Cionus auriculus Reitter, 1904

Košťál, Michael & Caldara, Roberto, 2019, Revision of Palaearctic species of the genus Cionus Clairville (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cionini), Zootaxa 4631 (1), pp. 1-144 : 48-49

26. Cionus auriculus Reitter, 1904 stat. prom.

Figs 26 a–f.

Cionus hortulanus var. auriculus Reitter, 1904: 50 . Hustache, 1932: 341. A. Hoffmann, 1958: 1218. Caldara, 2013: 123.

[ Cionus hortulanus ab. orientalis Wingelmüller, 1914: 187; 1921: 103; 1937: 167. (unavailable)].

Type locality. Elisabetpol ( Azerbaijan) .

Type series. In coll. Reitter ( HNHM), there are two females corresponding morphologically and in locality labeling to the original description. We remounted both and designated one of them, 3.74 mm long, well-preserved, labeled “Elizabetpol. / Kaukas Leder / Holotypus 1904. Cionus hortulanus var. auriculus Reitter / hortulanus v. auriculus m. [Reitter´s handwriting] / Coll. Reitter / Michael Košťál reprep. 2013” as the lectotype by adding the printed red label “ LECTOTYPUS Cionus hortulanus v. auriculus Reitter Michael Košťál des. 2013”. The other fe- male labeled “Elizabetpol. / Kaukas Leder / Paratypus 1904. Cionus hortulanus var. auriculus Reitter / Coll. Reitter / Michael Košťál reprep. 2013” was labeled as paralectotype. The labels “ Holotypus 1904” and “ Paratypus 1904” were added later by Z. Kaszab .

Synonyms. None. In coll. Wingelmüller ( NHMW), there is a pinned female from Karabakh ( Azerbaijan) labeled “ v. orientalis [Wingelmüller´s handwriting] det. Wingelmüller”, which is conspecific with the lectotype of C. auriculus . Cionus hortulanus “ab.” orientalis was described by Wingelmüller (1914) as an aberration. According to the provisions of Article 45.6.4 of ICZN (1999), this name is unavailable.

Redescription. Male. Body stout, suboval. Head: rostrum slender, medium long (l/ w 5.1, Rl/Pl 1.25), dark brown to black; in lateral view slightly, somewhat unevenly curved with small hump at antennal insertion, same width from base to antennal insertion, then slightly narrowed to apex; in dorsal view same width from base to antennal insertion, then subparallel to subtly narrowed towards apex, basal part slightly laterally constricted, apical part noticeably dorsoventrally flattened; basal part densely, partially longitudinally punctured, apical part more sparsely punctured, very close to apex with small smooth area; basal part covered with up- and backwardly oriented, subrecumbent, elongate whitish and dark brown intermixed scales, apical part with sparsely arranged, forwardly oriented, suberect, whitish, medium long, thin seta-like scales. Head between eyes narrow, of about 0.4 rostrum width at base. Eyes very large, broadly rounded, not protruding from head outline. Antennae reddish-brown with darkened club, inserted at 0.7 of rostrum length; funicle of 0.8 scape length, segment 1 wider than segment 2, segment 1 twice, segment 2 2.5 × as long as wide, segments 3–5 as long as wide; club spindle-shaped, not more than 2.5 × as long as wide, of 0.8 funicle length, completely covered with recumbent, thin, whitish and brownish hairs and sparse erect, medium long whitish sensilla. Pronotum: dark brown to black, moderately wider than long (Pl/Pw 0.71), densely, finely, evenly punctured, punctures round, slightly unequal in size, spaces between punctures smaller than puncture diameter; covered with evenly arranged, mostly forwardly oriented, recumbent and subrecumbent, elongate (l/w 3–6) yellowish scales; widest shortly beyond base, basal third subrotund to subparallel, then evenly narrowed to anterior margin, with only shallow, broad constriction before anterior margin, convex at sides in about basal 1/3, in lateral view flat in basal 0.4, then convexly falling to anterior margin. Prosternum: anterior margin with relatively deep semicircular, sharply incised emargination not bounded by tubercles, separated from coxae by narrow prosternal area. Scutellum: triangular with rounded apex, sparsely covered with backwardly oriented, recumbent whitish elongate scales, densely to confluently punctured. Elytra: reddish-brown, in basal half subparallel to very slightly rounded, apical part broadly rounded, moderately elongate (El/Ew 1.24), widest shortly before mid-length, at base somewhat wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.67), humeri subrotund, moderately prominent, without distinct posthumeral impression; slightly convex on disc; interstria 1 from about 0.2 to 0.4 of medial length and in preapical area broadened, interstria 2 at same lengths narrowed and constricted laterally encompassing medium large subrotund dorsal and preapical black tomentous maculae without border of differently colored scales; interstriae except perimacular areas of similar width; odd interstriae with only indistinct alternating patches of black and whitish scales; striae formed by even single rows of large, very densely arranged punctures; entire surface covered with densely arranged recumbent to subrecumbent, moderately elongate (l/w 4–6) scales almost completely concealing integument. Venter: densely covered with backwardly oriented, recumbent, elongate yellowish scales clustered on margins of all ventrites and metepisternum; mesosternal process flat, subquadrate, almost straight at posterior margin, covered with elongate scales, densely punctured; metasternum flat, in distal part with impression, transversally punctured to ribbed; ventrite 1 and anterior part of ventrite 2 with deep impression, transversally punctured to ribbed; ventrite 1 1.9 × as long as ventrite 2, ventrites 1–2 combined 4.3 × as long as ventrites 3–4 combined, ventrites 3–4 combined of 0.8 length of ventrite 5. Legs: dark brown to reddish-brown, distal parts lighter; profemora with very small teeth bearing a few erect scales, meso- and metafemora with large triangular sharp teeth; femora covered with recumbent, unevenly, somewhat spot-like distributed whitish scales, tibiae with subrecumbent whitish and black intermixed elongate scales, tarsomeres with suberect, thin whitish seta-like scales, onychia with recumbent, long whitish hairs; protarsal onychia of normal length, approximately as long as tarsomeres 1–3 combined, protarsal tarsomere 3 only slightly wider than long; claws as in C. flavopunctatus . Penis: Figs 26 d–f, its body long, with slightly concave sides, at apex broadly regularly rounded.

Female. Rostrum brown to dark brown, of approximately same length as in male, antennae inserted closer to its mid-length, at about 0.6 of rostrum length, apical part sparsely to semidensely punctured, at apex shiny. Ventrites 1 and 2 without impression, convex. Claws unevenly long.

Variability. Length ♂♂ 3.61–4.28 mm, ♀♀ 3.89–4.39 mm. This species is variable in the color of integument, especially of pronotum, antennae and legs, varying from reddish-brown to dark brown or black. The dorsal and preapical maculae vary to some extent in size and shape.

Diagnosis. This species is recognizable by almost concealed elytral integument (in fresh specimens), very moderately narrowed apical part of rostrum with semi-dense punctation of its apical half, and shiny apex in females, rounded base and vaulted basal sides of pronotum, short basal elytral scales, deep impression on ventrites 1 and 2 in males, and penis shape.

Comparative notes. Cionus auriculus is most closely related to C. flavopunctatus , from which it differs by lack of striking elytral pattern, not elongate antennal club, less punctured and partially shiny apex of rostrum, rounded pronotum at base, and penis shape. Although the species was described as a variety of C. hortulanus , certainly due to a moderately narrowed apical part of rostrum, it is more closely related to C. flavopunctatus having similar pronotum shape, matt apical part of rostrum, especially in males, and markedly broader, spoon-like ended body of penis.

Biological notes. The first author collected 5 ♂♂ and 1 ♀ in Turkey (Kayakevi pr. Develi, Erciyes Dagi Mt. 1850 m N 38 o 28.0´E 35 o 31.2´28.vi.2010) on Scrophularia sp.

Distribution. Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey, Syria, Israel.

Non-type specimens examined. We examined 172 specimens from the above reported countries. UKRAINE: Kolonje Monastiri. ARMENIA: Karaundj pr. Goris ( KO), Meghri (coll. Putz). GEORGIA: Tbilisi ( BN) . AZER- BAIJAN: Karabakh ( NHMW) . IRAN: Khorasan, Torqabeh ( KO) , Golestan ( SMDEI) , Gilan ( BN) . TURKEY: Ankara ( OA) , Ararat ( BN) , Kars ( PY) , Nemrut Dagi ( BI) , Nemrut Lake ( BI) , Birecik ( BI) , Van Lake ( MNHN) . SYRIA: “Har Hermon” ( TAU) . ISRAEL: Allone haBashan, Sahl-el-Hawa, Nahal Nizzana , Har Horesha , Nahal Boqer (all TAU) .

Figures

FIGURES 25–26. FIGURE 25. Cionus flavopunctatus. a: body in dorsal view (male), b: body in lateral view (male), c: rostrum in lateral view (female), d: penis in ventral view, e: penis in lateral view, f: apex of penis in dorsal view. Not to scale. FIGURE 26. Cionus auriculus. a: body in dorsal view (male), b: body in lateral view (male), c: rostrum in lateral view (female), d: penis in ventral view, e: penis in lateral view, f: apex of penis in dorsal view. Not to scale.