Cionus friedmani, Caldara & Košťál, 2023

Caldara, Roberto & Košťál, Michael, 2023, A Taxonomic Revision Of The Afrotropical Species Of The Weevil Genus Cionus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Zootaxa 5288 (1), pp. 1-98 : 64-65

34. Cionus friedmani sp. n. ( Figs 34a–f )

Type locality. Nyika National Park , Chelinda environs ( Malawi) .

Type series. Holotype, male “68442, MALAWI, Nyika National Park forest , 15 km N Chelinda 10°30.1’ S 33°48.8 E, 29.xii.2009, 2368 m, A. FREIDBERG” (TAUI) . Paratypes: “68511, MALAWI, Nyika National Park, Chelinda, 15 km W, 10°35’ S 33°44.1’ E, 31.xii.2009, 2234 m, A. FREIDBERG” (1 female, TAUI); “71917, MALAWI, Zomba Plateau Trout Farm , 1477 m, 15°21.4’ S 35°18.1’ S, 5.i.2010, L. FRIEDMAN” (1 male, RCCM) .

Diagnosis. Rostrum long, distinctly arcuate, especially in female. Pronotum with four moderately pronounced protuberances, with whitish and brown scales, former more numerous on sides, latter more numerous in middle of basal 2/3. Elytra covered with intermixed whitish and brown scales, former ones forming numerous small, almost indistinct spots on odd interstriae with one scale in middle of every spot slightly raised, latter ones more numerous in basal half of first four interstriae, interstria 3 at base more convex, striae not visible. Claws distinctly asymmetrical in male.

Description. Male (holotype) ( Figs 34a–b ). Body: short, suboval. Head: rostrum moderately long (Rl/Rw 3.55, Rl/Pl 1.33), blackish; in lateral view regularly moderately curved, of same width from base to apex, in dorsal view parallel-sided from base to apex, striate-punctate, covered with moderately dense, recumbent, elongated, grayish scales (l/w 5–8). Head between eyes moderately narrow, half as wide as rostrum at base, with dense, elliptical grayish scales forming comb around apex of eyes. Eyes flat. Antennae reddish with dark brown club, inserted in apical third; scape long (l/w 10); funicle slightly shorter than scape, S1 slightly more robust than and as long as S2, twice as long as wide, S2 2.7 × as long as wide, S3–5 as long as wide; club oblongly oval, shorter than funicle, pubescent. Pronotum: black, with moderately irregular, very small, indistinct, very shallow punctures, completely hidden by recumbent, dense, elongated (l/w 5–8), mostly grayish scales being brown in mediobasal area; conical, moderately transverse (Pw/Pl 1.41), widest at base, with rectilinear sides, weakly convex on disc, with four transversely arranged small protuberances emphasized by tufts of erect whitish scales. Prosternum: anterior margin distinctly emarginated. Scutellar shield: heart-shaped, densely covered with grayish and light brown scales. Elytra: black, moderately elongated (El/Ew 1.19), widest at middle, distinctly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.78), humeri prominent, sides slightly rounded, moderately convex on disc; interstriae flat, almost straight except interstria 3 sinuate and more convex at base, with moderately irregular, very small, indistinct, very shallow punctures completely hidden by intermixed whitish and brown scales, former ones forming numerous, small, almost indistinct spots on odd interstriae with one slightly raised scale in middle of each spot, latter ones more numerous in basal half of first four interstriae; striae not visible, with punctures moderately deep, 1/3 as wide as interstriae, intervals between punctures situated at same level as interstriae. Venter: mesosternal process slightly convex, moderately emarginated. Metasternum densely covered with elongated scales being hair-like in middle. Abdomen with moderately irregular, very small, indistinct, very shallow punctures, feebly visible between elongated whitish scales at sides, more elongated hair-like in middle of V1, V2 and V5, without tuft on V2; V1 1.9× longer than V2, V1+2 4.8× longer than V3+4, latter ones 0.8× as long as V5. Legs: reddish, densely covered with elongated pale brown scales; femora with robust sharp teeth; tibiae without unci; tarsi with onychium 1.7× as long as T3; claws asymmetrical, one claw half as long as other. Penis: Figs 34d–f , its body parallel-sided, tip short, subacute. Flagellum thin, very long.

Female. Rostrum distinctly longer (Rl/Rw 5.55; Rl/Pl 1.47) ( Fig. 34c ), ventrites with all scales similar in shape, claws symmetrical.

Variability. Length 2.5–3.0 mm. Brown scales at the base of pronotum and elytral interstriae on the disc in the female paratype more numerous and darker than in the holotype; moreover, on elytra whitish spots are less distinct. On the contrary, in the male paratype the dark macula on elytral disc is poorly visible and white spots are more distinct.

Etymology. This species is named in honour of our friend and colleague Laibale Friedman, who provided us with the loan of interesting material and collected one specimen of the type series.

Remarks. This species is very easily distinguishable due to the pattern of the elytral vestiture, although somewhat variable. It is noteworthy that only two other species of Afrotropical Cionus have a dark drawing on the elytral disc: C. ingratus and C. geometricus . Due to the small size and the elytral pattern, if not distinctly pronounced, C. friedmani is more similar to C. ingratus from which it differs by the shape of the rostrum and longer elytra.

Biological notes. No data are available.

Distribution. Malawi.

Figures

FIGURES 33–34. FIGURE 33. Cionus ingratus. 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. FIGURE 34. Cionus friedmani sp. n. 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.