Rhoptobaris scolopax (Say, 1832) Prena, Jens, 2012

Prena, Jens, 2012, A Review of RhoptobarisLeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Baridinae) from North and Central America, The Coleopterists Bulletin 66 (3), pp. 233-244 : 241-243

Rhoptobaris scolopax (Say, 1832) , new combination

( Figs. 1, 2 , 11–13 , 17–25 )

Baridius scolopax Say 1832: 26 . Holotype: female, labeled “ Scolopax / Say./ Missuri. Say.” (NHRS).

Orthoris crotchii LeConte 1876: 286 . Lectotype: f e m a l e, d e s i g n a t e d h e r e, l a b e l e d “Cal.”, “ Orthoris / Crotchii/ Lec.”, “Type/ 5339” (MCZ, LeConte Collection). Paralectotypes: 19, labeled “Cal.” ( MCZ 18 , SNSD 1 ). New synonymy.

Orthoris crotchi [unjustified emendation]. Casey (1892: 570; 1920: 386); Leng (1920: 327), Hustache (1938: 128); Anderson (2006: 33).

Orthoris angustula Casey 1920: 385 . Holotype: female, labeled “Cal.”, “Casey/ bequest/ 1925”, “TYPE USNM/ 37807 ”, Casey’ s hand “angustula/ Csy.” (USNM). New synonymy.

Orthoris captiosa Casey 1920: 385 . Lectotype: male, designated here, labeled “ Ontario / Cal.”, “ ♂ ”, “ Casey / bequest/ 1925”, “TYPE USNM/ 37811 ”, Casey’ s hand “captiosa/ Csy.” (USNM). Paralectotypes: 2, female, Ontario, CA, labeled as paratypes by Buchanan ( USNM 2 ); 1 specimen of the same series standing under O. crotchi [sic]; not mentioned in description. New synonymy.

Orthoris robustula Casey 1920: 385 . Holotype: female, labeled “Cal.”, “Casey/ bequest/ 1925”, “TYPE USNM/ 37806 ”, Casey’ s hand “robustula/ Csy.” (USNM). New synonymy.

Orthoris tenuirostris Casey 1920: 385 . Lectotype: female, designated here, labeled “Col./ Col.” [standing for Colorado Springs , Colorado], “Casey/ bequest/ 1925”, “TYPE USNM/ 37810 ”, Casey’ s hand “tenuirostris/ Csy.” (USNM). Paralectotype: 1, female, Colorado Springs, CO, labeled as paratype by Buchanan ( USNM 1 ). New synonymy.

Orthoris tumidirostris Casey 1920: 384 . Holotype: female, labeled “Cheyenne/ 4/22/91”, “Casey/ bequest/ 1925”, “TYPE USNM/ 37809 ”, Casey’ s hand “tumidirostris/ Csy.” (USNM). New synonymy.

Diagnosis. The widely distributed R. scolopax is relatively distinct because of the subtly curved, sexually dimorphic rostrum and the elongate female pygidium. Only the rare and more southern R. cylindrifera is very similar but has convex interstriae with finer setae and a more elongate antennal club.

Redescription. As in the generic description above, with the following specific character states: Rostrum slightly curved, basally humped, 1.16–1.28X (male) or 1.23–1.58X (female) longer than pronotum, ventrally without erect setae except near apex; funicle slightly longer than antennal club; pronotum and elytra with microsculpture, elytral interstriae flat and impunctate, with 1–2 rows of whitish, decumbent setae; prosternum noticeably tumescent in front of coxae and medially depressed in between; tibia with more or less erect setae, ventrodistal spine small and barely projecting beyond distal setae; sclerolepidia slightly projecting, not peg-like; female with pygidium (tergite VII) longer than wide; body of aedeagus ca. 3.3X longer than wide; total body length 2.4–3.9 mm, width 1.0– 1.6 mm.

Distribution. This species occurs in the United States west of the Mississippi River plus the adjacent parts of Canada. Blatchley and Leng’ s (1916) record from Ottawa, Canada is well outside this range and may be an error for Ottawa, Kansas.

Biology. Pierce (unpublished manuscript) provided the following observations [names of species adjusted to modern taxonomy]: The eggs were laid in the young green pods of M. nuda , and the larvae fed among the flat seeds, forming cells in the center of six or seven seeds [see Pierce 1907a, figures 3–7]. Usually a number of cells were found side by side, filling the greater part of the pod. The cells were made of larval exuviae. Exit was secured through the open apex of the ripe pod. In examination of 62 infested pods collected at Clarendon (Texas), there were 281 punctures and 49 cells. The species was very abundantly parasitized by Bracon nuperus Cresson , Eurytoma tylodermatis Ashmead , and a species of Tetrastichus Haliday , which is sometimes hyperparasitic on the Bracon . Cerambycobius Ashmead and Catolaccus Thomson have also been bred. Some of the above data were presented in Pierce (1907a –c, 1908, 1910) and Muesebeck (1926).

Specimens were reared also from pods of Mentzelia decapetala (Pursh ex Sims) Urb. and Gilg ex Gilg , M. laevicaulis , and Mentzelia multiflora (Nutt.) A. Gray. Adult weevils were furthermore collected from Mentzelia dispersa S. Watson and Mentzelia lindleyi Torr. and A. Gray (USNM, label data).

Material Examined. C A N A D A: A l b e r t a ( CNCI 12, USNM 2), British Colombia ( CNCI 6 ) , Saskatchewan ( CNCI 15 ) . USA: Arizona ( BPBM 4 , CMNC 1 , CWOB 19 , JPPC 4 , TAMU 2 , USNM 82 ) , California ( BMNH 2 , BPBM 6 , CWOB 12 , JPPC 1 , MCZ 19 , USNM 26 ) , Colorado ( BMNH 2 , CWOB 6 , TAMU 1 , USNM 127 ) , Idaho ( USNM 5 larvae) , Iowa ( USNM 2 ) , Kansas ( CWOB 1 , TAMU 4 , USNM 4 ) , Louisiana ( USNM 1 ) , Montana ( CWOB 71 , TAMU 12 ) , Nebraska ( CWOB 5 , TAMU 1 , USNM 6 ) , New Mexico ( TAMU 3 , USNM 3 ) , Oklahoma ( CWOB 8 , TAMU 17 ) , Oregon ( CMNC 14 , CWOB 3 , USNM 6 ) , Texas ( CMNC 1 , CWOB 36 , JPPC 1 , TAMU 22 , USNM 54 ) , Utah ( USNM 29 ) , Wyoming ( USNM 1 ) ; without precise locality ( MCZ 2 , NHRS 1 ) . Total 638 specimens .

Notes. Say described Baridius scolopax in the supplement of one of his New Harmony pamphlets ( Say 1831 –32), which was typeset (and probably printed) in three parts. Most of the descriptions contained therein had been prepared already by 1830, when Say sent an almost complete synoptic set plus additional unidentified specimens to the Swedish weevil specialist Carl Johan Schönherr in Skara; Schönherr’ s comments prompted Say to write the supplement. The American entomologist Thaddeus Harris received the main section of the paper (pages 1–8 and pages 9–24) on 5 May 1832 and the supplement (pages 25–30) on 26 December 1832 ( Scudder 1899), which makes it likely that the supplement was printed between these two dates rather than in 1831 as generally given in the literature. The same evidence apparently underlies the tentative dating in Anonymous (1861) and Busquet (1993).

LeConte misused the name B. scolopax for four specimens from Georgia and Illinois (LeConte 1869) and later transferred the species to Aulobaris LeConte (LeConte 1876) . This misidentification may be attributable to Say’ s reference to his specimen’ s dark chestnut brown color which, however, is not the typical color of this species. The specimen in the NHRS is clearly labeled as coming from Say and agrees with the description. Furthermore, its provenance was explicitly stated by Boheman (in Schönherr 1836: 699) as “ Dom. Say benevole communicatus ” and can be traced to Say’ s 1830 shipment under item #86 (Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, library collection 455, box 1, file 2). The asterisk used in this list apparently indicates that it was a unique specimen and, therefore, the holotype of B. scolopax .

When LeConte (1876) proposed Aulobaris , he included therein four names, i.e., Aulobaris naso LeConte , Baridius anthracinus Boheman , Baridius ibis LeConte , and B. scolopax . To insure nomenclatural stability, I designate here B. anthracinus as the type species of Aulobaris . An available name for A. scolopax in LeConte’ s sense is Aulobaris pusilla (LeConte) . The genus is confused and warrants revision.

Figures

Figs. 1–4. Dorsal and lateral views of female Rhoptobaris species. 1, 2) R. scolopax, Green Valley, Arizona;

Figs. 11–14. Tergites and abdominal ventrites of Rhoptobaris species. 11) Ventrites III–V, R. scolopax, male; 12) Ventrites III–V, R. scolopax, female; 13) Tergite VII, R. scolopax, female; 14) Tergite VII, S. canescens, female. Not to scale.

Figs. 17–25. Larva of Rhoptobaris scolopax. 17, 18) Head capsule, dorsal and ventral views; 19) Labium and maxilla; 20) Maxillary mala, detail; 21) Clypeus and labrum; 22) Epipharyngeal lining; 23) Thoracic spiracle; 24) Right antenna; 25) Left mandible, dorsal view. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.