Brachysomus (Hippomias) kovali Yunakov, 2006

Yunakov, Nikolai, 2022, A review of the genus Brachysomus Schoenherr (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Zootaxa 5193 (1), pp. 1-165 : 72-73

Brachysomus (Hippomias) kovali Yunakov, 2006

Figs. 50 , 227 , 240B

Brachysomus kovali Yunakov, 2006: 315 . Type locality: Georgia, Khuap.

Redescription. Measurements: Body length 1.90–2.50 mm, width 1.10–1.50 mm. Vestiture: Head, pronotum and elytra densely covered with grey and brown lanceolate scales. Epistome without scales. Elytra with degraded, brown, spotty scale pattern and short erect lanceolate setae at interstriae. Antennal scape, outer surface of femora and tibiae densely covered with scales and erect setae. Antennal funicle and inner surface of tibiae with long, pale hairs. Setae at basal part of elytra suberect, as long as 1/3 width of interstriae, at apical part of elytra erect, as long as 1/2 width of interstriae. Head and pronotum almost without erect setae. Abdomen sparsely covered with piliform scales and hair, but precoxal area of 1st ventrite and lateral part of 2nd and 3rd ventrites with dense lanceolate scales.

Colouration: Body light brown to dark-brown, antennae and legs usually light brown.

Head: Rostrum conical, as long as wide or slightly elongate (in males RL/RW = 1.09 in females RL/RW = 1.11–1.20). Pterygia clearly visible in dorsal view, strongly projecting from outline of rostrum. Epifrons parallelsided, weakly convex longitudinally, sometimes with weak median longitudinal sulcus, not separated from vertex by transverse depression. Postepistome depressed, epistome delimited by V-shaped carina. Eyes small (VW/ELD = 1.91–2.54), oblong-oval, noticeably convex, situated lower than level of vertex by 0.62 ETD. Vertex flat, distinctly longitudinally punctate under scales. Antennae: Scape evenly curved and widened distally, 2x wider than at base, extending beyond apical margin of pronotum. Funicle noticeably widened distally. funicular antennomeres: 1st (L/ W = 2.28) and 2nd (L/W = 2.00) elongate, 1st wider and 1.3x as long as 2nd, 3rd–7th transverse; club broad-spindleshaped, 1.6x as wide as 7th funicular antennomere.

Thorax: Pronotum in females transverse in males slightly transverse (PL/PW = 0.69–0.92), evenly convex at sides, widest at middle, noticeably constricted at apex and base. Disc evenly and slightly convex in cross-section, with noticeable lateral depressions. Elytra: in male oval, in female broad-oval, (EL/EW = 1.17–1.32), evenly convex at disc and sides. Disc in females strongly convex. Punctures shallow; spaces between punctures somewhat narrower than diameter of puncture, situated deeper than interstrial level. Interstriae convex, shiny, 1.5x as wide as striae. Base of elytra slightly sinuate. Legs: Femora moderately swollen in middle part. Fore tibiae straight from the outside, S-shaped interiorly. Hind tibiae in male weakly sinuate interiorly, without interior blade-shaped edging, distinctly mucronate, in females slightly narrowing apically. First tarsomere triangular, 2nd as long as wide. Fifth fore tarsomere extending beyond apical lobes of 3rd by 0.60 length of the lobes.

Abdomen: Male 5th ventrite without depression, with slightly sinuate apical margin. Male genitalia: median lobe weakly sclerotized 2x longer than apodemes, ventral side, except for distal part, membranous. Ventral membranes slightly sclerotized. Spermatheca: ramus distinctly longer than collum.

Diagnosis. Brachysomus kovali is closely related to B. kubanensis , differing by the sinuate interiorly unsharpened hind tibiae in male, flattened and slightly sinuate at the apex of male 5th ventrite, more convex eyes, short rostrum (RL/RW = 1.09–1.20, in B. kubanensis — 1.18–1.34), noticeably erect setae at the elytra (in B. kubanensis elytra usually with suberect or recumbent setae) and structure of the aedeagus.

Distribution. Western Caucasus: southern slopes of Bzybsky Mountain Range ( Yunakov, 2006).

Bionomics. This species inhabits leaf litter in deciduous forests around 500 m a.s.l.

Type material. GEORGIA: Abkhazia: Holotype ♂ (ZIN), Western Caucasus, Abkhazia, Bzybskii Range, near Khuap, 500 m, pitfall traps, 31.V–25.VIII 1986 A.G. Koval leg. Paratypes. 8♂, 6♀ (ZIN), collected with holotype; 1♀ (ZIN), ‘Abchasia, Sukhum, А. Zolotarew’.

Figures

FIGURE 227. Brachysomus kovali: A: aedeagus; B: tegmen; C: spermatheca; D: body; E: hind tibia of male; F: ventrites.

FIGURE 240. Occurrence map of Brachysomus subgenus Hippomias.

FIGURES 43–50. Brachysomus, dorsal habitus: 43: B. transsylvanicus. 44: B. carpathicus female. 45: B. laticollis. 46: B. carpathicus male. 47: B. ellipticus. 48: B. kubanensis. 49: B. verae. 50: B. kovali.