Mecinus sicardi Hustache, 1920

Caldara, Roberto & Fogato, Valter, 2013, Systematics of the weevil genus <i> Mecinus </ i> Germar, 1821 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). I. Taxonomic treatment of the species, Zootaxa 3654 (1), pp. 1-105 : 66-67

37. Mecinus sicardi Hustache

Figs 35 , 86–87 , 136 , 155

Mecinus sicardi Hustache, 1920: 196 ; 1931: 403, 405. Poutiers, 1921: 270. Roudier, 1957: 34. Hoffmann, 1958: 1267, 1272. Gurrea Sanz & Pérez Barroeta, 1994: 134.

Type locality. Montpellier (Hérault, southern France) .

Type series. This species was described from specimens collected at Montpellier ( France) without designation of holotype. We examined one male of them (Hustache's collection, MNHN) labelled “Montpellier, H. Sicard / Type“ (lectotype here designated) .

Redescription. Male. Length 3.4 mm. Body: long, cylindrical, stout ( Fig. 35 ). Rostrum: black, moderately long (Rl/Pl 0.81), subcylindrical; in lateral view weakly curved, weakly tapered in basal third ( Fig. 86 ); in dorsal view with sides weakly tapered from base to apex, with moderately visible scrobes, distinctly striate-punctured to near apex, in basal half with recumbent, sparse, whitish, moderately long (l/w 3–6), seta-like scales. Head: frons weakly narrower than rostrum at base, without fovea; eyes weakly convex. Antennae: blackish brown, inserted just in front of middle of rostrum; scape moderately long, 4.0x longer than wide; funicle moderately longer than scape, segment 1 2.5x longer than wide, as stout as and 1.5x longer than segment 2, which is 1.5x longer than wide, segments 3–5 gradually more transverse; club long, oval, segment 1 about as pubescent as others. Pronotum: black, with dense and regular punctures, intervals between punctures smooth and moderately shining, clearly visible between recumbent, sparse, greyish white, long (l/w 5–10), seta-like scales; moderately transverse (Pw/Pl 1.21), with moderately rounded sides, with somewhat prominent apical constriction, widest between basal third and median third, somewhat convex. Elytra: black; long (El/Ew 1.67), at base weakly concave, with parallel sides, moderately wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.28), somewhat convex on disc; interstriae clearly visible between recumbent, sparse, whitish and greyish brown (more adpressed on interstria 1), long to very long (0.40–0.60x as long as width of interstria; l/w 7–12), seta-like scales, arranged in 3–4 irregular rows; striae moderately visible, as wide as half of interstriae, with a row of scales whitish, similar in shape and length to those of interstriae. Legs: stout, with recumbent, sparse, whitish, seta-like scales, which are distinctly shorter than width of tibia; femora black, profemora with stout tooth, mesofemora with medium-sized tooth,metafemora with small tooth; tibiae black with reddish apex, moderately stout; protibiae with apical part of ventral surface somewhat directed outward; unci black, stout, all equal in length; tarsi dark brown, tarsomere 1 1.5x longer than wide, tarsomere 2 1.2x longer than wide, tarsomere 3 bilobed and distinctly wider than tarsomere 2, onychium slightly shorter than tarsomeres 1–3 taken together; claws black, equal in length, fused in basal half. Venter: metasternum black, clearly visible between recumbent to suberect (midline), sparse, whitish, long, hair-like scales; mesothoracic epimera and meso-and metathoracic episterna with somewhat dense, whitish, long, hair-like scales; abdomen black, with dense and somewhat regular punctures, which are clearly visible between subrecumbent to suberect, sparse, brownish, long, hair-like scales; ventrites length ratio 1–2/3–4 1.76. Penis: fig. 136.

Female. As in male except rostrum slightly longer (Rl/Pl 0.89) ( Fig. 87 ), smooth and shining, slightly less striate-punctured, antennae inserted at middle of rostrum, femora with indistinct tooth. Sternite 8: fig. 155. Spermatheca: as in M. janthinus ( Fig. 169 ).

Variability. Length 3.2–4.1. The sides of the pronotum vary slightly in curvature, and may be widest in basal third or at middle.

Remarks and comparative notes. This species may be superficially confused with big specimens of M. pyraster , from which it is easily distinguishable by the elytral vestiture composed of scales that are uniformly arranged and are all recumbent. The rostrum (in dorsal view) is distinctly wider and the pronotum has the sides slightly more rounded and usually widest towards the middle. Finally, ventrite 5 of the male lacks a tuft of hairs and the shape of the penis is different.

Biological notes. Usually the host plant of this species in Côte d'Azur is Antirrhinum latifolium Miller (G. Alziar & I. Toševski pers. comm.; Caldara pers. obs.), and it is possible that this plant was erroneously identified as A. majus L. by some collectors. Larvae feed on the collar and at the base of the bigger stems of the plant where they dig tunnels, causing at most very small lateral deformations. They pupate in summer and adults stay inside the plant till the spring of the following year ( Poutiers 1921). Before pupation, mature larvae leave the main tunnel, which runs longitudinally, and produce a small oblique tunnel which ends just in proximity of the external cuticle of the stem. Therefore, when leaving its cell, adults have only to bore a subtle layer although in the meantime the plant has become dry and hard (Caldara pers. obs.).

Distribution. South-eastern Spain, eastern and southern France, north-western Italy.

Non-type specimens examined. SPAIN: Comunidad Valenciana, Valencia, L'Olieria , 3.V.2003, Kresl leg. (1, RBCS) . FRANCE: Languedoc-Roussillon, Gard , Nîmes, Therond leg. (2, MNHN) ; Languedoc-Roussillon, Hérault , Montpellier (1, MNHN) ; Languedoc-Roussillon, Hérault, Montpellier , on Antirrhinum majus L., Paoli leg. (2, MSNM) ; Lorraine, Vosges , Raon-L'Etape, 19.V.1934, leg. Ruter (1, MSNM) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes Maritimes, Cabris , 26.IV.1969, on Antirrhinus majus, Péricart leg. (6, MNHN) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes Maritimes, Castellar , 28.IV.1969, on Antirrhinus majus, Péricart leg. (20, MNHN) ; Provence-AlpesCôte d'Azur, Alpes Maritimes , Èze, on Antirrhinum latifolium, Alziar leg. (1, GACN) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes Maritimes, road Èze-La Turbie , 21.IV.2012, on Antirrhinum latifolium, Caldara leg. (20, RCCM) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes Maritimes, La Turbie, 6.IV.2012, on Antirrhinum latifolium, Toševski leg. (56, ITCB) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Menton (24, MNHN) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes Maritimes , Menton, Poutiers leg. (4, MCNM) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes Maritimes , Menton, Reitter leg. (4, MSNM) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Nice , 10.III.1928, Planet leg. (14, MNHN) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes-Maritimes, Pierrefeu , 1100 m, on Antirrhinum, Van der Vliet leg. (1, GACN) . ITALY: Liguria, Imperia, Sanremo , V.1947 (1, MSNF) ; Liguria, Savona, Crosa , 31.III.2010, Monzini leg. (1, SMCM) ; Liguria, Savona, Finale Marina , IV.1939, Borra leg. (1, MSNM) .

Figures

FIGURES 28–36. Habitus of (28) Mecinus baridioides; (29) M. comosus; (30) M. simus; (31) M. pirazzolii; (32) M. vulpes; (33) M. pipistrellus; (34) M. collaris; (35) M. sicardi; (36) M. janthinus. Not to the same scale.

FIGURES 78–87. Rostrum in lateral and dorsal view of (78) Mecinus comosus, male; (79) idem, female; (80) M. collaris, female; (81–82) M. simus, female; (83) M. pirazzolii, female; (84) M. pipistrellus, female;; (85) M. vulpes, female; (86) M. sicardi, male; (87) idem, female. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 133–143. Penis in dorsal and lateral view of (133) Mecinus vulpes; (134) M. pipistrellus; (135) M. collaris; (136) M. lixoides; (137) M. sicardi; (138) M. janthiniformis; (139) M. barbarus; (140) M. janthinus; (141) M. heydenii; (143) M. tavaresi; (142) M. aubei. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 144–156. Sternite 8 of (144) Mecinus pascuorum; (145) M. caucasicus; (146) M. marina; (147) M. reichei; (148) M. humeralis; (149) M. circulatus; (150) M. pyraster; (151) M. simus; (152) M. collaris; (153) M. janthinus; (154) M. lixoides; (155) M. sicardi; (156) M. heydenii. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 157–171. Spermatheca of (157) Mecinus pascuorum; (158) M. caucasicus; (159) M. haemorrhoidalis; (160) M. labilis; (161) M. marina; (162) M. elongatus; (163) M. reichei; (164) M. circulatus; (165) M. pyraster; (166) M. simus; (167) M. comosus; (168) M. lixoides; (169) M. janthinus; (170) M. heydenii; (171) M. collaris. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.