Phylogenetic relationships of the Neotropical genera of Hylobiina (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Molytinae: Molytini): seventy years after Kuschel's proposal

This study presents the first phylogenetic analysis focused on the Neotropical genera of the subtribe Hylobiina, including species of 28 out of the 29 currently recognized genera. A morphological data matrix comprising 131 terminal taxa and 162 characters was analysed under maximum parsimony using a heuristic search with extended implied weighting, resulting in a single most parsimonious tree. The analysis recovered Myrtacebius as unrelated to the remaining genera of the group. The genera Arniticus, Byzes, Calvertius, Centor, Cyriaspis, Haplogenus, Heilipus, Heilus, Hilipinus, Iphipus, Ischiomastus, Lymanchonus, Marshallius, Neseilipus, Nothofagius, Ozoctenus, Placeilipus, Plethes, Polymicrus, Pseudanchonus, Syphorbus, Tartarisus and Typacrus were recovered as monophyletic, whereas Epistrophus, Heilipodus, Parabyzes and Rhineilipus were found to be non-monophyletic. Based on these results, Whiteheadlobius gen. nov. is proposed, supported by the presence of a ventrite-femoral stridulatory system of type 2. This genus includes the following species, formerly placed in Heilipodus: Whiteheadlobius argentinicus, comb. nov., W. bajulus, comb. nov., W. biplagiatus, comb. nov., W. cinctipennis, comb. nov., W. clavipes, comb. nov., W. destructor, comb. nov., W. naevulus, comb. nov., and W. unifasciatus, comb. nov. In addition, Rhineilipus is redefined to include Parabyzes, now considered a junior synonym, and several species formerly assigned to Heilipodus are transferred to Rhineilipus: R. austerus, comb. nov., R. caliginosus, comb. nov., R. callosus, comb. nov., R. cynicus, comb. nov., R. decussatus, comb. nov., R. jocosus, comb. nov., R. lutosus, comb. nov., R. quadrinodosus, comb. nov., and R. suspensus. An updated identification key to the Neotropical genera of Hylobiina is also provided.