Chromosome numbers of some Brentid and Curculionid weevils from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

Abstract

Chromosomes of 24 curculionoid species from the Greater Puerto Rico Region, including the U.S. Virgin Islands are listed. Seven are endemic and eight are notable agricultural pests. The male meioformula of the broadnosed weevils (Brachyderinae, Otiorhynchinae) as well as of the brentid Cylas formicarius elengantulus is the expected 10 + Xy_p, except for the phyllobiine Lachnopus kofresi from Mona Island (16 + Xy_p). Representatives of the other curculionid subfamilies had higher autosomal numbers and primitive sex bivalent, Xy_p. An exception was Anthonomus eugenii, which has a sex trivalent (X₁X₂Y) in the male. For morphological and cytological reasons, Lachnopus coffeae montanus Marshall, L. seini Wolcott, and L. yaucona Wolcott were synonymized with L. coffeae Marshall (NEW SYNONYMIES). One species of Ischionoplus (Brachyderinae) is new to science and it is endemic for Mona Island.