Mecinus alboscutellatus alboscutellatus (Hustache), 1913

Caldara, Roberto & Fogato, Valter, 2013, Systematics of the weevil genus <i> Mecinus </ i> Germar, 1821 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). I. Taxonomic treatment of the species, Zootaxa 3654 (1), pp. 1-105 : 34-35

16a. Mecinus alboscutellatus alboscutellatus (Hustache)

Figs 14 , 58–59 , 119

Gymnetron alboscutellatum Hustache, 1913: 390 ; 1931: 409, 421. Wörndle, 1950: 373. Horion, 1951: 501. Hoffmann, 1958: 1278, 1293. Heiss, 1971: 159. Allenspach, 1978: 410. Kahlen, 1987: 282. Lohse & Tischler, 1983: 266.

Mecinus alboscutellatus (Hustache) . Caldara, 2001: 183. Caldara & Alonso-Zarazaga, 2010: 401. Germann, 2010: 82.

Type locality. Col de l’Arc (Massif du Vercors, Isère, southern France), 1650 m .

Type series. The nominal subspecies was described from four specimens collected by Hustache at Col de l'Arc on 24.VIII.1913. We examined one male and one female of them (MNHN) both labelled “Isère, Col de l'Arc, 24.VIII.1913, A. Hustache ”. The male is also labelled “Type” (lectotype here designated) .

Redescription. Male. Length mm 1.9. Body: moderately short, oval, moderately stout ( Fig. 14 ). Rostrum: black with reddish apex, moderately long (Rl/Pl 0.84); in lateral view subcylindrical, weakly curved, weakly narrowed in apical third ( Fig. 58 ); in dorsal view with subparallel sides but slightly enlarged at antennal insertion, with moderately visible scrobes, distinctly striate-punctured in basal two thirds then smooth and shining, in basal half with recumbent, moderately dense, whitish, moderately long to long (l/w 4–8), seta-like scales. Head: frons as wide as rostrum at base, without fovea; eyes weakly convex. Antennae: with scape and tarsomeres 1–3 of funicle reddish and with remaining part dark brown, inserted just in front of middle of rostrum; scape moderately long, 4.5x longer than wide; funicle slightly longer than scape, segment 1 2.5x longer than wide, stouter and 3.0x longer than segment 2, which is 1.5x longer than wide, segments 3 and 4 as long as wide, segment 5 transverse; club moderately long, oval, segment 1 about as pubescent as others. Pronotum: black, with dense and regular punctures, intervals between punctures smooth and shining, smaller than punctures, clearly visible between recumbent, sparse, whitish to light brown, long (l/w 6–10), seta-like scales; moderately transverse (Pw/Pl 1.40), with moderately rounded sides, with weakly prominent apical constriction, widest at basal third, moderately convex. Elytra: black; moderately short (El/Ew 1.27), suboval, at base weakly concave, moderately wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.29), with weakly rounded sides, widest in basal half, moderately convex on disc; interstriae clearly visible between recumbent, sparse, whitish (more numerous at base along midline) and light brown, long (about 0.8x as long as width of interstria; l/w 8–10), seta-like scales, which are arranged in 1 (in part 2) somewhat regular rows; striae moderately visible, one third narrower than interstriae, with a row of scales similar to those covering interstriae. Legs: stout, with recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, whitish, seta-like scales, which are distinctly shorter than width of tibia; femora blackish, with small tooth; tibiae blackish brown with base and apex reddish, moderately stout, protibiae with apical part of ventral surface weakly directed outward; unci blackish, slender; tarsi reddish, tarsomere 1 1.2x longer than wide, tarsomere 2 moderately transverse, tarsomere 3 bilobed and distinctly wider than tarsomere 2, onychium as long as tarsomeres 1–3 taken together; claws brown, equal in length, fused in basal half. Venter: metasternum black, clearly visible between recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, whitish, long, almost hair-like scales; mesothoracic epimera and meso- and metathoracic episterna with sparse, whitish, wide, fringed scales and narrow scales; abdomen black, with dense and regular punctures, which are clearly visible between recumbent, sparse, whitish, long, seta-like scales; ventrites length ratio 1–2/3–4 1.94. Penis: fig. 119.

Female. As in male except rostrum longer (Rl/Pl 1.04) ( Fig. 59 ), antennae inserted just before middle of rostrum, femora with smaller tooth. Sternite 8 and spermatheca: as in M. pascuorum ( Figs 144 and 157 ).

Variability. Length 1.8–2.0 mm. Sometimes the interstria 3 at the apex is joined to interstriae 4 or 6. Antennae, except club, and legs may be completely reddish. The unique specimen from Spain and the two specimens from Tirol ( Austria) which we examined do not show differences from the French specimens.

Biological notes. The adults were collected on Plantago monosperma subsp. discolor (Gand.) M. Lainz (I. Ugarte pers. comm.) and on species of Helianthemum ( H. vulgare L. var. grandiflorum DC. and H. tuberaria Mill. ( Hustache 1913; Hoffmann 1958) (see biological notes of subsp. atratulus ).

Distribution. Northern Spain, south-eastern France, western Switzerland, Austria (Tirol, massifs Karwendel and Rofan) ( Wörndle 1950; Heiss 1971; Lohse & Tischler 1983; Kahlen 1987).

Non-type specimens examined. SPAIN: Castilla y León, Burgos, Barros de Briscia, IX.1967, Ribes leg. (1, MCNM) ; Castilla y León, Burgos, Arlanzón , 1040 m, 18.IV.2011, Ugarte & Salgueira legg. (5, USCA) ; Pais Vasco, Montes de Iturrieta, Sta. Teodosia , 14.VII.2008, Ugarte & Salgueira legg. (1, USCA) ; Pais Vasco, Montes de Iturrieta, Ibisate , 25.V.2010, on Plantago discolor, Ugarte & Salgueira legg. (4, USCA) ; Pais Vasco, Álava, Zuazo de San Millán , 10.IV.1999, on Plantago monosperma, Ugarte leg. (7, USCA) . FRANCE: Rhône-Alpes, Isère, Col de l'Arc, 18.VIII.1915 (40. MNHN; 6, MSNG; 1, MSNM). Switzerland : Valais, 3.X.1965, Scherler leg. (1, DEIM) . AUSTRIA: northern Tirol, Karwendel ( Eng ), 7.X.1973, Kahlen leg. (2, TLMF) .

Figures

FIGURES 10–18. Habitus of (10) Mecinus longulus; (11) M. tychioides; (12) M. labilis; (13) M. plantaginis; (14) M. alboscutellatus alboscutellatus; (15) M. paratychioides; (16) M. linnavuori; (17) M. desertorum; (18) M. marina. Not to the same scale.

FIGURES 58–68. Rostrum in lateral view of (58) Mecinus alboscutellatus alboscutellatus; (59) idem, female; (60) M. paratychioides, male; (61) M. linnavuori, male; (62) M. desertorum, male; (63) M. henrici, male; (64) M. reichei, female; (65) M. marina, male; (66) idem, female; (67) M. elongatus; (68) idem, female. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 108–120. Penis in dorsal and lateral view of (108) Mecinus pascuorum; (109) M. crassifemur; (110) M. ictericus; (111) M. latiusculus; (112) M. caucasicus; (113) M. variabilis; (114) M. tychioides; (115) M. haemorrhoidalis; (116) M. longulus; (117) M. labilis; (118) M. plantaginis; (119) M. alboscutellatus alboscutellatus; (120) M. paratychioides. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 144–156. Sternite 8 of (144) Mecinus pascuorum; (145) M. caucasicus; (146) M. marina; (147) M. reichei; (148) M. humeralis; (149) M. circulatus; (150) M. pyraster; (151) M. simus; (152) M. collaris; (153) M. janthinus; (154) M. lixoides; (155) M. sicardi; (156) M. heydenii. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 157–171. Spermatheca of (157) Mecinus pascuorum; (158) M. caucasicus; (159) M. haemorrhoidalis; (160) M. labilis; (161) M. marina; (162) M. elongatus; (163) M. reichei; (164) M. circulatus; (165) M. pyraster; (166) M. simus; (167) M. comosus; (168) M. lixoides; (169) M. janthinus; (170) M. heydenii; (171) M. collaris. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.