Taxonomic review of Pharaxonotha Reitter (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting cones of the cycads Zamia L. and Microcycas (Miq.) A.DC. (Cycadales) in the Caribbean Basin and Central America north of Panama, with descriptions of five new species

Coleoptera
Erotylidae
Pharaxonothinae
  • Paul E. Skelley

    Florida State Collection of Arthropods Florida Department of Agriculture – DPI P. O. Box 147100, Gainesville, FL 32614-7100, USA

    ORCID icon https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2687-6740
  • William Tang

    Florida State Collection of Arthropods Florida Department of Agriculture – DPI P. O. Box 147100 Gainesville, FL 32614-7100, USA

  • Shayla Salzman

    Department of Entomology, University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602, USA

  • Michael Calonje

    Montgomery Botanical Center, Coral Gables, FL 33156, USA

Keywords: Gymnosperm, insect, co-evolution, pollination, symbiosis

Abstract

The beetle genus Pharaxonotha Reitter (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) is found in the cones of cycad genera in the New World, including species of Ceratozamia Brongn., Dioon Lindl., Microcycas (Miq.) A.DC., and Zamia L. (Cycadales: Zamiaceae). Te species diversity of Pharaxonotha with Zamia and Microcycas is reviewed for those occurring in Te Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Greater Antilles, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and southern USA. Twelve species are recognized, and fve new species are described: Pharaxonotha bahamaensis Skelley, Tang and Salzman, new species, P. chavesi Skelley, Tang and Salzman, new species, P. clarkorum Pakaluk, P. confusa Pakaluk, P. esperanzae Chaves and Genaro, P. foridana (Casey), P. grifthi Skelley, Tang and Salzman, new species, P. jamaicensis Skelley, Tang and Salzman, new species, P. kirschii Reitter, P. portophylla Franz and Skelley, P. thomasi Skelley and Tang, and P. zamiaphila Skelley, Tang and Salzman, new species. A key to species of Pharaxonotha found on Zamia and Microcycas in the region is presented.

Publication

1184

Published

2026-05-01

How to cite

Skelley PE, Tang W, Salzman S, Calonje M. 2026. Taxonomic review of Pharaxonotha Reitter (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) inhabiting cones of the cycads Zamia L. and Microcycas (Miq.) A.DC. (Cycadales) in the Caribbean Basin and Central America north of Panama, with descriptions of five new species. Insecta Mundi 1184: 1–48. https://doi.org/10.64338/im.1184.9bdte