Oncid ID: Tool for Diagnosing Adult Twig Girdlers (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Onciderini)
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Genus: Ephiales

Diagnostic Features
  • Description: Elongate-oblong, moderate-sized, ranging from about 15–17 mm in length. Integument generally dark brown with whitish and ochraceous pubescence. Head with frons elongate, about as wide as width of two lower eye lobes. Eyes with lower lobes large, oblong. Genae subquadrate to transverse, distinctly shorter than lower eye lobes. Antennal tubercles prominent, moderately separated; tubercles armed at apex with a small projection (females), or with a short, blunt horn (males); antennae about as long or slightly longer than overall body length (females), or as much as 1 2/3 times as long (males); scape clavate, shorter than antennomere IV; antennomere III variable in shape, from nearly straight to curved to sinuate, longer than scape and antennomere IV; antennomere XI shorter than X (females) or longer than X (males). Pronotum transverse, cylindrical to conical, slightly wider at base, with or without lateral tubercles. Elytra with sides roughly parallel; elytral apices individually rounded; elytra generally speckled with distinct, whitish maculae; base of elytra with two prominent tubercles at humeri. Basal 1/3 of elytra with dense punctation, surface coarsely punctate to granulate-punctate. Procoxae without projection (females) or with small, obtuse tubercle (males). Mesosternal process with apex feebly to deeply emarginate. Metafemora short in length, about 1/4 as long as elytra.

  • The combination of the following characters will help to distinguish this genus: distinctly large eyes; elytra with sides roughly parallel; base of elytra with two prominent tubercles at humeri; and short metafemora.

  • Similar genus/genera: superficially resembles Hesychotypa and some species of Lochmaeocles.
Geographic Distribution
  • South America (Brazil, Ecuador, French Guiana, Peru)
Host Plants/Trees
  • Unknown
Girdling Behavior
  • Unknown
Notes

The genus Ephiales currently contains one species:
  Ephiales cretacea (Bates, 1865) [♂ specimen]
  Ephiales cretacea (Bates, 1865) [type specimen, ♀]

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

Ephiales cretacea
♂ 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.