Chiloneus SCHOENHERR, 1842: 234

[type species: Chiloneus siculus Boheman, 1842, by original designation]

Chilonorrhinus Reitter, 1915: 187, syn. n.

[type species: Chilonorrhinus sitonoides Reitter, 1915, here designated]

Taxonomic notes:

Chiloneus includes 46 species distributed over the Mediterranean region. Chilonorrhinus includes 4 species from Algeria, Italy, Greece, and Israel. Reitter (1915b) established Chilonorrhinus only based on the shape of scales (piliform, vs broad in Chiloneus). Head shape, the proportions of the body, and the structure of the frontoepistome are very similar in Chilonorrhinus and Chiloneus . Our examinations suggest that the type species Chilonorrhinus sitonoides differs from Chiloneus species only by having piliform hairs in its vestiture and a fine punctuation of the pronotum (Fig. 9). Difference of this kind are not significant enough to separate species at genus level. The female genitalia are very similar in Chilonorrhinus sitonoides and most Chiloneus species. We consider this sufficient reason to transfer Chilonorrhinus sitonoides to Chiloneus . The other three Chilonorrhinus species (which we did not examine) are also transferred to Chiloneus, as there is no evidence in favour of their separation from Chilonorrhinus sitonoides at genus level. The following new combinations are thus proposed: Chiloneus sitonoides (Reitter, 1915), comb. n., Chiloneus aliquoi (Pesarini, 1974), comb. n., Chiloneus corcyreus (Penecke, 1935), comb. n., and Chiloneus sahlbergi (Reitter, 1915), comb. n.

Type material:

C. sitonoides (Figs 9-13): Holotype, female (MTMB): ‘Algier, Reitter (Leder) [printed] / X.p.g. Sciaphilus ’ [hand written] / Desbrochersella sitonoides m in lit. [hand written by E. Reitter] / Chilonorrhinus sitonoides m. Type, 1915 [hand written by E. Reitter] / coll. Reitter [printed] / Monotypus Chilonorrhinus sitonoides Reitter, 1915 ’ [hand written label with red frame].