Tychius oriens A. Hoffmann, 1964

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 : 13-15

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.4411285
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/632E87E8-FFB3-FFFF-E6D5-F8DCFDA381F9
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Tychius oriens A. Hoffmann, 1964
status

Treatment

9. Tychius oriens A. Hoffmann, 1964 View in CoL

( Figures 21–24 View FIGURES 19–36 , 145–148 View FIGURES 125–148 , 255–256, 313, 370, 403, 436, 462)

Tychius oriens A. Hoffmann, 1964: 44 View in CoL . Caldara, 1990: 134.

Material examined. CHINA: Tibet: Ali, Zhada, Xiangzi , Xixiecun (31°47’N; 79°31’E, 4095 m), Astragalus sp., 15-VIII-2019, leg Chunyan Jiang, Xiaoliang Yang (87) GoogleMaps .

Redescription. Length 2.45–3.05 mm ( Fig. 21–24 View FIGURES 19–36 ). Integument brownish; on dorsum covered with elongate seta-like, light brown scales and wide subelliptical white scales, latter more numerous on pronotum at base and sides and on elytra at base and interstria 1, very sparse on other interstriae. Rostrum ( Fig. 145–148 View FIGURES 125–148 ) stout (Rl/Rw 4.41– 5.00 in male, 5.00– 5.29 in female; Rl/Pl 0.94–1.06 in male, 0.90–1.00 in female), nearly parallel at sides on dorsal view, widest at middle and evenly curved on lateral view. Antennal funicle 7-segmented. Eyes nearly flat. Pronotum subrectangular (Pw/Pl 1.01–1.19), with rectilinear sides in basal half, weakly convex. Elytra short, subrectangular, distinctly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.33–1.44; El/Ew 1.42–1.60), moderately convex. Profemora ( Fig. 255 View FIGURES 243–274 ) unarmed, metafemora ( Fig. 256 View FIGURES 243–274 ) with small tooth. Protibia ( Fig. 313 View FIGURES 307–339 ) without sexual characters. Claws with robust medial teeth, slightly longer than half of claw. Male genitalia: body of penis ( Fig. 370 View FIGURES 364–371 ) short and wide, nearly parallel-sided, slightly narrowed until near apex, with blunted tip ( Fig. 403 View FIGURES 397–431 ), apodemes longer than body of penis. Female genitalia: spermatheca ( Fig. 436 View FIGURES 432–457 ) with short ramus slightly convergent at sides, short collum, robust nodulus and long robust cornu narrowed in apical portion; spiculum ventrale ( Fig. 462 View FIGURES 458–484 ) with arms joined at basal half, then slightly convexly divergent.

Remarks and comparative notes. This species was previously known only from the type locality (central Asia without more detailed locality, probably Tibet) ( Caldara 1990). We identified a large series of specimens recently collected in Zhada county as T. oriens , however, these differ from the type specimens by possessing a more transverse pronotum and more rounded sides of the elytra. Due to these two characters it is closely related with T. thompsoni , from which it differs by the third tarsomere being somewhat wider than the second, the shorter rostrum in females and the denser vestiture. It differs from T. tectus by the flat eyes, the shape of the rostrum and the denser vestiture.

Biology. Many specimens were recently collected feeding on Astragalus sp. (probably its host plant) above 4000 m elevation.

Distribution. Southwest China (Tibet)