Mecinus Germar, 1821

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 : 6-7

Mecinus Germar

Mecinus Germar 1821: 315 (type species: Curculio pyraster Herbst, 1795 ; subsequent designation by Schoenherr, 1825: c. 587). Schoenherr, 1826: 321; 1838: 776. Stephens, 1831: 275; Bedel, 1883: 68. Desbrochers des Loges, 1893: 5, 18. Reitter, 1907: 7, 15. Hustache, 1931: 400. Hoffmann, 1958: 1265. Smreczyṅski, 1976: 23. Lohse & Tischler, 1983: 259, 260. Abbazzi & Osella, 1992: 378. Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal, 1999: 8. Caldara, 2001: 182. Colonnelli, 2003: 86. Wanat & Mokrzycki, 2005: 83. Abbazzi & Maggini, 2010: 111. Germann, 2010: 82. Benedikt et al., 2010: 79.

Hexaphyllus Dejean, 1821: 98 (type species: Curculio haemorrhoidalis Herbst, 1784 sensu Dejean = Curculio pyraster Herbst, 1795 ).

Macipus Fischer von Waldheim, 1829: 102 (type species: Mecinus collaris Germar ; subsequent designation by Caldara, 2001: 182).

Mecinopsis Escalera 1914: 468 (type species: Mecinopsis lixoides Escalera, 1914 by monotypy); Klima, 1934: 11 ( Mecinops err.); Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal, 1999: 15, 80.

Gymnetron subgen. Aprinus Desbrochers des Loges, 1893: 5 (type species: Gymnetron simum Mulsant & Rey, 1859 ; subsequent designation by Caldara, 2001: 182).

Gymnetron subgen. Aprinodactylus Stöcklein, 1950: 278 ; Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal, 1999: 80. Caldara, 2001: 182 (name not available).

Redescription. Male. Length 1.3–4.6 mm. Body: short oval to long cylindrical, with integument reddish-brown to black, often bicoloured, or blue with metallic reflexions, covered with more or less dense, more or less long, generally seta-like scales. Rostrum: variable in length, sometimes very short, in lateral view straight to distinctly curved, in dorsal view subconical to rectangular, usually with punctures and striae in basal two thirds. Head: frons generally slightly narrower than rostrum at base; eyes somewhat big, as broad as half of head. Antennae: with funicle with five segments. Pronotum: usually transverse, at apex with more or less pronounced apical constriction. Prosternum with anterior margin weakly concave, without canal. Elytra: short, suboval or subelliptical, to very long, rectangular, with stria 3 joined to stria 8 at apex, with margin at apex transverse to moderately directed outward, usually only slightly wider than pronotum. Legs: anterior coxae contiguous, protibiae with apical part of ventral surface weakly to moderately directed outward, sometimes strongly modified with presence of teeth, uncus present on all tibiae. Tarsal claws fused at base, seldom free, usually similar in length, sometimes with outer claw distinctly shorter. Venter: mesosternal process narrower than half of coxa; abdomen with ventrites 1 and 2 flat to concave and taken together longer than ventrite 3 and 4 taken together. Pygidium: moderately convex, hardly visibile. Penis: usually short, parallel-sided, with flagellum curled, sometimes very long, forming many concentrical rings when at repose.

Female. As male except rostrum slightly to moderately longer, smooth and shining in apical half, with antennae inserted more basally, abdomen with ventrites 1 and 2 more or less convex, uncus of metatibiae usually smaller than others, seldom lacking.

Remarks and comparative notes. The Palaearctic species of Mecinus are here divided into seven groups and two complexes based on a phylogenetic study ( Caldara et al. 2013). Species belonging in Mecinus are distinguishable from other Mecinini ( Cleopomiarus Pierce, 1919 , Gymnetron Schoenherr, 1825 , Miarus Schoenherr, 1826 , Rhinumiarus Caldara, 2001 and Rhinusa Stephens, 1829 ) by the elytral margin at apex slightly directed outward, so that the pygidium is hardly visible, and protibiae with apical part of ventral surface weakly to moderately directed outward, as well as by characters of the penis which has a short body and bears a more or less complex flagellum, often formed by many concentrical rings. Moreover, Mecinus differs from Rhinusa by the third elytral stria which is joined at apex with the eigthth stria (in Rhinusa joined with the sixth stria), and from Cleopomiarus and Miarus by having the prosternum lacking a canal and the claws usually fused at base. All the species with known biology live on plants of the genera Plantago , a genus of host plants not used by other Mecinini , Linaria and occasionally Antirrhinum and Anarrhinum , all belonging to the Plantaginaceae ( Stevens 2012) .