Cimberis elongata (LeConte)

Janicki, Julia & Young, Daniel K., 2017, Nemonychidae and Anthribidae of Wisconsin (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea), Insecta Mundi 2017 (579), pp. 1-36 : 3-4

Cimberis elongata (LeConte)

(Fig. 1–2)

Rhinomacer elongatus LeConte 1876: 2 .

Cimberis elongatus Hamilton 1969: 52 .

Neocimberis elongatus (LeConte) ; O’Brien and Wibmer 1982: 18.

Cimberis elongata (LeConte) ; Kuschel 1989: 134.

Description. Length 2.8–5.1mm. Body elongate-oval. Integument black, pre-rostrum, femora, tibiae, coxae and antennae reddish-orange, tarsi darker. Vestiture consisting of long, coarse, light brown to yellow setae with coppery reflection dorsally, surface with finer, white or grey setae ventrally. Frons 1.25–1.33X dorsal tip of rostrum. Rostrum 0.92–1.09X pronotal length, moderately saddled basally; prerostrum slightly more elongate in female. Labrum subrectangular, sides converging from about the middle, apical margin broadly emarginate. Antennae reaching eyes at segment four. Eyes large, slightly elongate, with long interfacetal setae. Pronotum usually just slightly wider than long, moderately curved laterally, truncate or subemarginate apically, truncate basally; broadly flattened or impressed mesally. Elytra elongate, length 1.85–2.08X width. Femora moderately swollen. Sexual dimorphism present: abdominal sternites 3–4 of females with large, transverse, white setiferous patch.

Diagnosis. Cimberis elongata can be distinguished by the sub-rectangular labrum with sides converging from about the middle and with the apical margin broadly emarginate, broadly flattened or impressed pronotum that is strigose on the depressed area due to coarse, confluent punctures, black integument with long, light brown to yellow setae, and by the orange pre-rostrum and antennae.

Natural history. Adults can be found on male pollen-bearing flowers of various pine species ( Pinus spp. ), including Jack pine ( P. banksiana ), white pine ( P. strobus ), Virginia pine ( P. virginiana ), lodgepole pine ( P. contorta ), and loblolly pine ( P. taeda ). In Wisconsin, C. elongata has been collected from red pine ( P. resinosa ) and Jack pine ( P. banksiana ). According to Thomas and Herdy (1961), this species overwinters through two seasons, one year as mature larvae and the other as adults. Adults overwinter in the ground and emerge in May to feed on staminate pine flowers. Females then lay eggs on the strobili, and after about a week the newly eclosed larvae are able to move around freely among the sporophylls, feeding on pollen or pollen sacs of the strobili. The larvae burrow into the top three inches of soil after about 10 days to pupate and overwinter. The following season they overwinter as adults and emerge early the next spring ( Thomas and Herdy 1961; Kuschel 1983).

Phenology. In Wisconsin, adults have been collected from April – July, with a peak in May.

Collecting methods. The 25 specimens examined during this study came from 13 counties. This species can be found in most habitats where pine is present, especially pine barrens; where recorded, most adults were collected from Jack pine. Adults are most readily collected by beating branches of male pine trees about two weeks prior to pollination. One adult was collected at light about 1–1.5 months after pollination in July, and another was collected in a Malaise trap.