Tychius tectus LeConte, 1876

Jiang, Chunyan, Caldara, Roberto & Zhang, Runzhi, 2020, The genus Tychius Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Curculioninae) in China, with description of three new species, Zootaxa 4856 (1), pp. 1-62 : 13

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4856.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:0C2E90FC-25FD-455D-86A7-0BA8210C0A30
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4411283
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/632E87E8-FFB3-FFFD-E6D5-FD80FF2684E5
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Tychius tectus LeConte, 1876
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8. Tychius tectus LeConte, 1876

( Figures 17–20 View FIGURES 1–18 View FIGURES 19–36 , 141–144 View FIGURES 125–148 , 253–254, 312, 369, 402, 435, 461)

Tychius tectus LeConte, 1876: 217 . Clark, 1971: 20. Caldara, 1990: 133.

Tychius facetus Faust, 1891: 407 View in CoL . Franz, 1942: 262. Caldara, 1990: 134.

Material examined. CHINA: Beijing: Sanpu (600 m), 22-VIII-1960, leg Tiesheng Li (1) . Inner Mongolia: Huhhot (1050 m), Beta sp., 11-VII-1961, leg Hongxing Li (1); Yakeshi city, Yakeshi Park (49°17’N; 120°44’E, 660 m), 7- VII-2018, leg Yizhe Li (1) GoogleMaps . Gansu: Jiuquan, Chengjiao Nongchang , Medicago sp., 25-VII-1962, leg Hongxing Li (1) .

Redescription. Length 2.50–3.50 mm ( Fig. 17–20 View FIGURES 1–18 View FIGURES 19–36 ). Integument blackish brown except for reddish rostrum, antennae, and legs; on dorsum almost completely hidden by elongate rectangular brown (whitish along midline of pronotum) scales; wide whitish scales densely covering base of pronotum and elytral interstria 1 and part of lateral interstriae, and usually interspersed throughout. Rostrum ( Fig. 141–144 View FIGURES 125–148 ) widest at base (Rl/Rw 4.90–5.30, Rl/Pl 0.90–1.15 in male; Rl/Rw 5.20–5.45; Rl/Pl 1.08–1.25 in female), evenly narrow to apex on dorsal view, widest at middle and evenly curved on lateral view. Eyes feebly prominent. Pronotum subrectangular (Pw/Pl 1.05–1.25), slightly transverse, weakly convex. Elytra subrectangular, distinctly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.05–1.25; El/ Ew 1.38–1.60), weakly convex. Femora ( Fig. 253–254 View FIGURES 243–274 ) unarmed, tibiae ( Fig. 312 View FIGURES 307–339 ) without sexual characters. Third tarsomere distinctly wider than second tarsomere. Claws with robust medial teeth, as long as half of claw. Male genitalia: body of penis ( Fig. 369 View FIGURES 364–371 ) short and wide, nearly parallel-sided, slightly narrowed until near apex with blunted tip ( Fig. 402 View FIGURES 397–431 ), apodemes slightly longer than body of penis. Female genitalia: spermatheca ( Fig. 435 View FIGURES 432–457 ) with short parallel-sided ramus, robust short collum, robust nodulus and robust cornu moderately narrowed in apical portion; spiculum ventrale ( Fig. 461 View FIGURES 458–484 ) with arms joined at basal quarter, then slightly convexly divergent.

Remarks and comparative notes. This is the only Holarctic species of the genus known from the eastern Palearctic region and North America. A distribution via Beringia was hypothesized by Clark (1977) and Caldara (1985b). It seems related to T. oriens with which it shares the pattern of its vestiture, the habitus and the shape of the genitalia. It differs by the more convex eyes, the shape of the rostrum and the wider pronotum.

Biology. It is well known that in North America this species feeds on various species of Astragalus and Oxytropis (Clark 1977) . We have one specimen labeled as collected on Beta vulgaris L., however, we believe this association to be incidental.

Distribution. It was known from the central European Territories of Russia, Siberia and Mongolia. Already reported from North China (BEI), newly recorded from NMO GAN. It is also widely distributed in North America.