Belongs within: Curculioninae.
Contains: Diamerini, Phloeotribus, Scolytodes, Micracina, Xyloterina, Scolytus.
The Scolytinae, bark beetles, are a group of small weevils that live and feed in the subcortical tissues of plants. They are characterised by a reduced rostrum, geniculate antennae with a distinct, compact club, and tibiae marginally armed by spines or socketed denticles (Wood 1986). The majority of species live in galleries in the phloem layer of their hosts but some feed on other tissues such as xylem or seeds. Some species feed on ambrosia fungi growing on host xylem. Many bark beetles are monogamous with a single mating pair living in a gallery; eggs are laid within the gallery and the parents guard the burrow entrance while the larvae develop. Other species exhibit various modes of polygyny.
Wood (1986) recognised the Scolytidae as a separate family from the Curculionidae, divided between two subfamilies Scolytinae and Hylesininae on the basis of features such as form of the pronotum and base of the elytra, but more recent studies have not supported monophyly of the latter two groups. Tribes include the Scolytini, members of which are most diverse in the Americas and lack armature on the lateral margins of the pro- and metatibiae except for a single, apical, spinelike process curving towards and extending beyond the process of the inner apical angle. The Ctenophorini are Neotropical species with a flat antennal club and large, flat scutellum (Wood 1986).
Characters (from Wood 1986, as Scolytidae): Adult with head narrower than pronotum; eyes nearly flat against head, often emarginate to divided; pregular sutures present and reinforced internally by massive apodemal ridges; rostrum short to nonexistent; hypostomal area small, posterior mandibular condyle more anterior in position; axis of mandibular hinge oblique to transverse, cutting edge on mesal margin; pronotum often asperate, almost never with constriction near middle; when visible, scutellum usually flush with elytral surface, often flattened; metepisternum stout to elongate, anterior margin usually procurved, anteroventral angle displaced slightly caudad and distinctly extended ventrad; mesepimeron flat, oblique; mesepisternum smaller, declivous cephalad; tibiae armed on apical and/or lateral margins either by spines or socketed denticles, apical mucro formed by mesal element; tarsal segment 1 about equal in length to 2 or 3; male spiculum gastrale present. Larva with clypeus distinct, separate from frons; frontal sutures never reaching articulating membrane of mandibles.
<==Scolytinae [Ipidae, Scolytarii, Scolytidae] |--+--DiameriniGC-P14 | `--+--Phloeotribini [Phloeotribidae, Phloeotribina, Phthorophloeides]GC-P14 | | |--PhloeotribusW86 | | `--Aricerus Blandford 1894 [incl. Hylesinosoma Lea 1910]W86 | | |--*A. chapuisiW86 | | `--A. eichhoffi [incl. Hylesinus fici, *Hylesinosoma fici]W86 | `--Hexacolini [Ctenophoridae, Ctenophorina, Ctenophorini, Hexacolidae, Problechilidae]GC-P14 | |--ScolytodesW86 | |--Gymnochilus Eichhoff 1867 (see below for synonymy)W86 | | `--*G. zonatus [=*Problechilus zonatus; incl. *Meringopalpus fallax]W86 | |--Pycnarthrum Eichhoff 1878 (see below for synonymy)W86 | | |--P. hispidum (Ferrari 1867)A02 (see below for synonymy) | | `--‘Nemobius’ pallidus Chap. 1869FS90 | `--Microborus Blandford 1897MPJ18, W86 [incl. Pseudocrypturgus Eggers 1919W86] | |--*M. boops [incl. *Pseudocrypturgus camerunus]W86 | `--M. angustus Jordal 2017MPJ18 `--Scolytini [Camptoceridae]GC-P14 | i. s.: Scolytopsis Blandford 1896W86 | `--*S. puncticollisW86 |--MicracinaA02 |--XyloterinaW86 |--Cactopinus Schwarz 1899 [incl. Cactopinorus Bright 1967; Cactopinina, Cactopinini]A02 | |--*C. hubbardi Schwarz 1899B38 | |--C. cactophthorus [=*Cactopinorus cactophthorus]W86 | |--C. depressusW86 | |--C. desertusW86 | |--C. koebelei Blackman 1938B38 | |--C. pini Blackman 1938B38 | `--C. rhois Blackman 1938B38 `--ScolytinaA02 |--ScolytusMPJ18 `--+--Camptocerus Latreille 1829MPJ18, W86 | |--*C. aeneipennis [=Hylesinus aeneipennis]W86 | `--C. auricomusW86 `--Cnemonyx Eichhoff 1868MPJ18, W86 (see below for synonymy) |--*C. galeritusW86 |--C. barbatus [=*Minulus barbatus]W86 |--C. flavicornis [=*Loganius flavicornis]W86 |--C. hylurgoides [=*Coptodryas hylurgoides, *Coptosomus hylurgoides]W86 |--C. jucundus [=*Ceratolepis jucundus]W86 |--C. panamensisW86 `--C. vismiaecolensMPJ18 Scolytinae incertae sedis: Bufonus Eggers 1919W86 `--*B. obscurus Eggers 1919W86 Scolytoplatypus Schaufuss 1893 (see below for synonymy)W86 |--*S. permirusW86 |--S. congonusW86 |--S. mikado [=*Strophionocerus mikado, *Taeniocerus mikado]W86 |--S. papuanusW86 `--S. tycon [=*Spongocerus tycon]W86 CarphodicticiniW86 |--Dendrodicticus Schedl 1958W86 | `--*D. argentiniaeW86 |--Carphodicticus Wood 1971W86 | `--*C. cristatusW86 `--Craniodicticus Blandford 1895W86 `--*C. mucronatusW86 Phrixosoma Blandford 1897 (see below for synonymy)W86 |--*P. rudeW86 |--P. magnaW86 |--P. psaltes [=*Bothryperus psaltes]W86 |--P. quadrioculatum [=*Neohylesinus quadrioculatus]W86 `--P. striatum [=*Sphaerosinus striatus]W86 Hyorrhynchini [Hyorrhynchinae, Sueinae]W86 |--Sueus Murayama 1951 [incl. Neohyorrhynchus Schedl 1962]W86 | `--S. niisimai [=Hyorrhynchus niisimai, *Neohyorrhynchus niisimai; incl. *Sueus sphaerotrypoides]W86 |--Hyorrhynchus Blandford 1894W86 | `--*H. lewisiW86 `--Pseudohyorrhynchus Murayama 1950W86 `--*P. wadaiW86
Cnemonyx Eichhoff 1868MPJ18, W86 [incl. Ceratolepis Chapuis 1869W86, Coptodryas Schedl 1948 non Hopkins 1915W86, Coptosomus Schedl 1952W86, Loganius Chapuis 1869W86, Minulus Eggers 1912W86]
Gymnochilus Eichhoff 1867 non Blume 1859 (ICBN) [=Problechilus Eichhoff 1878; incl. Meringopalpus Hagedorn 1905]W86
Phrixosoma Blandford 1897 [incl. Bothryperus Hagedorn 1909, Neohylesinus Eggers 1920, Sphaerosinus Eggers 1929; Phrixosomini]W86
Pycnarthrum Eichhoff 1878 [incl. Monebius Hopkins 1914, Nemobius Chapuis 1869 (preoc.), Nomebius Navas 1915]W86
Pycnarthrum hispidum (Ferrari 1867)A02 [=Hypoborus hispidusW86; incl. *P. gracileW86, *Nemobius lambotteiW86, *Monebius lambotteiW86, *Nomebius lambotteiW86]
Scolytoplatypus Schaufuss 1893 [incl. Spongocerus Blandford 1893, Strophionocerus Sampson 1921, Taeniocerus Blandford 1893; Scolytoplatypini, Scolytoplatypodini, Spongocerinae, Taeniocerini]W86
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[A02] Anderson, R. S. 2002. Curculionidae Latreille 1802. In: Arnett, R. H., Jr, M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley & J. H. Frank (eds) American Beetles vol. 2. Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea pp. 722–815. CRC Press.
[B38] Blackman, M. W. 1938. New species of Cactopinus Schwarz (Coleoptera: Scolytidae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 40 (6): 151–157.
[FS90] Fleutiaux, E., & A. Sallé. 1890. Liste des coléoptères de la Guadeloupe et descriptions d’espèces nouvelles. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, 6e série 9: 351–484.
[GC-P14] Gillett, C. P. D. T., A. Crampton-Platt, M. J. T. N. Timmermans, B. H. Jordal, B. C. Emerson & A. P. Vogler. 2014. Bulk de novo mitogenome assembly from pooled total DNA elucidates the phylogeny of weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea). Molecular Biology and Evolution 31 (8): 2223–2237.
[MPJ18] Mugu, S., D. Pistone & B. H. Jordal. 2018. New molecular markers resolve the phylogenetic position of the enigmatic wood-boring weevils Platypodinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Arthropod Systematics and Phylogeny 76 (1): 45–58.
[W86] Wood, S. L. 1986. A reclassification of the genera of Scolytidae (Coleoptera). Great Basin Naturalist Memoirs 10: 1–126.