Mecinus heydenii, Wencker, 1866

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 : 74-76

Mecinus heydenii group

Diagnosis. Rostrum in basal half strongly and abruptly curved. Elytra distinctly elongate. Dorsal integument black or blue, usually with metallic reflections. Body of penis with long sharp apex. Spermatheca with insertion of ductus placed perpendicular to length of nodus.

Remarks and comparative notes. This group seems more closely related to the M. janthinus group than to other groups of Mecinus in both morphological characters (shape of body and colour of dorsal integument) and biology (hosts in Plantaginaceae different to Plantago ). However, the species of the M. heydenii group clearly differ from those of the M. janthinus group by the rostrum being strongly curved in the basal half, and by the shape of the penis and spermatheca.

44. Mecinus heydenii Wencker

Figs 39 , 141 , 156 , 170

Mecinus heydenii Wencker, 1866: 130 . Tournier, 1874: 41. Bedel, 1885: 148. Desbrochers des Loges, 1893: 59. Reitter, 1907: 8; 1916: 225. Hustache, 1931: 401, 405. Van Emden, 1938: 21. Hoffmann, 1958: 1267, 1269. Péricart, 1974: 65. Alziar, 1975: 5. Smreczyṅski, 1976: 4. Lohse & Tischler, 1983: 262. Arzanov, 2000: 1087.

Mecinus laeviceps Tournier, 1873: 85 ; 1874: 42. Reitter, 1907: 8. Hoffmann, 1958: 1267, 1270. Smreczyṅski, 1960: 76; 1976: 4. Lohse & Tischler, 1983: 262. Arzanov, 2000: 1087.

Mecinus bulgaricus Angelov, 1971: 115 . Arzanov, 2000: 1087.

Mecinus heydenii var. venturensis Hoffmann, 1940: 23 ; 1958: 1270. Alziar, 1975: 5. Smreczyṅski, 1976: 4.

Type locality. Frankfurt ( Germany).

Type series. This species was described from specimens from Frankfurt ( Germany), collected by Heyden, and from Haguenau (Alsace, France), collected by Wencker. We examined three syntypes: two at DEIM, labelled respectively “Frankfurt / 84 / 309 / Mecinus Heydenii orig. / Syntypus ” (male, lectotype here designated) and “Frankfurt / 85 / 310 / Heydenii Wenck. in litt. / Syntypus ” (female, paralectotype), and the third in Desbrochers des Loges' collection ( MNHN) and labelled “Heydenii / type“ (a female lacking abdomen, paralectotype) .

Synonyms. The variety venturensis of M. heydenii was described from specimens collected at Malaucène at the base of Mont Ventoux. Hoffmann (1958) reported that this taxon is synonymous with M. laeviceps according to what was established by Smreczyṅski, who on the contrary (Smreczyṅski 1960) denied this assertion, which is only Hoffmann's misunderstanding. However, subsequently Smreczyṅski (1976) quoted venturensis among the synonyms of M. heydenii together with M. laeviceps . From study of the holotype (MNHN) we agree with the synonymy of venturensis with heydenii .

Mecinus laeviceps was described from specimens collected at Sarepta (Volgograd, Russia). Tournier (1874) reported that this species appears to be intermediate between M. janthinus and M. heydenii , from which it should differ by having a smooth head, pronotum with darker colour of the integument and finer and more separated punctures. Reitter (1907) followed the opinion of Tournier, not knowing M. laeviceps himself. Hoffmann (1958) reported that M. laeviceps differs from M. heydenii by a slightly bigger size, bronze colour of the pronotum, longer and less curved rostrum in the female and usually lack of frontal fovea. These differences are also reported in a key by Lohse & Tischler (1983). On the contrary, Smreczyṅski (1976) placed (albeit doubtfully) M. laeviceps in synonymy with M. heydenii , without comments. Recently Arzanov (2000) confirmed the opinion by Smreczyṅski, after study of a male specimen from Sarepta (ZISP) which he supposed to belong to the type series and which he designated as lectotype. We here follow Arzanov's opinion although it is very probable that this taxon actually differs from the typical M. heydenii not only in subtle morphological characters but also in host plant and DNA (I. Toševski pers. comm.)

Angelov (1971) described Mecinus bulgaricus from a single female specimen collected at Harmanli (eastern Rhodopi, south-eastern Bulgaria) on 16.IV.1970. He reported that M. bulgaricus has black integument with bronze reflections on pronotum and is related to both M. aubei Desbrochers des Loges, 1893 from northern Africa and M. heydenii , differing from the latter by the elytral striae and interstriae being more finely punctured and by the longer and thicker elytral scales. Arzanov (2000) reported to have examined the " holotype " of M. bulgaricus , received from MZHF where Angelov's collection was deposited after Angelov's death. He reports that this specimen was collected at Harmanli and identified as M. bulgaricus by Angelov, but it is labelled " 23.IV.1971 " and does not bear a label indicating that this is the holotype to the contrary of all other taxa described by Arzanov. He concluded that this taxon is synonymous with M. heydenii . Actually this specimen is not the holotype of M. bulgaricus since the date of collection clearly shows that it was collected at most contemporaneously but more probably after the publication of its description. Currently it is impossible to locate the specimen examined by Arzanov as well as the holotype of M. bulgaricus at MZHF (J. Muona and H. Silfverberg pers. comm.). Therefore presently we follow Arzanov's opinion.

Redescription. Male. Length mm 2.0. Body: long, cylindrical, moderately slender ( Fig. 39 ). Rostrum: blackish blue, moderately long (Rl/Pl 0.86), subcylindrical; in lateral view distinctly curved especially in basal half, weakly narrowed at apex (as in M. tavaresi , fig. 97); in dorsal view with parallel sides, slightly enlarged at antennal insertion, with distinctly visible scrobes, weakly striate-punctured, smooth and shining along midline, in basal half with recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, white, moderately long (l/w 3–5), seta-like scales. Head: frons wide as rostrum at base, with wide and deep fovea; eyes nearly flat, with posterior margin abruptly raised from surface of head. Antennae: black, inserted at middle of rostrum; scape moderately short, 3.5x longer than wide; funicle distinctly longer than scape, with segment 1 2x longer than wide, slightly stouter and slightly longer than segment 2, which is 1.5x longer than wide, segments 2–4 about as long as wide, segment 5 transverse; club long, oval, segment 1 about as pubescent as others. Pronotum: blackish blue, with dense and regular punctures, intervals between punctures smooth and shining, clearly visible between recumbent, sparse, whitish, long (l/w 5–7), setalike scales; weakly transverse (Pw/Pl 1.15), with weakly rounded sides, with very prominent apical constriction, widest in basal third, somewhat convex. Elytra: black with blue reflexions, shining; very long (El/Ew 1.82), at base moderately concave, with subparallel sides, slightly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.23), widest at middle, somewhat convex on disc; interstriae clearly visible between recumbent, sparse, white, seta-like, 0.50–0.75x as long as width of interstria (l/w 5–7), seta-like scales, arranged in a single regular row; striae clearly visible, one third narrower than interstriae, with a row of scales similar to shorter ones covering interstriae. Legs: moderately slender, with recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, whitish, distinctly shorter than width of tibia, seta-like scales; femora black, pro- and metafemora with small sharp tooth, metafemora unarmed; tibiae black, moderately slender; protibiae with apical part of ventral surface weakly directed outward; unci blackish, stout, all equal in size and length; tarsi blackish brown, tarsomere 1 1.5x longer than wide, tarsomere 2 about as long as wide, tarsomere 3 distinctly bilobed and distinctly wider than tarsomere 2, onychium shorter than tarsomeres 1–3 taken together; claws black, fused at base, asymmetrical with one claw distinctly smaller and about half shorter than other claw. Venter: metasternum black, clearly visible between recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, whitish, moderately long, seta-like scales; mesothoracic epimera and meso- and metathoracic episterna with sparse, white, narrow, seta-like scales, and fringed wide scales; abdomen black with bronze reflexions, with dense and somewhat regular punctures, which are clearly visible between recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, whitish, long, seta-like scales; ventrites length ratio: 1–2/3–4 1.84. Penis: fig. 141.

Female. As in male except rostrum slightly longer from antennal insertion to apex (Rl/Pl 0.90) (as in M. tavaresi , fig. 98), less punctured, antennae inserted just before middle, femora unarmed. Sternite 8: fig. 156. Spermatheca: fig. 170.

Variability. Length mm 1.6–2.3. Sometimes the elytra are parallel-sided, rarely with stria 3 unusually joining stria 6 instead of stria 8 at the apex. The fovea of the frons varies slightly in width and deepth. The tooth of the femora are sometimes also almost indistinct in the male. The unique North African specimen which we examined appears to differ from the European specimens by the rostrum that is more curved and by the convergent sides of the body of the penis from base to apex.

Remarks and comparative notes. This species as presently considered is probably a assemblage of cryptic species differing by a few external characters, as well as in biology and DNA (I. Toševski pers comm.). Mecinus heydenii sensu lato is closely related to the other species of its group, but clearly differs from them by having blue elytral integument.

Biological notes. The larva, whose morphology was described by Van Emden (1938), feeds on Linaria vulgaris L., where it digs tunnels causing a poorly visible swelling ( Ruter 1934; Hoffmann 1958). The adult was also collected on L. striata L. by Ruter in France (Ariège: Mérens) ( Péricart 1974). Arzanov (2000) reported that the adult of this species also lives on Linaria genistifolia (L.) Mill. in southern Russia. According to I. Toševski (pers. comm.) the specimens living on this plant do not belong to M. heydenii but to a closely related species.

Distribution. France, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Hungary, Italy, Bulgaria, Russia including Siberia ( Arzanov 2000), Mongolia, Morocco.

Non-type specimens examined. FRANCE: Champagne-Ardennes, Mourons , VI.1929 (2, MNHN); Île de France, Forêt de Fontainebleau , 8.VI.1968, on Linaria vulgaris, Péricart leg. (1, MNHN); Hérault, 15 km E of Bédarieux , 23.IV.2010, on Linaria vulgaris, Toševski leg. (1, ITCB); Île de France, Nemours , Les Genevrais , 2.VIII.1975, Péricart leg. (1, MNHN); Languedoc-Roussillon, Gard, Les Angles , 28.VII.1963, ex galls on Linaria stem, leg. Riboulet (2, MNHN); Languedoc-Roussillon, Gard, Nîmes , 3.VI.1967, Tempère leg. (6, MNHN; 1, CPCM); Languedoc-Roussillon, Gard, Saint-Geniès-de-Comolas, 31.V.1967, Tempère leg. (1, MNHN); Lorraine, Montmedy, Meuse , 27.IX.1931, on Linaria vulgaris (1, MNHN); Lorraine, Vosges, Monthureux , 7.IV.1948, Agnus leg. (1, MNHN); Lorraine, Vosges, Raon-L'Étape , 25.IV.1934, Ruter leg. (15, MNHN); Midi-Pyrénées, Ariège, Merens les Vals , 20.VII.1950 (1, MNHN); Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Vaucluse, Bedoin , 3.V.1958, on Linaria (2, MNHN). BELGIUM: Rhode-Saint-Genèse, 10.VI.1968, Van Bellingen leg. (4, CPCM). DENMARK: Esbjerg , 25.IX.1927 (1, MNHN). GERMANY: Berlin, Forst Bredow (2, ZMHB); Brandenburg, Brieselang bei Nauen (15, ZMHB); Sachsen-Anhalt, Aken, Elbe , 28.IX.1933, Heidenreich leg. (4, ZMHB); Sachsen-Anhalt, Dessau, 6.IX.1934, Heidenreich leg. (5, ZMHB). UKRAINE: Poltava, 3.V.1924, Lukjanovitsh leg. (1, ZISP). HUNGARY: Balaton, Badacsony , 5.VI.1971, Strejček leg. (1, JSCP). ITALY: Emilia Romagna, Modena, Campogalliano , 17.IX.2011, on Linaria vulgaris, Toševski leg. (1, ITCB); Emilia Romagna, Ravenna, Castiglione di Cervia , 26.IX.2002, Pavanello leg. (1, SMCM); Abruzzo, L'Aquila, Secinaro , 25.X.1998, Osella leg. (1, GOCA); Calabria, Reggio Calabria, Aspromonte , Tre Aie , 1400 m, Baviera leg. (1, CBCM). ITALY (Sicily): Messina, 30.VII.1905, Vitale leg. (1, DBAM). RUSSIA: Moscow, Klin, Boblovo , 26.VIII.1905, Smirnov leg. (1, ZISP); Mozhaisk, 8.VIII.1903, Bianki leg. (1, ZISP); Volgograd, Becker leg. (1, ZISP); Yaroslavl, Berditsino, 6.VII.1902, Jakovlev leg. (1, ZISP); Yaroslavl, Jakovlev leg. (1, ZISP). MONGOLIA: Eastern Aimak, 13 km W Dash-Balbar , 23-24.VIII.1975, Emeljanov leg. (1, ZISP). MOROCCO: Casablanca, 10.I.21, Antoine leg. (1, MNHN).

Figures

FIGURES 37–42. Habitus of (37) Mecinus barbarus; (38) M. lixoides; (39) M. heydenii; (40). M. dorsalis; (41) M. tavaresi; (42) M. aubei. Not to the same scale.

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.