Brachysomus (Hippomias) pelex Yunakov, 2006

Yunakov, Nikolai, 2022, A review of the genus Brachysomus Schoenherr (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Zootaxa 5193 (1), pp. 1-165 : 58-59

Brachysomus (Hippomias) pelex Yunakov, 2006

Figs. 134 , 213 , 239B

Brachysomus pelex Yunakov, 2006: 302 . Type locality: Greece, Mt. Athos.

Redescription. Measurements: Body length 2.25–2.30 mm, width 1.20–1.30 mm; in holotype 2.25 mm and 1.20

mm. Vestiture: Body densely covered with minute, lanceolate, grey and brown scales. Elytra with transverse and oblique dark-drown spots. Elytral interstriae, antennal scape, and legs with shorter, evenly widened, rounded apically, suberect setae. Setae of interstriae wide, 2.5x shorter than interstriae width. Funicular antennomeres and club with fine, light pubescence. Ventrites with hairs and piliform scales. Colouration: Body and legs brown.

Head: Rostrum strongly conically narrowing from base to middle, weakly elongate (RL/RW = 1.03–1.07). Pterygia clearly visible in dorsal view, noticeably projecting from outline of rostrum. Epifrons weakly convex longitudinally, separated from vertex by transverse depression noticeably visible in lateral and dorsal views. Eyes small (VW/ELD = 2.25–2.27 (2.26)), weakly convex, situated very high on head capsule, near level of vertex. Vertex flat, distinctly, finely, and longitudinally punctate under scales. Antennae: Scape noticeably curved, evenly widened distally; funicular antennomeres: 1st and 2nd elongate, 1st noticeably larger than 2nd; 3rd–6th as long as wide, 7th transverse; club egg-shaped.

Thorax: Pronotum transverse (PL/PW = 0.78), weakly constricted at apex, weakly and evenly convex at disc, very densely, finely, and shallowly punctate, sides evenly convex. Elytra: oblong-oval (EL/EW in male = 1.26; in female = 1.22). Disc slightly convex. Sides of elytra not convex, almost flat. Base of elytra 1.02–1.10x as wide as base of pronotum. Striae linear. Punctures deep, narrowly separated. Interstriae noticeably convex, shiny, 2x wider than striae. Legs short and thick. Femora moderately swollen in middle part. Tibiae slender, straight, with weakly sinuate medial margin. Protibiae usually not widened at apex. Metatibiae in male slightly mucronate. First tarsomere triangular, 2nd weakly transverse. Fifth fore tarsomere extending beyond apical lobes of 3rd by 0.60 length of the lobes.

Abdomen: Male 5th ventrite evenly strongly convex, with weak depression at apical part. Posterior margin of male 5th ventrite truncate, in females rounded. Male genitalia: Meadian lobe paralelsided, apex protruded and broadly rounded ( Fig. 213A–C ). Spermatheca: with large ramus and short straight collum.

Diagnosis. Brachysomus pelex is closely related to B. albanicus , but differs by the sinuate medial margin of the meso- and metatibia, dense vestiture composed of broad dentate scales, broader erect setae, depressed posterior part of male 5th ventrite, and structure of the aedeagus, endophallus and spermatheca.

Distribution. Greece (Mt. Athos).

Bionomics. Unknown.

Remarks. This species was described in the B. ponticus group, but is transferred here into the B. transsylvanicus group after a more detailed morphological study.

Type material. GREECE: Holotype,♂ (MSNM): ‘Athos [Mt.], Macedonien, A. Schatzmayer’, ‘ oertzeni ♂, det. Solari’, ‘ oertzeni det. Formánek’; Paratype: 2♀ (ZIN), as holotype.

Figures

FIGURE 213. Brachysomus pelex: A: aedeagus; B: endophallic sclerites; C: tegmen; D: spermatheca; E: antenna; F: hind tibia of male; G: sternite VII.

FIGURE 239. Occurrence map of Brachysomus: A: Brachysomus s. str.; B: subgenus Hippomias.

FIGURES 130–135. Brachysomus, main view. 130: B. alexeevi. 131: B. argutus 132: B. armatus 133: B. boroveci 134: B. pelex. 135: Eurosphalmus tenuicollis comb. n.