Revision of the taxonomy of the genus Pseudips and impact on P. mexicanus
A recent article reviews the taxonomy of the genus Pseudips based on morphological characters and a DNA-based phylogeny. As a consequence, the species Pseudips radiatae is restored as a distinct species from Pseudips mexicanus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae, EPPO Alert List) to which it had been previously synonymized.
The distribution for P. mexicanus is now limited to Mexico (Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Distrito Federal, Durango, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico, Michoacán, Morelos, Nuevo León, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tlaxcala, Veracruz) and Guatemala (Totonicapán), whereas all the records in the USA and Canada are now considered to be P. radiatae. The authors also noted that P. radiatae probably occurs in Baja California (Mexico).
The distribution has been updated accordingly in EPPO Global Database: https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/IPSXRA/distribution.
The paper does not address the host range, only mentioning that both species have ‘various Pinus spp.’ as host. In EPPO Global database, the following species were removed from the host list of P. mexicanus as they had been specifically reported as hosts in the USA and Canada: Pinus albicaulis, Pinus contorta var. latifolia.
It may be noted that the specimens found in Ireland (EPPO RS 2024/004) have been identified as most closely related to the Mexican population.
Sources
Cognato AI, Smith SM (2024) Taxonomic review of Pseudips Cognato (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae: Ipini) inferred from morphology and a DNA-based phylogeny. The Coleopterists Bulletin 78(2), 239-254.
Robyn Earl, NPPO of Ireland, personal communication (2024-07).