Cionus pulverosus Guérin-Méneville, 1833

Košťál, Michael & Caldara, Roberto, 2019, Revision of Palaearctic species of the genus Cionus Clairville (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cionini), Zootaxa 4631 (1), pp. 1-144 : 94-95

56. Cionus pulverosus Guérin-Méneville, 1833

Figs 56 a–f.

Cionus pulverosus Guérin-Méneville, 1833 : pl. 38. Reitter, 1904: 59. Wingelmüller, 1914: 214; 1921: 109; 1937: 196. Smreczyński, 1976: 61. Caldara, 2013: 124. Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 186.

Cionus pulverosus impunctatus Gyllenhal, 1838: 733 . Reitter, 1904: 59. Wingelmüller, 1914: 215; 1921: 109; 1937: 196. Caldara, 2013: 124 ( Cionus inpunctatus ) (syn. n.). Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 186 ( Cionus inpunctatus ).

Cionus pulverosus albopubens Reitter, 1904: 59 . Wingelmüller, 1914: 215; 1921: 109; 1937: 196. Caldara, 2013: 124 (syn. n.). Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 186.

Cionus pulverosus densenotatus Reitter, 1904: 59 . Wingelmüller, 1914: 214; 1921: 109; 1937: 196. Caldara, 2013: 124. Alonso- Zarazaga et al., 2017: 186. syn. n.

Type locality. Kerkyra ( Greece) .

Type series. According to the original description, the species was described from the Greek island Kerkyra (“Corcyra”). In coll. Schoenherr ( NHRS), where species described by Guérin-Méneville are deposited, under the name Cionus pulverosus , there are a conspecific couple of Cionus specimens. A 3.25 mm long male with missing left posterior leg labeled “ ♂ / 89 /Ins. Corcyra. / Schuppel. / 73 / Typus” was designated as the lectotype of Cionus pulverosus Guérin-Méneville by adding the label “ LECTOTYPUS Cionus pulverosus Guérin-Méneville M.Košťál et R.Caldara des.2018 [printed red label]”. A female labeled “ ♀ / Corfu. Mannerh: / 74 / Allotypus ” was labeled as paralectotype accordingly.

Synonyms. Cionus impunctatus was described as a variety γ of C. pulverosus from “Dalmatia” named “ Cionus impunctatus ” in the original description by Gyllenhal (1838). The only differences given are the absence of dorsal and preapical elytral maculae, and black rostrum stating “Ut α, sed immaculatus, rostro piceo”, which entirely fall into the large intraspecific variability of C. pulverosus . In spite of the fact that we could not find the type, there is no doubt that C. impunctatus is a junior synonym of C. pulverosus .

Cionus pulverosus v. albopubens was described from Armenia, “Arexesthal bei Ordubad”, without mentioning the number of specimens. In coll. Reitter (HNHM), there is a 3.07 mm long, well-preserved glued male corresponding to the original description labeled “Caucasus Araxesthal Leder. Reitter. / Holotypus 1904 Cionus pulverosus var. albopubens Reitter / pulverosus v. albopubens m. 1904. Type [Reitter´s handwriting]/ Coll. Reitter”. We designated this specimen as the lectotype of C. pulverosus v. albopubens Reitter by adding the printed red label “LECTOTY- PUS Cionus pulverosus v. albopubens Reitter Michael Košťál des. 2013”.

Cionus pulverosus v. densenotatus was described from Armenia (Yerevan) based on two specimens. In coll. Reitter (HNHM), there is a glued, well-preserved, 3.81 mm long female with missing left posterior tarsus corresponding to the original description labeled “ Eriwan 1898 Korb / Transkaukasus / Holotypus 1904. ♀ Cionus pulverosus var. densenotatus Reitter / pulverosus v. densenotatus m. [Reitter´s handwriting] / Coll. Reitter”. We designated this specimen as the lectotype of C. pulverosus v. densenotatus Reitter by adding the printed red label “ LECTOTYPUS Cionus pulverosus v. densenotatus Reitter Michael Košťál des. 2013”. Both above mentioned lectotypes are consubspecific with the lectotype of C. pulverosus Guérin-Méneville and were labeled accordingly “ Cionus pulverosus Gyllenhal Michael Košťál det. 2013”.

Redescription. Male. Body moderately stout, subparallel to subrotund. Head: rostrum moderately slender, medium long (l/ w 4.4, Rl/Pl 1.35), brown to dark brown; in lateral view moderately, slightly unevenly curved with hump shortly before antennal insertion, in basal part of same width, in apical part abruptly narrowed and then slightly tapered to apex; in dorsal view same width from base to apex, in basal part almost round in cross-section, in apical part markedly dorsoventrally flattened; except apical and preapical part densely, moderately longitudinally punctured, in preapical part punctures round and sparse, at apex with relatively large median smooth shiny area; scales similar to those in C. olens . Head between eyes very narrow, of about 0.3 of rostrum width at base. Eyes large, broadly rounded, not protruding from head outline. Antennae reddish-brown, inserted at 0.6 of rostrum length; funicle of 0.8 scape length, segment 1 moderately wider than segment 2, segment 1 twice, segment 2 twice or more as long as wide, segments 3–5 as long as wide; club spindle-shaped, more than twice as long as wide, completely covered with recumbent, light brown thin hairs and sparse, erect, light brown, relatively short sensilla. Pronotum: blackish-brown, markedly wider than long (Pl/Pw 0.61), semidensely finely evenly punctured, punctures round, of approximately equal size, spaces between punctures larger or equal to puncture diameter; vestiture as in C. olens but scales shorter (l/w 5–7); widest at base, then subparallel to broadly rounded, in anterior part more markedly narrowed to anterior margin, without constriction, in lateral view flat in basal half, then gradually rounded, moder- ately falling to anterior margin. Prosternum: anterior margin with sharply incised, relatively shallow semicircular emargination, bounded by small shiny tubercles, separated from coxae by narrow prosternal area. Scutellum: subtriangular with round apex, covered with same type of scales as on elytra, densely punctured to rugulose. Elytra: brown to dark brown, in basal 2/3 subparallel to slightly rounded, in apical part broadly rounded, moderately elongate (El/Ew 1.23), widest at about half of their length, at base somewhat wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.57), humeri subrotund, slightly prominent, without distinct posthumeral impression; moderately convex on disc; interstria 1 at 1/3 of medial length and in preapical area moderately broadened, interstria 2 at same lengths narrowed and constricted laterally encompassing small subrotund black tomentous maculae without differently colored scale border; interstriae subrecumbent except perimacular areas of approximately equal width; odd interstriae with sparsely, unevenly distributed patches of black scales, without patches of light scales; striae shallow, formed by single rows of confluent punctures; entire surface covered with dense, recumbent to elongate (l/w 4–7), yellowish scales completely concealing integument; interstriae with uneven rows of erect, yellowish and very sparsely intermixed black seta-like scales being equally long as or moderately longer than width of interstriae. Venter: vestiture as in C. olens except for scales shorter and more densely covering median longitudinal part; mesosternal process as in C. olens ; metasternum markedly concave, densely transversally punctured; ventrite 1 with deep impression, ventrite 2 anteriorly with shallow impression, punctured, with hair-like scales; ventrite 1 2.5 × as long as ventrite 2, ventrites 1–2 combined 4.5 × as long as ventrites 3–4 combined, ventrites 3–4 combined of 0.7 length of ventrite 5. Legs: dark brown to reddish-brown, profemora with very small teeth, meso- and metafemora with large sharp triangular teeth; covered with subrecumbent, semidensely evenly arranged (femora) and with suberect, yellowish elongate scales (tibiae), tarsomeres 2–3 with suberect seta-like whitish scales, onychia with recumbent to subrecumbent, whitish hair-like scales; protarsal onychia as long as tarsomeres 1–3 combined, protarsal tarsomere 3 wider than long; protarsal lateral, meso- and metatarsal medial claws thinner and of half length of their pair-claws. Penis: Figs 56 d–f, its body medium long, sinuate at sides, tapered to apex.

Female. Rostrum longer (Rl/Pl 1.39), antennae inserted shortly beyond mid-length of rostrum, apical part of rostrum moderately broadened towards apex. Ventrites 1 and 2 convex. Claws of approximately equal length.

Variability. Length ♂♂ 2.71–3.76 mm, ♀♀ 2.91–4.09 mm. Very variable species in the color of rostrum and legs being from reddish-brown to almost black, and in the size of both black tomentous elytral maculae, which are always small but in some specimens tiny to missing, elytral pattern of black scale patches, which vary from relatively numerous to absent.

Diagnosis. This species is recognizable by completely concealed elytral integument, erect seta-like scales on all interstriae, relatively large shiny medial area at apex of rostrum, small body size, and penis shape.

Comparative notes. This species is most closely related to C. olens and C. merkli , from which it differs by remarkable smaller body size, parallel or slightly broadened apical part of rostrum, drop-like shiny area on apex of rostrum, and penis shape.

Biological notes. The first author collected this species from various unidentified, mostly racemose Verbascum species.

Distribution. From Austria and Hungary to the Balkans ( Croatia, Albania, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Montenegro, Greece), Turkey and Armenia.

Non-type specimens examined. We examined more than 660 specimens from above mentioned countries except Albania.

Figures

FIGURES 55–56. FIGURE 55. Cionus merkli. 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 56. Cionus pulverosus. 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.