Fauna of NZ 45 - Landcare Research

18 Kuschel (2003): Nemonychidae, Belidae, Brentidae (Insecta: Coleoptera)
Male. Tergite 8 partially exposed beyond 7, simple,
lacking transverse carina, with basal angles incurved mediad.
Sternite 8 almost entirely membranous, with a long, fine,
Y-shaped apodeme. Sternite 9 with a Y-shaped, weakly
upcurved apodeme. Tegmen with a small, paucisetose
parameral sector. Aedeagus with a sclerotised pedon and a
narrow, weakly pigmented tectum; pedon in lateral view
angularly protruding dorsally and ventrally at base;
apodemes articulating in basal emargination of aedeagal
body, with a narrow bridge across connecting apodemes;
internal sac usually with a pair of sclerites and with spinules
of varying sizes on walls; ejaculatory duct insertion dorsal
at base.
Female. Ventrite 5 with a small setiferous pit on
either side. Sternite 8 sclerotised at centre, lacking a fork.
Vagina and bursa long, of similar length; distal hemisternites
slender, cylindrical, with a very small, bulbous lateroapical
stylus (Fig. 43); spermatheca as in Fig. 44, broad at either
end, with a short, slightly expanding gland; spermathecal
duct nearly as long as vagina and bursa combined, inserting
ventrally on bursa a short distance from oviduct.
Distribution. New Zealand endemic: North Island, South
Island, Stewart Island.
Host plants. Phyllocladaceae, Podocarpaceae.
Remarks. A genus with four species, one ubiquitous (R.
rufulus), the others geographically apparently more confined
and in the main submontane or montane. Judging by
the association with Podocarpaceae, the exclusive crawling
of larvae on their venters at all stages of development, and
the pubescence of the rostrum directed basad,
Rhinorhynchus shares with the Chilean Nannomacer
Kuschel more features than with the Australian Basiliogeus
Kuschel and Basiliorhinus Kuschel, which live on
Araucariaceae, have larvae that crawl at all stages on their
backs, and have the pubescence of the rostrum directed
forward. All four species of Rhinorhynchus are found on
Phyllocladus. These same four can occur on most, if not
all, podocarpaceous species, thus the range of hosts is
wide. In this respect Rhinorhynchus differs remarkably
from Nannomacer, its counterpart from Chile, where each
species is confined to one podocarpaceous genus.
Biology. The life cycle of Nemonychidae was inferred in a
paper (Kuschel 1983) from observations of the habits of
Rhinorhynchus rufulus. Adults are found throughout the
year. They are especially abundant around the time of
hosts exhibiting nearly or fully mature male strobili (cones),
usually from September to December, when eggs are laid.
Adults feed on pollen. Larvae start to appear on male
strobili a week or two before pollen is released, feeding on
pollen and sporophylls. They move rather actively on the
surface of the strobili (Fig. 168) and between the
sporophylls (scales), dropping to the ground at the end of
their development to pupate in the soil. They emerge from
May onwards.
Key to species of Rhinorhynchus (Nemonychidae)
1 Elytra at basal half densely, coarsely punctate, appearing
multistriate because of a row of coarse puncta on
interstriae (Fig. 1). Vestiture on elytra dense, coarse,
subsquamiform, concealing most of integument. Length
1.5–2.7 mm. Ubiquitous from Northland to Stewart
Island ............................................. (p. 19) ... rufulus
—Elytra at basal half neither densely nor coarsely punctate,
appearing simply striate because of only fine puncta
on interstriae (Fig. 2). Vestiture on elytra sparse, fine,
leaving most of integument exposed ........................ 2
2(1) Antennae reaching eyes with segment 3 in both sexes;
at least last antennal segments black or nearly so. Head
abruptly constricted towards rostrum (Fig. 21, 22),
basal part of rostrum cylindrical or subcylindrical in
both sexes. Mandibles angulate or strongly curved on
outer margin alongside terminal seta of laterodorsal row
of punctation (Fig. 22). 1.5–2.2 mm. Coromandel,
Subalpine Taupo, Nelson, Otago Lakes ....................
................................................... (p. 20) ... halocarpi
—Antennae reaching eyes with segment 4 in male, with
segment 5 in female, reddish throughout although club
usually a shade darker. Head more gradually constricted
towards rostrum (Fig. 23–26), basal part of rostrum
distinctly tapering towards antennal insertions in both
sexes. Mandibles gently curved throughout on outer
margin ...................................................................... 3
3(2) Smaller, usually under 2.3 mm. Segment 2 of antennal
club not longer than wide, usually distinctly transverse.
Rostrum in lateral view distinctly more curved in both
sexes. Male: eyes moderately convex; tibiae more
robust, distinctly incurved at apex; tegmen with
slenderer parameres (Fig. 39); aedeagus (Fig. 37, 38)
slender, less than 0.10 mm wide, with main body 5x
longer than wide, with apodemes about half length of
aedeagal body, with sclerites in the internal sac small
(Fig. 37). Length 1.60–2.35 mm.Northland, Auckland,
Taupo, Hawkes Bay, Buller ... (p. 20) ... phyllocladi