widely separated; elytra with sides roughly parallel to slightly expanding to apex; and short metafemora.

  • Similar genus/genera: strongly resembles some species of Oncideres as well as Periergates and Taricanus.
Geographic Distribution
  • Central America (Mexico)
Host Plants/Trees
  • Unknown
Girdling Behavior
  • Unknown
Notes

The genus Microcanus currently contains one species:
  Microcanus minor (Bates, 1885) [type specimen, ♂?]

Generic Synonymies
  • The type species of this genus was originally described in the genus Taricanus.
Selected References
 

Microcanus minor
type specimen, ♂?
© E.H. Nearns

 

© 2011-2015 Nearns, E.H., Lord, N.P., and K.B. Miller
The University of New Mexico and Center for Plant Health Science and Technology, USDA, APHIS, PPQ.