Sciaphobus (Neosciaphobus) squalidus ( Gyllenhal, 1834 )

Borovec, Roman & Skuhrovec, Jiří, 2015, A review of Sciaphobus (Neosciaphobus) and descriptions of new species of Sciaphobus s. str. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 55 (2), pp. 745-785 : 765-769

Sciaphobus (Neosciaphobus) squalidus ( Gyllenhal, 1834)

( Figs 2E–H , 4I–J , 5E )

Polydrusus squalidus Gyllenhal, 1834: 151 (original description).

Sciaphilus squalidus: STIERLIN (1884) : 87 (key).

Sciaphobus (Neosciaphobus) squalidus: WINKLER (1932) : 1469 (catalogue); DALLA TORRE et al. (1937): 163 (catalogue); SMRECZYŃSKI (1966): 82 (fauna); ANGELOV (1978): 60 (fauna); DIECKMANN (1980):252 (fauna); PODLUSSÁNY (1996): 200 (check-list); BENEDIKT et al. (2010): 107 (check-list); BOROVEC (2013): 385 (catalogue).

Sciaphilus beckeri Stierlin, 1864: 494 (original description); WINKLER (1932): 1469 (synonymy).

Sciaphobus (Neosciaphobus) balcanicus Apfelbeck, 1922: 65 (original description); WINKLER (1932): 1469 (catalogue); DALLA TORRE et al. (1937): 162 (catalogue); ANGELOV (1978): 60 (fauna); BOROVEC (2013): 385 (catalogue). Syn. nov.

Sciaphobus (Neosciaphobus) squalidus alternans Apfelbeck, 1922: 64 (original description); WINKLER (1932): 1469 (catalogue); DALLA TORRE et al. (1937): 163 (catalogue); BOROVEC (2013): 385 (catalogue). Syn. nov.

Sciaphobus (Neosciaphobus) squalidus ovalipennis Apfelbeck, 1922: 64 (original description); WINKLER (1932): 1469 (catalogue); DALLA TORRE et al. (1937): 163 (catalogue); BOROVEC (2013): 385 (catalogue). Syn. nov.

Type localities. Polydrusus squalidus : ‘Tauria [= Crimea]’, fixed here by lectotype designation; Sciaphilus beckeri : ‘Sarepta’; Sciaphobus balcanicus : ‘Rumänien (Comana vlasca) [= Comana, Giurgiu County, Romania]’, fixed here by lectotype designation; S. squalidus alternans : ‘ Rumänien (Munteni)’; S. squalidus ovalipennis : ‘Slavonia (Ruma)’.

Type material examined. Polydrusus squalidus : LECTOTYPE (here designated): ♀ (5.88 mm long, well preserved, only with divaricate elytra), ‘Tauria Steven [handwritten] / Typus [red, printed] / NRM Sthml Loan 2743/08 [green, printed] / LECTOTYPUS Polydrosus squalidus Gyllenhal, R. Borovec desig. 2013 [red, printed] / Sciaphobus squalidus (Gyllenhal) , R. Borovec det. 2013 [printed]’ ( NHRS). PARALECTOTYPE: ♀, ‘Polydr. - - - P. aust. Besser [handwritten] / Paratypus [red, printed] / NRM Sthml Loan 2744/08 [green, printed] / PARALECTOTYPUS Polydrosus squalidus Gyllenhal, R. Borovec desig. 2013 [red, printed] / Sciaphobus squalidus (Gyllenhal) , R. Borovec det. 2013 [printed] ’ ( NHRS).

Sciaphilus beckeri : LECTOTYPE (here designated): ♀ (5.50 mm long, lacking the both antennae), ‘Sarepta [handwritten] / 5 [handwritten] / Sciaphilus Beckeri Strl. [handwritten] / coll. Stierlin [printed] / Sciaphilus Beckeri Stierl. Ob + wohl richtig, aber nicht im Catalog [pink, handwritten] / Syntypus [red, printed] / DEI Müncheberg Col – 00150 [green, printed] / = beckeri Strl. [handwritten] / LECTOTYPUS Sciaphilus beckeri Stierlin, R. Borovec et J. Skuhrovec desig. 2014 [red, printed] / Sciaphobus squalidus (Gyllenhal) , R. Borovec det. 2014 [printed]’ ( SDEI). PARALECTOTYPE: 1 spec., unsexed, ‘ Sciaphilus Beckeri Strl. Sarepta Becker [handwritten] / 31. [blue, handwritten] / Sch [blue, handwritten] / Syntypus [red, printed] / DEI coll. von Heyden [printed] / DEI Müncheberg Col – 00153 [green, printed] / = beckeri Strl. [handwritten] / PARALECTOTYPUS Sciaphilus beckeri Stierlin, R. Borovec et J. Skuhrovec desig. 2014 [red, printed] / Sciaphobus squalidus (Gyllenhal) , R. Borovec det. 2014 [printed]’ ( SDEI); 2 spec., unsexed, ‘coll. Stierlin [printed] / Syntypus [red, printed] / DEI Müncheberg Col – 00151 [or 00152, respectively] [green, printed] / Sciaphobus squalidus (Gyllenhal) , R. Borovec det. 2014 [printed]’ ( SDEI).

Sciaphobus balcanicus : LECTOTYPE (here designated):J (5.75 mm long, remounted and dissected by the authors), ‘Romanie, Comana Vlasca, A. L. Montandon [printed] / balcanicus n. sp. Apf. [Apfelbeck’s handwriting] / Coll. O. Leonhard [printed] / Sciaphobus balcanicus Apfel. [handwritten] / DEI Müncheberg Col – 00124 [green, printed] / Sciaphobus balcanicus Apf. [handwritten] / LECTOTYPUS Sciaphobus balcanicus Apfelbeck, R. Borovec et J. Skuhrovec desig. 2014 [red, printed] / Sciaphobus squalidus (Gyllenhal) , R. Borovec det. 2014 [printed]’ ( SDEI). PARALECTOTYPES: ♀ (originally pinned together with lectotype), same data as lectotype (all labels additionaly produced by the authors) except of ‘PARALECTOTYPUS’ ( SDEI); J (remounted and dissected by the authors), ‘Ganglb. 95, Herkulesbad [printed] / balcanicus Apf. [Apfelbeck’s handwriting] / Coll. O. Leonhard [printed] / DEI Müncheberg Col – 00125 [green, printed]’ ( SDEI).

Sciaphobus squalidus alternans : type material not examined.

Sciaphobus squalidus ovalipennis : type material not examined.

Additional material examined. BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: BOSANSKA KRAJINA: Banja Luka , 1909, 1 spec., V. Apfelbeck lgt. ( SDEI) . BULGARIA: RUSE: Rustschuk , 3 spec. ( ZSMG) . CROATIA: SISAK- MOSLAVINA COUNTY: Sisak , 3 spec. ( NMPC) ; without more precise data, 1 spec. ( ZSMG) . GREECE: CENTRAL GREECE: Atheny , 1 spec. ( ZSMG) . HUNGARY: BARANYA COUNTY: Mohács , 16.v.1979, 1 spec., L. Dieckmann lgt. ( SDEI) ; Villany , 14.v.1980, 1 spec., M. Sieber lgt. ( SDEI) ; Villányi hills, Máriagyüd env., 3.v.1997. 7 spec., J. Krátký lgt. ( JKHC, RBSC). SOMOGY COUNTY: Siófok , v.1935, 1 spec., Hajný lgt. ( JFHC) ; without more precise data, 1 spec. ( SDEI) . MOLDAVIA: PRIDNESTROVE ( TRANSNISTRIA): 70 km N t. Tiraspol, ‘ Yagorlyk’ Res. , 15.iv.2000, 6 spec., A.Moseyko lgt. ( RBSC) . ROMANIA: ARAD: Rovine, bank of the Muresul River, 21.iv.1983, 21 spec., R. Borovec lgt. ( RBSC). BANAT (historical region): Banat , 2 spec. ( NMPC), Banat ( SDEI). BUCUREŞTI- ILFOV: ‘ Bucurest’ , 1 spec. ( SDEI). CONSTANŢA: Cheia , 44°29′N, 28°26′E, 2.v.2009, 1 spec., P. Kresl lgt. ( PKSC). CARAŞ- SEVERIN: Herkulesbad [= Băile Herculane], 1 spec. ( JFHC) ; Herculane [= Băile Herculane], 22.–30.v.1969, 1 spec., Z. & J. Novotný lgt. ( JFHC) ; Mehadia, 5 spec. ( SDEI), 3 spec. ( ZSMG). GIURGIU: ‘ Comana Vlasca’ [Comana is a commune in the Giurgiu county formely known as Vlasca county], 3 spec., A. L. Montandon lgt. ( NMPC), 8 spec., A. L. Montandon lgt. ( SDEI). IAŞI: Lespezi pr. Bacau, meadows, forests, 2.v.2005, 3 spec., J. Krátký lgt. ( JKHC). SUCEAVA: Mitocu Dragomirnei , 6.v.2005, 1 spec., J. Krátký lgt. ( JKHC). TULCEA: Podisul Babadagului Mts. , Codru env., 44°49.192′N, 28°41.471′E, 5.v. 2009, 137 m, 7 spec., J. Krátký & P. Kresl lgt. ( JKHC, PKSC) ; S of Horia, Podişul Babadagului Mts. , 44°59.7′N, 28°27′E, 1 spec., 6.v.2009, P. Kresl lgt. ( PKSC) ; Slava Rusa, Podişul Babadagului Mts. , 44°51.8′N, 28°38.2′E, 4.v.2009, 1 spec., P. Kresl lgt. ( PKSC) . RUSSIA: VOLGOGRAD OBLAST: Sarepta , 1 spec. ( SDEI), 3 spec. ( ZSMG) ;

without more precise data, 2 spec., mer. ( SDEI) ; 2 spec. ( ZSMG). SERBIA: BRANIČEVO: Ponikve, V. Gradište, 2.v.1954, 1 spec., Stančić lgt. ( NMPC) ; Radoševac, V. Gradište, 15.v.1955, 3 spec., Stančić lgt. ( NMPC). CITY OF BELGRADE: Beograd, Topčider, 14.iv.1953, 2 spec., Stančić lgt. ( NMPC). SOUTH BAČKA: Sr. Karlovci, 7.iv.1951, 2 spec., Stančić lgt. ( NMPC). VOJVODINA: Ruma, 2 spec. ( NMPC). SLOVAKIA: NITRA: Báb, 13.v.1969, 2 spec., I. Okáli lgt. ( JFHC). UKRAINE: CRIMEA: Krym, Gomilšan, 3.v.1980, 1 spec., Kletečka lgt. ( RBSC). IVANO- FRAN- KIVSK OBLAST: Kolomyya, 6.v.1900, 2 spec. ( NMPC). KIEV: Kiev, 1 spec. ( ZSMG). TERNOPIL OBLAST: Terebovlya, 30.v.1990, 2 spec. ( SDEI). ZHYTOMYR OBLAST: Zhytomyr, 1 spec. ( SDEI). UNKNOWN: ‘ Slavon [=? Slavonia]’, without additional data, 1 spec. ( SDEI) .

Redescription ( Figs 2E–H ; 4I–J , 5E ). Body length 5.13–7.25 mm. Body black; antennae red brownish, clubs blackish; femora except of knees blackish, tibiae with tarsi red brownish, in some specimens also femora brownish or reddish or tarsi darker, almost blackish. Elytra with short oval appressed scales, sparse, leaving narrow spaces between two scales, 6–7 scales across one elytral interval, in many specimens sparser on intervals 3 and 5, light brownish to brownish, exceptionally greyish, sometimes with bronze sheen, intervals 6–10 greyish. Pronotum with long and narrow scales, transversally directed, sparse, not hiding integument, of same colour as elytral ones and with large, long oval, dense greyish scales, forming inconspicuous stripes on pronotal sides. Head with rostrum with similar narrow scales as pronotal ones, directed obliquely posteriad, regularly sparsely covered space, only around eyes scales wider, short oval, dense.

Head ( Figs 2E–H , 4I–J ). Rostrum long and slender, isodiametric or 1.05× as long as wide, in basal half weakly tapered anteriad with straight sides, in anterior half distinctly enlarged anteriad with straight sides, at apex in males 1.14–1.18×, in females 1.08–1.09× as wide as at base. Frons large, weakly and shallowly depressed, in anterior part finely punctate, in basal half almost impunctate, shiny, sparsely covered by narrow scales. Epifrons regularly and distinctly punctate, somewhat matt. Interocular space with thin longitudinal fovea. Eyes large and strongly convex, distinctly projecting beyond outline of head.

Antennae in both sexes thin; in males funicle segment I 1.9–2.0× as long as wide; segment II 2.4–2.5× as long as wide and 1.3–1.4× as long as segment I; segments III–VII 1.5–1.7× as long as wide; in females segment I twice as long as wide; segment II 3.1–3.3× as long as wide and 1.3–1.4× as long as segment I; segments III–VII 1.7–2.0× as long as wide; clubs 2.6–2.7× as long as wide; clubs 2.6–2.7× as long as wide.

Pronotum ( Figs 2E–H ) large, in males 1.23–1.26×, in females 1.26–1.29× wide as long, widest at midlength or slightly behind it, with distinctly rounded sides, anteriad more tapered than posteriad; disc regularly and densely punctate, leaving only narrow shiny keels; several specimens with ill-defined, thin median impunctate stripe.

Scutellum large, subquadratic, densely squamose, greyish.

Elytra ( Figs 2E–H ) distinctly narrower in males than in females, in males 1.46–1.50×, in females 1.40–1.44× as long as wide, with regularly rounded sides, widest at midlength; humeral calli obliquely subtruncated posteriad, weakly projecting laterally; striae punctate, narrow, inconspicuous; intervals wide and flat.

Legs. All femora of the both sexes unarmed. Tarsomere II isodiametric to 1.1× as wide as long; tarsomere III 1.5–1.7× as wide as long and 1.5–1.6× as wide as II; onychium 0.9–1.0× as long as tarsomere III.

Sexual dimorphism. For more details see rostrum, antennae, pronotum and elytra.

Male genitalia. Aedeagus ( Fig. 5E ) long and slender, widest at base in ventral view, subparallel-sided with slightly concave sides, apex long and slender, pointed, with distinctly concave sides; regularly curved in lateral view and equally wide in whole length, apex tapered, with slender elongated point.

Female genitalia. Spermatheca ( Fig. 6E ) with nodulus twice wider than ramus.

Differential diagnosis. The largest species of Neosciaphobus , easily distinguished from all the other species mainly by having big, subquadratic and densely squamose scutellum ( Figs 2E, G ), which is unique within the whole subgenus, in combination with all femora unarmed.

Only S. (N.) scheibeli has also all femora unarmed and S. (N.) squalidus can be separated from it by the following characters (characters of S. (N.) scheibeli in parentheses): eyes convex, distinctly projecting beyond outline of the head ( Figs 4I, J ) (eyes flat, barely projecting ( Figs 4G, H )); rostrum slender and long ( Figs 4I, J ) (wide and short ( Figs 4G, H )); elytral intervals 6–10 with grey scales, scales on interval 7 equally sparse as on other intervals, scales not hiding integument ( Figs 2E–H ) (intervals 7–10 with green scales, scales on interval 7 denser than on other intervals, hiding integument ( Figs 2B, D )) and elytral striae inconspicuous, narrow (conspicuous, wide).

Distribution. Bosnia and Herzegovina ( BOROVEC 2013), Bulgaria ( BOROVEC 2013), Croatia ( BOROVEC 2013), Greece (unpublished data), Hungary ( BOROVEC 2013), Kazakhstan (BORO- VEC 2013), Moldova (unpublished data), Montenegro ( BOROVEC 2013), Romania ( BOROVEC 2013), Russia ( BOROVEC 2013), Serbia ( BOROVEC 2013), Slovakia ( BOROVEC 2013), Slovenia ( BOROVEC 2013), Ukraine ( BOROVEC 2013).

Collection circumstances. Adults were collected by beating of willows ( Salix spp. ) in Romania by the first author. Jiří Krátký (pers. comm.) collected adult specimens in Hungary ( Fig. 9D ) and Romania ( Fig. 9C ) by sweeping of herbal layer with dominance of Aegopodium podagraria L.

Remarks. GYLLENHAL (1834) described P. squalidus and stated ‘Habitat in Tauria, Podolia australi. Dom. Besser. Mus. Schh.’ for type localities and depositories. He did not specify number of specimens he used for description, but he must have had at least two as he mentioned two different localities. Tauria is a historic name for Crimea and Podolia was a historic region in Eastern Europe, located in west-central Ukraine and north-eastern Moldavia. Therefore Podolia australi most likely refers to present day north-eastern Moldavia. We designate a lectotype from the specimen from Tauria to stabilize the nomenclature in the group and therefore Tauria becomes the type locality. The paralectotype is from Podolia and is conspecific with the lectotype. The historical concept of the species is in agreement with the types.

STIERLIN (1864) described S. beckeri from Sarepta based on unknown number of specimens. We located four specimens deposited at SDEI and designated a lectotype in order to fix the name and stabilize the nomenclature of the group. All four specimens are clearly conspecific with the lectotype of P. squalidus thus we confirm synonymy of these two taxa, already stated in WINKLER’ s (1932) catalogue.

APFELBECK (1922) described S. balcanicus from series of specimens coming from various localities: ‘Südungarn (Herkules fürdö); Serbien (Kladovo); Bulgarien (Stara planina); Rumänien (Comana vlasca)’. Apfelbeck separated males of S. balcanicus from the similar S. squalidus by narrower elytra with less projecting humeral calli, longer and more parallel rostrum clearly separated from head, more convex eyes, longer and narrower pronotum, greyish and less metallic elytral scales and by the shape of aedeagus, and females by shorter and more convex elytra with more rounded sides. We examined three specimens, 2 males and 1 female from the collection of O. Leonhard (nowadays in SDEI) and designate a lectotype from a male specimen in order to fix its identify for purpose of synonymy. Due to the lectotype designation, Comana, Giurgiu county, Romania, becomes the type locality of this taxon. We had possibility to examine additional material from the same localities as the studied types in various collections, but we do not assume that they belong to the type series. All distinguishing characters stated by Apfelbeck, including the morphology of the aedeagus, which varies also within one locality, cannot be used for separating S. balcanicus from S. squalidus , and we consider them infraspecific variability. Therefore we consider Sciaphobus balcanicus a junior subjective synonym of S. squalidus .

APFELBECK (1922) also described two subspecies of S. squalidus : alternans from ‘ Romania (Munteni)’ and ovalipennis from ‘Slavonia (Ruma)’. We were unable to find the type specimens of both subspecies but we studied additional material deposited in O. Leonhard’s collection (SDEI). We have seen two specimens of the subspecies alternans, which were collected in Romania, Comana Vlasca and have identification label ‘ squalidus v. alternans Apf. ’ handwritten probably by Apfelbeck. They display all characters stated by Apfelbeck in the original description but have somewhat less convex eyes, more enlarged rostrum, narrower vertex and pronotum, and distinctly denser scales on elytral intervals 2, 4 and 6. All these characters fall within infraspecific variability of S. squalidus , even the paralectotype has for example denser scales on elytral intervals 2, 4 and 6, therefore we synonymize the taxon with the nominotypical subspecies. The subspecies ovalipennis was described based on shallower transversal sulcus between epifrons and vertex and narrower elytra in females. We have studied three specimens from the type locality, one female bearing label ‘squalidus ovalipennis (sp. pr.?) Apf.’ handwritten probably by Apfelbeck (ex coll. O. Leonhard, SDEI) and one pair deposited in NMPC. All three specimens have slightly shallower transversal sulcus between rostrum and head, but the elytra in females is the same as in typical S. squalidus . Therefore we consider the form of the sulcus infraspecific variability and synonymize the taxon with the nominotypical species.

Figures

Fig. 2. Habitus of Neosciaphobus species. Sciaphobus scheibeli Apfelbeck, 1922: male (A – dorsal view, B – lateral view), female (C – dorsal view, D – lateral view); S. squalidus (Gyllenhal, 1834): male (E – dorsal view, F – lateral view), female (G – dorsal view, H – lateral view); S. subnudus (Desbrochers des Loges, 1892): male (I – dorsal view, J – lateral view), female (K – dorsal view, L – lateral view).

Fig. 4. Rostra of Neosciaphobus and Sciaphobus (s. str.) species: Sciaphobus angustus sp. nov., holotype, male (A); S. globipennis Apfelbeck, 1922, male (B), female (C); S. ningnidus (Germar, 1824), female (D); S. reitteri (Stierlin, 1884), male (E), female (F); S. scheibeli Apfelbeck, 1922, male (G), female (H); S. squalidus (Gyllenhal, 1834), male (I), female (J); S. subnudus (Desbrochers des Loges, 1892), male (K), female (L); S. vittatus (Gyllenhal, 1834), male (M), female (N); S. abbreviatus (Desbrochers des Loges, 1871), male (O), female (P); S. dorsualis (Gyllenhal, 1834), male (Q), female (R); S. formaneki sp. nov., holotype, male (S), paratype, female (T); S. pelikani sp. nov., holotype, male (U), paratype, female (V); S. rasus (Seidlitz, 1867), male (W), female (Y).

Fig. 5. Aedeagus of Neosciaphobus and Sciaphobus (s. str.) species; Sciaphobus angustus sp. nov., holotype (A); S. globipennis Apfelbeck, 1922 (B); S. reitteri (Stierlin, 1884) (C); S. scheibeli Apfelbeck, 1922 (D); S. squalidus (Gyllenhal, 1834) (E); S. subnudus (Desbrochers des Loges, 1892) (F); S. vittatus (Gyllenhal, 1834) (G); S. abbreviatus (Desbrochers de Loges, 1871) (H); S. dorsualis (Gyllenhal, 1834) (I); S. formaneki sp. nov.: holotype (J); S. pelikani sp. nov.: holotype (K); S. rasus (Seidlitz, 1867) (L).

Fig. 6. Spermatheca, male tegmen and sternite IX, female ovipositor and sternite VIII of Neosciaphobus and Sciaphobus (s. str.) species; Spermatheca of Sciaphobus globipennis Apfelbeck, 1922 (A); S. ningnidus (Germar, 1824) (B); S. reitteri (Stierlin, 1884) (C); S. scheibeli Apfelbeck, 1922 (D); S. squalidus (Gyllenhal, 1834) (E); S. subnudus (Desbrochers des Loges, 1892) (F); S. vittatus (Gyllenhal, 1834) (G); S. formaneki sp. nov.: paratype (H); S. pelikani sp. nov.: paratype (I); S. rasus (Seidlitz, 1867) (J). Tegmen of Sciaphobus scheibeli (K); S. vittatus (L). Male sternite IX of Sciaphobus scheibeli (M). Ovipositor of Sciaphobus ningnidus (N). Female sternite VIII of Sciaphobus ningnidus (O).

Fig. 9. Habitats of Sciaphobus species; Stegvaša, Montenegro, type locality of S. pelikani sp. nov., foto J. Pelikán (A); bank of Elbe river in Hradec Králové (Czech Republic), locality of S. ningnidus (Germar, 1824), foto J. Krátký (B); Dobrogea in Babadag Mts.(Romania), locality of S. squalidus (Gyllenhal, 1834), foto J. Krátký (C); Mariagyüd in Villányi Mts. (Hungary), locality of S. squalidus (Gyllenhal, 1834), foto J. Krátký (D).