Bridging biodiversity gaps: Updated taxonomy and diversity of Sri Lankan Myllocerus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Entiminae)

The genus Myllocerus includes numerous economically important species because both adults and larvae cause damage to agricultural, horticultural, and forest crops. To date, 11 species of Myllocerus have been recorded from Sri Lanka. However, taxonomic knowledge remains limited, and specimens in established Sri Lankan institutional collections are scarce, with most historical material housed in overseas institutions.

This study presents an updated account of Myllocerus species in Sri Lanka, including diagnostic characters, habitus images, distributional data, and the first illustrated identification key. Myllocerus angulatipes, M. equinus, and M. zeylanicus are Sri Lankan endemics, while M. undecimpustulatus undatus is native to Sri Lanka and adventive in the USA. Compared with southern India, the known Sri Lankan diversity of Myllocerus is low.

This highlights the need for further field study and taxonomic revision.