Sytematic study and cladistic analysis of the genus Aramigus Horn (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Aramigus Horn (Entiminae: Brachyderini) here includes seven species: A. pilosus Lanteri sp. nov., A. curtulus (Hustache) comb, nov., A. planioculus Lanteri sp. nov., A.globoculus Lanteri sp. nov., A. intermedius Lanteri sp. nov., A. conirostris (Hustache) and A. tessellatus (Say) (syn. nov. with A. durius (Germar), A. pallidus Horn, A. viridipallens (Hustache), A. biseriatus (Hustache) and A. santafecinus (Lanteri)). The last is a complex species with bisexual populations and parthenogenetic lineages, some of which correspond to the synonyms of A. tessellatus, and are here treated as morphotypes. The genus is redescribed to include newly discovered variation and its relationships with other genera are discussed. All species are described and five morphotypes of A. tessellatus are diagnosed. A cladistic analysis resulted in four most parsimonious cladograms in which A. pilosus is always basal; A. curtulus and A. planioculus are sister taxa or form a trichotomy with the remaining species; A. globoculus and A. intermedius are in phylogenetic sequence or are sister species; and the pair tessellatus-conirostris is always present and terminal. The paper includes two keys (one for the species of Aramigus and another, for the morphotypes of tessellatus)', outlines of all species; illustrations of female and male genitalia; and distribution maps to the South American species.