Rhinusa vulpeculus ( Reitter, 1907 )

Caldara, Roberto & Toševski, Ivo, 2019, Rhinusa Stephens: a taxonomic revision of the species belonging to the R. linariae R. herbarum, R. melas, and R. mauritii groups (Coleoptera Curculionidae), Zootaxa 4679 (2), pp. 318-340 : 327-328

Rhinusa vulpeculus ( Reitter, 1907)

Fig 5

Gymnetron vulpeculus Reitter, 1907: 40 . Klima 1934: 35 (as vulpeculum)

Rhinusa vulpeculus (Reitter) . Caldara 2001: 185. Caldara et al. 2010: 52. Alonso-Zarazaga et al. 2017: 204.

Type locality. Circassia (North Caucasus, southern Russia) .

Type series. This species was described based on a single male specimen, which we studied at the HNHM. This specimen has the vestiture of pronotum and elytra partly missing and is labelled “Circassia, Reitter / Holotypus, Gymnetron (Rhinusa) vulpeculus Reitter, 1907 male [card placed subsequently by a curator of the museum] / G. vulpes [sic] m. 1906 [Reitter’s writing] / Coll. Reitter”.

Redescription. Male. Length 2.2 mm. Body: oval, moderately stout ( Fig. 5 ). Rostrum: black, short (Rl/Pl 0.72), stout; in lateral view gradually narrowed from base to apex, almost straight (as in R. herbarum , Fig. 12 ); in dorsal view with subparallel sides from base to apex, with slightly visible scrobes, striate-punctate to apex, from base to middle with dense subrecumbent to suberect long (l/w 7–10) setiform light brown scales. Head: between eyes slightly broader than rostrum at base, without fovea. Eyes almost flat. Antennae: reddish brown with brown club, inserted just in front of middle of rostrum; scape 3.5× longer than wide, funicle slightly longer than scape, with segment 1 1.5× longer than wide, distinctly stouter and 1.3× longer than segment 2, which is 1.3× longer than wide, segments 3–5 gradually more transverse; club short, oval, with segment 1 pubescent similarly to others. Pronotum: black, with dense and regular punctures, intervals between punctures narrow, smooth and shining, visible between dense subrecumbent to erect long to very long (l/w 8–13) setiform light brown scales; transverse (Pw/Pl 1.28), subconical, weakly constricted at apex, with weakly rounded sides, widest at basal third, moderately convex. Elytra: black, short (El/Ew 1.15), suboval, 1.29× as wide as pronotum, with weakly rounded sides, widest at middle; interstriae moderately visible between sparse recumbent to mainly suberect long setiform light brown scales, 0.75–1.50x as long as width of interstria (l/w 8–12) and irregularly arranged, denser along interstria 1; striae poorly visible, two thirds as wide as interstriae, with a row of recumbent scales narrower than those on interstriae. Legs: slender, with dense subrecumbent to erect greyish scales slightly shorter than width of tibia; femora blackish, subclavate, without tooth; tibiae blackish, rather long, with outer margin curved inward apically; unci blackish, stout, all of same size; tarsi dark brown, with tarsomere 1 1.5× longer than wide, tarsomere 2 about as long as wide, tarsomere 3 bilobed and distinctly wider than tarsomere 2, onychium slightly shorter than tarsomeres 1–3 taken together; claws dark brown, equal in length. Venter: metasternum black, with dense recumbent to suberect long setiform whitish scales. Mesepimera, mes- and metepisterna with dense long setiform whitish scales. Abdomen black, with dense and somewhat regular punctures, poorly visible between dense subrecumbent to erect setiform greyish scales; length ventrites 1+2/3+4 2.14. Penis: as in R. herbarum ( Fig. 28 ).

Female. Unknown.

Variability. We examined only the holotype of this species.

Remarks and comparative notes. Reitter (1907) described this species with the name “vulpeculus”, a spelling which he reported also in the index. Therefore, he considered this name as a noun, probably after having realized that the name firstly contemplated ‒ vulpes as written on the label—was already used for Gymnetron vulpes Lucas, 1846 (currently in Mecinus Germar, 1821 ). Klima (1934) modified this name in “vulpeculum”, probably supposing a lapsus calami by Reitter, according to the neuter gender of the genus name Gymnetron Schoenherr, 1825 ; in Klima (1934) nothing suggests a true emendation, as requested in Art. 33.2 of the ICZN (1999), and therefore we consider Klima’s name a subsequent incorrect spelling (Art. 33.3).

This species is closely related to R. herbarum , with which it shares the shape of the genitalia, and therefore the placement of this species near R. collina (Gyllenhal, 1813) suggested by Reitter is incorrect. Unfortunately, we did not examine specimens other than the holotype, whose dorsal vestiture is partly missing. This specimen differs from R. herbarum solely but distinctly by the less transverse and subconical shape of the pronotum and the almost completely blackish integument. However, due to the variability of R. herbarum the examination of other specimens from the Caucasus will be necessary to clarify the taxonomic validity of the Reitter’s taxon.

Biological notes. No data are available.

Distribution. Southern Russia (western Caucasus).

Non-type material examined. No specimens.

Figures

FIGURES 1‒9. Habitus of (1) Rhinusa linariae, male; (2) R. brisouti, male; (3) R. kumatschevi, male; (4) R. herbarum, male; (5) R. vulpeculus, holotype male; (6) R. mateui, female; (7) R. melas, male; (8) R. korotyaevi, paratype male; (9) R. mauritii, male. Not to the same scale

FIGURES 10‒22. Rostrum of (10) Rhinusa linariae, male; (11) R. linariae, female; (12) R. herbarum, male; (13) R. herbarum, female; (14) R. mateui, male; (15) R. mateui, female; (16) R. melas, male; (17) R. melas, female; (18) R. korotyaevi, male; (19) R. korotyaevi, female; (20) R. mauritii, male; (21) R. mauritii, female; (22) R. antirrhini, male.

FIGURES 23‒32. Profemur and protibia of (23) Rhinusa bipustulata, male; (24) R. linariae, male; (25) R. tetra, male; (26) R. tetra, female. Penis in dorsal view of (27) R. linariae; (28) R. herbarum; (29) R. mateui; (30) R. melas; (31) R. korotyaevi; (32) R. mauritii.