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

Diagnostic Features
  • Description: Elongate-oblong, robust, moderate to large-sized, ranging from about 16–27 mm in length. Head with frons subquadrate to elongate, about as wide as width of two lower eye lobes. Eyes with lower lobes ovate-oblong. Genae elongate, distinctly shorter than lower eye lobes. Antennal tubercles prominent, widely separated; tubercles not armed at apex or armed with a small projection, or a short, blunt horn, or with a moderately long, acute horn; antennae distinctly longer than overall body length, as much as 3 times as long; scape clavate, about as long or 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, roughly cylindrical to conical, distinctly wider at base, with lateral tubercles. Elytra with sides roughly parallel; elytral apices individually or jointly rounded; elytra generally uniform in coloration or speckled, or with distinct maculae; base of elytra with two distinct obtuse tubercles at humeri, or with four small, prominent, blunt tubercles. Basal 1/3 of elytra with moderate to dense punctation, surface finely punctate, coarsely punctate, or granulate-punctate. Procoxae without projection or with an obtuse tubercle, small acute projection, or with curved hook (males). Mesosternal process with apex feebly to deeply emarginate. Metafemora moderate to short in length, about 1/3-1/4 as long as elytra.

  • The combination of the following characters will help to distinguish this genus: antennae distinctly longer than overall body length, as much as 3 times as long; strongly transverse pronotum, with lateral tubercles; and elytra with sides roughly parallel.

  • Similar genus/genera: superficially resembles Ischiomaeocles and Lochmaeocles.
Geographic Distribution
  • Central America (Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua to Panama)
  • South America (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru)
Host Plants/Trees
  • Papilionaceae (Lonchocarpus sp.)
Girdling Behavior
  • Unknown
Notes

The genus Tybalmia currently contains nine species:
  Tybalmia breuningi Dillon & Dillon, 1952 [holotype specimen, ♀]
  Tybalmia caeca Bates, 1872 [type specimen, ♂]
  Tybalmia funeraria Bates, 1880 [♀ specimen]
  Tybalmia funeraria Bates, 1880 [type specimen, ♂]
  Tybalmia ianthe Dillon & Dillon, 1945
  Tybalmia mydas (Lucas, 1857)
  Tybalmia orbis Dillon & Dillon, 1945
  Tybalmia pixe Dillon & Dillon, 1945 [holotype specimen, ♀]
  Tybalmia pupillata (Pascoe, 1859) [type specimen, ♂]
  Tybalmia tetrops Bates, 1872 [type specimen]

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

Tybalmia funeraria
♀ 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.