Procas granulicollis Walton

Thompson, Richard T., 2006, A revision of the weevil genus Procas Stephens (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea: Erirhinidae), Zootaxa 1234 (1), pp. 1-63 : 13-16

Procas granulicollis Walton

Procas granulicollis Walton, 1848: 166, 1852: 10 , 1856: 18; Jacquelin du Val 1854: [14]; Dohrn 1855: 73, 1856: 69; Marseul 1857: 142; Waterhouse 1858: 71, 1861: 27; Schaum 1859: 85, 1862: 89; Lacordaire 1863: 468 (note); Crotch 1863: 21; Morris, O.F. 1866: 24; Rye 1866: 262; Stein 1868: 102; Stierlin 1893: 470; Kloet & Hincks 1977: 85; Shirt 1987: 25; Kenward 1990: 22; Fowles 1992:19; Fowles & Boyce 1992: 11; Hyman & Parsons 1992: 292, 1994: 211; Hodge & Jones 1995: 133; Atty 1996: 35; Luff et al. 1996: 264; Alexander 1999: 220; Morris, M.G. 2002: 26, 36, 2003: 200.

Procas picipes var. granulicollis Walton : Marseul 1867: 104; Sharp 1883: 30.

Procas steveni var. granulicollis Walton : Sharp 1871: 28; Matthews & Fowler 1883: 39.

Procas steveni granulicollis Walton : Crotch 1871: 10.

Procas armillatus var. granulicollis Walton : Fowler 1891: 266; Sharp & Fowler 1893: 36; Beare & Donisthorpe 1904: 40; Beare 1930: 45.

Procas armillatus (Fabricius) : Read 1989: 7. [Misidentification]

Description

Length 3.0– 5.3 mm, mean (30) = 4.56. Head with frontal pit usually well defined and <0.07 mm in diameter but sometimes smaller and indistinct; rostrum (both sexes) × 3.9–4.4 as long as broad, mean (14) = 4.21, × 1.1–1.25 as long as pronotum, mean (14) = 1.15; punctures of upper surface elongate, interspaces rugulose, with distinct traces of a median carina.

Antennae ( Fig. 20 ) with lengths of funicle segments 1–3 in ratio 10: (5.8–7.5): 5.0–5.8), mean (10) = 10: 6.4: 5.5 (specimen with highest values, i.e. with segment l relatively short, is a dwarf); segment 2 × 1.0–1.3 as long as 3, mean (10) = 1.17.

Prothorax with sides strongly rounded, especially anteriorly; disc of pronotum usually with traces of smooth median line; area on either side of disc with more or less distinct setiferous granules Figs (13, 14).

Legs with tibiae more or less straight, each with circlet of white setae at base.

Vestiture variable, especially on elytra, usually consisting of tiny recumbent white setae forming a variegated pattern, with similar but dark brown setae on intervening areas and with larger but rather inconspicuous dark brown setae in rows along the interstriae ( Fig. 3 ) (as in P. picipes ); in some specimens, however, these latter setae are larger and chestnut brown, hence conspicuous, and give the specimen a very different, somewhat shaggy appearance ( Fig. 4 ); setae on scutellum sufficiently large and dense to make it appear white in contrast to the surrounding dark areas; multifid setae are regularly present in punctures of metepisternum and along anterior margin of ventrite 1; some small bi­ or multifid setae occur on sides of prothorax above coxae.

Terminalia. Processes of male sternite 8 slender, curved ( Figs 83–85 ); female sternite 8 with pigmented areas large and separate, with large setae (<0.08 mm long)( Figs 21–23 ); spermatheca with gland­lobe small, cylindrical, reflexed ( Figs 44–47 ).

Type material

The type material of P. granulicollis has not been found. Walton’s description was based on a single specimen: “The only specimen I have seen was found... by T.C. Heysham, Esq., who kindly presented it to me.” In his checklist of British Curculionidae, Walton (1856: 18) indicates that P. granulicollis was not then represented in the collection of the British Museum. In 1859, Walton presented the British Museum with 73 species of British weevils: “All the species were wanted to complete the Museum Collection, several were unique in the Waltonian Collection” (F. Smith, note in register). After Walton’s death in 1862 his British weevil collection was purchased by J.A. Brewer who then sold a set to the British Museum. This comprised 328 species. Smith comments: “This purchase was as complete a set of British Curculionidae from Mr Walton’s collection as could be obtained.” All the material referred to above is listed in the BMNH registers but no Procas are included. It seems likely, therefore, that the specimen had been lost, or otherwise disposed of, between 1848 and 1859. Another possible explanation for its absence is suggested by Wollaston (1865). Having noted (p. 296) the slight differences between the then recognized species of Procas , he adds (p. 297, note): “Walton himself regarded [ granulicollis ] originally as a mere variety of picipes and afterwards thought that it might be identical with the Steveni ” so perhaps it remained in his collection with his picipes and went to Brewer. This would explain why Heysham’s specimens are listed in the sale catalogue (see below) as picipes , not granulicollis . Unfortunately, Walton seldom put any labels on his specimens and did not use the type concept, so the specimen, if it still exists, would now be difficult to authenticate.

When the collections of T.C. Heysham were auctioned, there were ten specimens of ‘ Procas picipes ’ distributed among six of the lots ( Stevens 1859). Two of these are now in BMNH; a specimen labelled ‘Carlisle, Heysham, E.W. Janson’ may be a third and one from Pascoe’s collection labelled ‘Carlisle’ may be a fourth. All these specimens are P. granulicollis . It is likely that they are from the same site as the missing holotype and are therefore topotypes.

Accordingly, to ensure stability of nomenclature and having met the conditions of Article 75.3 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, I now make the following designation:

NEOTYPE of Procas granulicollis Walton , male, with: BMNH ‘neotype’ disc; ‘Nokes 1861 / Heysham’s / Sale’ ( MS, under card); ‘ Probably Walton’s / type (sec Fowler)’ (? Power MS); ‘ Power. / [18]96­69’ (printed, old label); ‘ J.A. Power. / B.M. 1896­ 69.’ (printed, new label) and ‘ NEOTYPE Procas granulicollis Walton det. R.T. Thompson 2002’ in BMNH. The specimen is 4.2 mm long, complete in all its parts and is carefully set on a card rectangle. Fowler’s suggestion that this specimen may be Walton’s type is clearly mistaken; Heysham gave the type specimen to Walton, so it would not have been in the former’s possession when he died. The type locality is ‘a wood [probably Baron Wood ] at some distance from Carlisle’ ( UK, Cumbria) .

Other specimens examined

UK, ENGLAND: 1 ex. with ‘ Heysham’s sale (pencil) and ‘[18]59.42 / B.M.’ (ink) under card, ‘ B.M. Coll. ’ (printed), ‘[18]59 / 42 ( MS, on blue disc)[“ Purchased of J.C. Stevens ”]( BMNH) ; 1 ex. with ‘ Carlisle, Heysham / E. W. Janson’ (E.W. Janson MS) , ‘ Ex coll. / G.R. Crotch’ (printed)( UZMC) ; 1 ex. with ‘ Carlisle’ (F.P. Pascoe MS on small oval label), ‘ Procas / granulicollis / Walt. ’ (Pascoe MS) and ‘ Pascoe Coll. / B.M. 1893­60.’ (printed); 1 ex. with ‘ 2t.73 / Stevens’ ( MS, under card), ‘ Ex Coll. / Stevens. ’, ‘ Brighton, Sussex. ’ and ‘ G.C. Champion / B.M. 1964­540’ (all printed)(both BMNH) ; 2 ex. with ‘ S. Stevens coll [?] / Brighton’ (pencil, under card)( HMAG) ; 5 ex. Northumbria, Heddon on the Wall, VC 67 NZ 16, with ‘5710­5714’ (pencil, under cards), 3.i.1992 (M.L. Luff); 1 ex. ditto, except ‘5715’ and 3.ii.1992; 1 ex. ditto, except ‘5641’ and 12.vi.1990 (all UN) ; 1 ex. ditto, except ‘5725’ and 3.v.1992 ( PH) ; 2 ex. ditto, except 10.xi.1991 (J.A. Owen)( NMS) ; 3 ex. Surrey, Holmwood Common , 2.v.1998 (R.G. Booth), ‘sieving bracken litter’ ( BMNH) ; 1 ex. ditto, except 5.vi.2001 ( NMB) ; 6 ex. ditto, except 2.v.1998 (J.A. Owen); 1 ex. ditto, except 26.iv.1999 (all NMS) . UK, WALES: 2 ex. Radnor, Cerrig Gwynion , 14.vi.1991 (D.C. Boyce)( BMNH) ; 4 ex. ditto, except 22.vi.1992 (J. Cooter)( JC) ; 9 ex. ditto, except 22.v.1992 (P. J. Hodge)( PH) ; 4 ex. ditto, except 13.vii.1991 (H. Mendel), ‘ Coryd. claviculata’ ( HM) ; 2 ex. Cardigan, Cwm Llyfnant, 14.v.1991; 2 ex. (fragments), Coed Cnwch yr Arian , 22.v.1992 (all A. P. Fowles)(all BMNH) ; 1 ex. Cwm Rheidol , 17.v.1991 (A P. Fowles) ( NMS) ; 2 ex. Brecon, Carn Gefallt , 29.vi.1991 (D.C. Boyce)(all BMNH) ; 6 ex. Carnarvon, Coedydd Aber , 17.iv.1993 (A.P. Fowles)(3 BMNH, 3 MM) . SPAIN: 2 ex. with ‘ Cancas [= Cangas] Ast [urias] / Paganetti’ (printed)( DEI, SMNS) ; 1 ex. ‘ Cancas ,’ ‘ Mitscha / 1920’ ( ZMA) ; 3 ex. Caboalles (Paganetti)( SMT, SMNS, MRSN) . Total : 66 specimens .

Other (published) localities

UK, SCOTLAND: Dumfries and Galloway, Kirkconnell Flow National Nature Reserve ( Kenward 1990: 23). Three further Scottish localities (Lochmaben, Castle Loch; Moffat, Loch Wood; Gatehouse of Fleet, Castromon Wood) are listed in an unpublished report by Godfrey (1996). Up­to­date information on P. granulicollis will be found on Adrian Fowles’s web site (see references). UK, ENGLAND: Cumbria, Wythop Woods ( Atty 1996).

Notes

The first specimen listed above is one of 225 Coleoptera from Heysham’s sale which were purchased by the British Museum from J.C. Stevens in 1859. Champion’s ‘Brighton’ specimen is clearly wrongly labelled, as pointed out by Allen (in Kenward 1990: 25). Allen also states that Champion would not have recognized it (as distinct from picipes ) but it was standing in Champion’s collection over a printed series­label: ‘ v. granulicollis, Walt. ’ (now attached to the specimen).

According to M.A. Alonso­Zarazaga (pers. comm.) there are, in the Asturias region, two small towns called Caboalles which are close together. There are also two called Cangas which are further apart but one of which is quite near Caboalles (a third Cangas on the west coast of Galicia can be discounted). It seems likely, therefore, that Paganetti’s specimens were all taken in a small area centred on 6° 25' W, 43° 0' N .

Comments

This species is notable for the pupillate granules on the disc of the pronotum and the shortness of antennal funicle segment 2 in relation to 3. It is the only species which commonly has a small frontal pit and ‘white scutellum.’ It is associated with damp mixed deciduous woodland with bracken and white climbing corydalis ( Ceratocapnos claviculata )(Fowles 1992). It occurs widely in this habitat in upland Britain and in Surrey ( Alexander 1999: 220) but attempts by myself and others (Fowles 1992: 20, Nigel Cuming, pers. comm.) to find it in this type of habitat in East Anglia have so far proved unsuccessful.

The Spanish specimens agree quite well with those from Britain; one of them is of the ‘shaggy’ variety mentioned in the description. This species was formerly thought to be a British endemic ( Allen 1990). One reason for making this revision was to see if this was, in fact, the case.

Figures

FIGURES 15–20. Terminalia of (15) Procas granulicollis, male, ventral view, (16) P. p. picipes, female, dorsal view (right valve of ovipositor omitted). Scale­bar = 0.5 mm. Key: bc, bursa copulatrix; is, internal sac; m, manubrium; od, oviduct; op, ovipositor; s, sternite 8; sg, spiculum gastrale; sv, spiculum ventrale; t, tegmen (apex of dorsal plate). Ovipositor of P. p. picipes (17). Scale­bar = 0.1 mm. Antennae, ventral view, of (18) P. armillatus, (19) P. lecontei, (20) P. granulicollis. Scale as figs 15, 16.

FIGURES 1–8. 1. Habitus, dorsal, of Procas picipes levantinus; 2–8. Elytra, dorsal, of (2) P. p. levantinus, (3) P. granulicollis (normal form), (4) ditto (‘shaggy’ form), (5) P. p. picipes, (6) P. lecontei, (7) P. armillatus, (8) P. biguttatus.

FIGURES 74–85. Sternite 8 of male of Procas p. picipes from (74, 75) England, Brighton, (76) France, Marseille, (77) Italy, Lucera, (78) Italy, Mastro Marco; P. p. steveni from (79, 80) Azerbaijan, (81) Ukraine, Odessa; P. p. levantinus from (82) Israel, Jerusalem; P. granulicollis from (83, 84) Wales, (85) Spain. Scale­bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 21–26. Sternite 8 of female of (21) Procas granulicollis, ‘shaggy’ form from Spain, Cancas, (22) normal form from Wales, Carn Gefalt, (23) ditto, from Spain; (24) P. picipes levantinus from Israel, Jerusalem, (25) ditto from Jordan, Amman; (26) P. michaelis from Spain, Puente. Scale­bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 44–50. Spermatheca of Procas granulicollis, (44) ‘shaggy’ form from Spain, Cangas, (45–47) normal form from (45) Wales, Carn Gefallt, (46) Spain, (47) England, Carlisle; (48) P. michaelis from Spain, Puente, (49) P. picipes levantinus from Israel, Jerusalem, (50) ditto, from Jordan, Amman). Scale­bar = 0.2 mm.