Mecinus baridioides, Caldara & Fogato, 2013

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 : 54-55

30. Mecinus baridioides sp. n.

Figs 28 , 76–77

Type locality. Mikró Pápinko (Epirus, Greece).

Type series. Holotype: male “GR: Epirus, Ioánia, Oros Timfi, Mikró Pápinko unterh. Hütte Rodovoli, Schneefeldrand / 31.03.2001, 1880 m, 39°58'49''N 20°45'58''O, leg. Behne ” ( DEIM) . Paratypes: same data as holotype (2 females, DEIM; 1 male and 1 female RCCM) ; “GR: Epirus, Ioánia, Oros Timfi, Mikró Pápinko unterh. Hütte Rodovoli, Blockhalde / 31.03.2001, 1880 m, 39°58'49''N 20°45'58''O, leg. Zerche ” (2 males and 2 females, DEIM) ; “ Gimfi Mts., 1900–2100 m, Tsépelovo env., 27.v.2001, S. Benedikt leg.” (1 female, SBCP) ; “ Greece - Konitza, Timfi-Drakolimni , 2000 m, 8/VII/83, M. & G. Osella ” (2 females, GOCA, RCCM) ; “ Gr. Pelopones, Kalávrita env., Aroánia Óri , 11.- 13.7.1996, Josef Mertlik lgt.” (1 male and 1 female, RBCS) ; “ Peloponneso, Mte. Kelmos , 2000 m, 21.VII.1981, Bellò” (1 female, GOCA) ; “ Peloponneso, Mte. Kelmos, Ski Center (Kalavrita) / 7.VII.00, Osella” (1 male, GOCA and 1 female, RCCM) ; “ Peloponneso, Kelmos , 2200 m, 19.VII. '01. M. & G. Osella ” (1 male, GOCA) ; “ Jakupica, Maked. [Macedonia], Kadino polje, 7.6.1988, leg. Mesaros ” (1 male and 1 female, APCB; 1 male, RBCS) .

Description. Male (holotype). Length 3.3 mm. Body: long, subelliptical, moderately slender ( Fig. 28 ). Rostrum: black with reddish apex, moderately long (Rl/Pl 0.71); in lateral view moderately and regularly curved, weakly narrowed in apical half ( Fig. 76 ); in dorsal view with subparallel sides, with hardly visible scrobes, moderately striate-punctured to near apex, shining, in basal half with recumbent, sparse, whitish, long (l/w 4–7), seta-like scales. Head: frons as wide as rostrum at base, with very shallow fovea; eyes nearly flat. Antennae: reddish, inserted just in front of middle of rostrum; scape moderately long, 4.0x longer than wide; funicle about as long as scape, segment 1 3.0x longer than wide, slightly stouter and 1.5x longer than segment 2, which is twice as long as wide, segments 3–5 gradually more transverse; club moderately long, oval, segment 1 about as pubescent as others. Pronotum: black, with dense and small punctures and with narrow longitudinal smooth midline, intervals between punctures narrower than punctures, smooth and distinctly shining, clearly visible between recumbent, sparse, light brown. almost transparent, moderately long to long (l/w 4–8), seta-like scales; elongate, only slightly wider than long (Pw/Pl 1.07), subconical, widest at basal third, with moderately prominent apical constriction, weakly convex. Elytra: black, distinctly shining; long (El/Ew 1.62), at base weakly concave, slightly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.11), with weakly rounded sides, widest at middle, moderately convex on disc; interstriae clearly visible between recumbent, sparse, hardly visible since transparent light brown, long (0.3–0.5x as long as width of interstria; l/w 6–10), seta-like scales; striae clearly visible, half as wide as interstriae, with regular and shallow punctures and with intervals between punctures on same plane of interstriae, with a row of whitish scales, which are similar to those of interstriae. Legs: moderately slender, with recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, greyish, seta-like scales, which are distinctly shorter than width of tibia; femora black, all with big sharp tooth; tibiae blackish, slender; protibiae with apical part of ventral surface somewhat directed outward; unci black, stout, all equal in length; tarsi reddish, tarsomere 1 1.3x longer than wide, tarsomere 2 about as long as wide, tarsomere 3 bilobed and distinctly wider than tarsomere 2, onychium about as long as width of tarsomeres 1–3 taken together; claws blackish, equal in length, fused in basal half. Venter: metasternum black, moderately visible between recumbent to suberect (on midline), somewhat dense, whitish, long, hair-like scales; mesothoracic epimera and meso- and metathoracic episterna with somewhat dense, whitish, long scales; abdomen black, with dense and regular punctures, moderately visible between subrecumbent to suberect, somewhat dense, whitish, long, seta-like scales, with a tuft of thinner long brownish hair at middle of ventrite 5; ventrites length ratio 1–2/3–4 1.90. Penis: as in M. pyraster ( Fig. 129 ).

Female. As in male except rostrum moderately longer (Rl/Pl 0.86), smoother and distinctly more curved ( Fig. 77 ), antennae inserted just in front of middle of rostrum, funicle segment 1 twice as long as segment 2, which is 1.5x longer than wide, femora with very small tooth. Sternite 8 and spermatheca: as in M. pyraster ( Figs 150 and 165 ).

Variability. Length 3.2–3.4 mm. Sometimes the elytra are widest at basal third and antennae and tarsi are slightly darker in colour. Pronotum and elytra vary moderately in width (Pw/Pl 1.06–1.11; El/Ew 1.50–1.60).

Etymology. The name of this taxon emphasizes the apparent similarity of its body shape and smooth and shining integument with those of some species of the baridines.

Remarks and comparative notes. This is a very distinctive species due to the shining integument which is clearly visible between the sparse, almost transparent short scales. However M. baridioides is clearly related to M. pyraster due to ventrite 5 in male bearing a median tuft of hairs and because of the shape of the terminalia, especially the shape of the spermatheca characterized by a curious structure adpressed to the body.

Biological notes. No data are available.

Distribution. Greece, Republic of Macedonia.

Non-type specimens examined. None.

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 69–77. Rostrum in lateral view of (69) Mecinus tanaiticus, male; (70) idem, female; (71) M. humeralis, female; (72) M. circulatus, male; (73) idem, female; (74) M. pyraster, male; (75) idem, female; (76) M. baridioides, male; (77) idem, female. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 121–132. Penis in dorsal and lateral view of (121) Mecinus desertorum; (122) M. marina; (123) M. henrici; (124) M. alternans; (125) M. reichei; (126) M. tanaiticus; (127) M. circulatus; (128) M. humeralis; (129) M. pyraster; (130) M. comosus; (131) M. simus; (132) M. pirazzolii. 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.