Bursinia genei ( Dufour, 1849 )

Davranoglou, Leonidas-Romanos, Malenovský, Igor, Soh, Zestin Wen Wen, Schlepütz, Christian M. & Wilson, Michael R., 2022, Fig. 6. A in A New Species of Bleeker, 1876 (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae) from Taiwan., Zoological Studies 61 (51), pp. 1-15 : 2-10

Bursinia genei ( Dufour, 1849) ( Figs. 1–10)

Dyctiophora [sic] senegalensis nec Spinola, 1839 – Spinola 1839: 296 (misidentification, not conspecific with the type of D. senegalensis , now Philotheria senegalensis ( Spinola, 1839) , according to Melichar 1912: 93 and Metcalf 1946: 189).

Dyctiophora [sic] genei Dufour, 1849: 101 (original description).

Almana genei – Stål 1861: 150 (new combination, listed).

Bursinia genei – Horváth 1910: 180, 183, fig. 5 (new combination, in key, redescription); Melichar 1912: 185, 188 (in key, redescription); Metcalf 1946: 189 (catalogue); Emeljanov 1980: 27, 29, figs. 113, 126 (drawings of female gonapophysis VIII and male phallotheca).

Bursinia genei var. dispar Horváth, 1910: 180 , 184, fig. 6. Synonymy according to Nast 1972: 93.

Bursinia (Bursinia) genei – Emeljanov 2009: 48 (listed).

Material examined: Spain: Sierra de Guadarrama, viii.1927, Uvarov leg., 1 m *, 1 f* ( BMNH); Espinar, viii.1894, I. Bolivar leg., 1 f* ( MMBC). France: Alpes-Maritimes, Théoule, 14.vii.1955, P. Hervé leg., 1 m *; Alpes-Maritimes, Sospel env., Albaria, Mt Razit, 700 m, 31.vii.1955, P. Hervé leg., 1 m *; Serres, 8.vii., F. Lombard leg., 2 m *m*; same data but ix., 1 m * 1 f* (all MMBC). Croatia: Murter, Slanica, 25.viii.1983, I. Vavřínová leg., 1 m *; Dalmatia, Ragusa, 2 m * m* (all MMBC). Greece: Epirus, Konitsa Municipality, outskirts of Konitsa, 40°2'56.80"N, 20°45'50.53"E, 818 m, 24.vii.2015, L.- R. Davranoglou & Z.W.W. Soh leg., 2 m *m* ( BMNH).

Redescription: Colouration (same in both sexes). General body colour light ochreous; tegmina ochreous to dark brown, often darker than rest of body ( Fig. 1A–D); cephalic process with a dark brown-greyish suffusion that runs along most of its length, becoming lighter at level of eyes ( Fig. 1B–E); a dark brown band extending from paranotal lobe of pronotum to the head at the level of antennae, often reaching clypeal area ( Fig. 2A–C); thorax, legs, and abdomen light ochreous, mottled with dark brown spots throughout their surface ( Figs. 1, 2); fore and mid coxae and tarsi, and apices of fore and mid tibiae and metatibial spines all distinctly dark brown ( Fig. 1A).

Structure: Head: vertex slightly elevated from plane of pronotum in lateral view ( Figs. 2A, B; 3A, B), its base 1.65–1.85 times wider than maximum width of eye in dorsal view ( Fig. 1A–C); median carina of vertex distinct basally and apically, faint in the middle on cephalic process in front of eyes ( Fig. 1B, E); head, in dorsal view, 2.3–3.7 times longer than vertex width at anterior eye margin); base of vertex tapered, its posterior margin straight, apex or cephalic process, in dorsal view, narrowly rounded ( Fig. 1); frons with sharply delimited lateral, intermediate and median carinae ( Fig. 2C); lateral carinae of frons joining lateral carinae of vertex subapically, at a clear distance from apex of cephalic process; apex of cephalic process, in lateral view, broadly, asymmetrically rounded ( Fig. 2A–C), in frontal view, apical swelling (apical callus) of cephalic process longer than broad; area between intermediate and lateral carinae apically with three rows of sensory pits reaching the very apex of cephalic process, only one or two rows continue downward to level of eyes and beyond ( Figs. 2C, 3B); postocular swelling (callus postocularis) well developed, distinctly concave in lateral view ( Fig. 3B–D); ocelli rudimentary, only present as a small brown spot in front of eye ( Fig. 2C: black arrow); antenna small: scape shortly circular; perdicel bulbous, bearing ca 25 plate organs (sensilla placodea) spread over most of its surface.

Pronotum: Distinctly raised in lateral view ( Figs. 2A, B; 3A–C); in dorsal view, anterior margin tapered, nearly straight ( Figs. 1, 3A), with distinctly ridged median and intermediate carinae; discal area enclosed by inner margin of intermediate carina with three sensory pits ( Fig. 3A, C), remainder of disk bare; lower lateral carina distinct, arc-shaped in dorsal view, enclosing about 14 sensory pits ( Fig. 3A–C); area enclosed by lower lateral carina and paranotal lobe of pronotum with two sensory pits ( Fig. 3B, D); paranotal lobe of pronotum expanding ventrally into a rounded plate, with a distinct carina and a single sensory pit ( Fig. 3D); posterior margin of pronotum only slightly concave, with a nearly indistinct median notch ( Fig. 3A).

Mesonotum: broad, 1.65–1.77 times longer than maximum length of pronotum; median carina distinct, almost reaching scutellar apex ( Figs. 1B–D; 3A); lateral carinae of mesonotum short, straight, diverging laterally ( Figs. 1C, 3A); part of mesonotum enclosed by the external margin of the lateral carina with six sensory pits ( Fig. 3A–C).

Tegmina: micropterous, coriaceous, firmly interlocked, not reaching ( Fig. 1A, D) or slightly surpassing ( Fig. 1C) posterior margin of tergum III; apical margin truncate ( Fig. 1A, C, D); wing surface glabrous, reticulation very faint ( Fig. 1D) or entirely absent ( Fig. 1A, C); hind wings absent.

Legs: femora on all legs unarmed; hind tibia with 3–6 lateral spines and 6–10 apical teeth; each hind tarsomere with 12–14 platellae ventrally and a pair of apical teeth laterally.

Pregenital abdomen: short and broad ( Fig. 1A, C, D), 1.15–1.3 times longer than maximum width, with a distinct median carina on each tergite, and an intermediate one, towards the junction between tergum and sternum ( Fig. 1C, D); terga IV– VI with 3+3 and terga VII and VIII usually with 4+4 (sometimes 4+3 or 3+4), sensory pits laterally (mediad of intermediate carinae), arranged in transversal rows. Snapping organ of the fulgorid-dictyopharid type ( Fig. 10).

Male genitalia: Dorsal margin of pygophore (segment IX), in profile, with a deep emargination ( Figs. 4F, 5A, 6B); ratio of ventral to dorsal profile length 3.8; upper process of gonostyle short, rounded, hooklike process of gonostyle short, subtriangular, with a rounded apex ( Figs. 4A–C, F; 5A; 6A–C); segment X (anal tube) in dorsal view short and broad, rounded ( Figs. 4A, 6A), ratio of length to width about 1.5; anal style short, not reaching apex of segment X by its about half its length ( Figs. 4A, 6A); base of phallotheca broad and trapezoid, remaining portion very long and slender ( Figs. 4B: white arrow; 6D: black arrow); distal margin of phallotheca with a distinct emargination medially ( Fig. 4B: black arrow); each dorsolateral lobe of phallotheca split into two subconical lobes, unarmed ( Fig. 4A, B, E, F); ventral lobe of phallotheca strongly developed downwards, split in the middle ( Fig. 4C–E), with a sawlike dorsal margin ( Fig. 4F), without any sclerotised spines or denticles; endosomal processes strongly inflated, each with a single row of denticles, interrupted in the middle by unarmed surface ( Figs. 4A, C, E, F; 5C, D); endosomal processes ending in an acute spine ( Fig. 5D). Uninflated phallotheca as in figure 6B, F.

Note: The genitalia of the male specimen from Pindos, Greece, were damaged during maceration, but they possess all the diagnostic characters found in other examined specimens of B. genei , namely in the overall shape and proportions of the pygophore and gonostyles ( Fig. 5A), the trapezoid base of phallotheca ( Fig. 5B, white arrow), and endosomal processes with a single row of denticles that are interrupted in the middle ( Fig. 5D, black arrow). The morphology of the external male genitalia of the Spanish specimens is largely the same with the other populations, although the endosomal processes possess a single row of spines that are confined only towards their apex, are not interrupted, and are somewhat larger ( Fig. 6A, B, E). More samples should be studied to determine whether these slight differences are fixed in most of the Spanish populations of B. genei . The Spanish populations, are however, likely conspecific with the remaining European ones, as all other features are largely identical.

Female genitalia: external view of female genitalia as in figure 7A, B; segment X (anal tube) as in figure 7C, ratio of length to width about 1.2; posterior lobe Gp1 of gonoplac (valvula 3) simple, rounded, more than three times thicker than posterior lobe Gp2, without any spines, apex subtriangular ( Fig. 7D); gonapophysis IX (valvula 2) with posterior connective lamina symmetrical in ventral view, completely fused at base, apex of sclerotised part harpoon-shaped ( Fig. 7E); gonocoxa VIII (valvifer VIII) with anterior connective lamina consisting of six gradually enlarging, blunt teeth ( Fig. 7F); endogonocoxal process largely membranous, subtriangular ( Fig. 7F); bursa copulatrix with a single pouch, almost globular in dorsal ( Fig. 8A) and lateral ( Fig. 8B, C) views, its entire surface with distinct pitlike microsculpture ( Fig. 8A–C), each pit bordered by a ring of about 13 microsclerites ( Fig. 8C, inset); a pair of large digitiform glands ( Fig. 8B, C) branched at anterior extremity of the anterior vagina on each side of the spermatheca; spermatheca well developed ( Fig. 8B–D), ductus receptaculi smooth and bulbous basally, diverticulum ductus short and distinctly swollen, pars intermedialis distinctly ribbed ( Fig. 8D).

Measurements (in mm, 8 males / 2 females): total body length 4.21–6.00 / 5.15–5.78; body max. width 1.91–2.59 / 2.35–2.51; head length (in dorsal view, from base of vertex to apex of cephalic process) 1.10–1.77 / 1.16–1.74; head max. width (incl. eyes) 0.80–1.03 / 0.91–0.99; vertex width (at anterior margin of eyes) 0.42–0.57 / 0.49–0.51; pronotum max. width (at posterior angles) 1.35–1.89 / 1.63–1.72; metatibia length (incl. apical spines) 2.57–3.56. Ratios: body length / body width: 2.05–2.59; head length / head max. width: 1.27–2.21; head length / vertex width: 2.27–3.55; metatibia length / body length: 0.52–0.61.