Cionus schuelei, 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 : 23-25

9. Cionus schuelei sp. n. ( Figs 9a–f )

Type locality. Malolotje (Kingdom of Eswatini) .

Type series. Holotype, male “19./ 20.11.2001 SWAZILAND [= Eswatini] Malolotje NR P. Schüle leg.” ( NHMB) . Paratypes: same data as holotype (3, FBCV; 4, MKCS; 4, RCCM); “ SOUTH AFRICA: MPU, Houtenbek Farm , 15 km NNW of Dullstrom, 15 17S 30 05E, 05.xii.2002, R. Stals / TEMPORARY LABEL: adults collected from: (Plant acc. B364) growing in relict forest patch in grassland area. PLANT TO BE IDENTIFIED” (7, SANC) ; “ RSA (N) Mpumalanga, - 25.5588S / 30.7132E, Berlin Gorge bottom bridge vic. 1180–1200 m, 5.11.2013, leg. M. Wanat (1, MNHW) ; “ South Africa, TVL, De Kuilen, Lydenburg , 25.10S 30.32E, 12.ii.1981, SJ van Tonder, C. Kok” (1, SANC) ; “1./ 2.12.2000 RSA KwaZulu/Natal Lotheni NR P. Schüle leg.” (3, FBCV) .

Diagnosis. Head between eyes distinctly narrow. Pronotum conical with two distinct protuberances. Elytra with dense whitish vestiture, and a few black maculae, completely hiding interstriae and striae. Ventrites with scales partly more elongated, hair-like at midline on V1, V2 and V5, forming small tuft on V2. Claws asymmetrical in both sexes.

Description. Male ( Figs 9a–b ). Body: robust, globose. Head: rostrum stout, moderately short (Rl/Rw 2.80– 2.86; Rl/Pl 1.35–1.38), black, in lateral view regularly moderately curved, slightly tapered from antennal insertion to apex, in dorsal view parallel-sided, slightly enlarged apically; in basal half covered with moderately dense, recumbent, grayish, elliptical, moderately elongated (l/w 4–7) scales. Head between eyes distinctly narrow, 0.25× width of rostrum at base. Eyes flat. Antennae reddish brown with darker club, inserted between middle and apical third; scape long (l/w 8); funicle slightly shorter than scape, S1 moderately robust, slightly more robust than and as long as S2, 2.0× as long as wide, S2 2.5 × as long as wide, S3–5 transverse; club oblongly oval, as long as funicle, uniformly pubescent. Pronotum: dark brown, with dense, somewhat regularly arranged, shallow, small punctures completely hidden by dense, recumbent, moderately long (l/w 4–7), rectangular, whitish grey scales; conical, moderately transverse (Pw/Pl 1.43–1.48), widest at base, with very weakly rounded sides, moderately convex, with two distinct lateral protuberances. Prosternum: anterior margin distinctly emarginated. Scutellar shield: heart-shaped, densely covered with whitish scales similar to those on elytra. Elytra: dark brown, short (El/Ew 1.16–1.20), globose, widest at middle, distinctly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.73–1.76), with distinct, rounded humeri, slightly rounded sides in basal 2/3, moderately convex on disc; interstriae flat, without distinct punctures, smooth, opaque, completely hidden by recumbent, grayish and light brown, rectangular scales with a few small dark brown spots irregularly arranged on odd interstriae; striae with sparse, shallow punctures, 1/3 as wide as interstriae, intervals between punctures at same level as interstriae, completely hidden by vestiture. Venter: mesosternal process convex, moderately emarginated. Metasternum densely covered with overlapping, whitish scales being wider at sides, and elongated, partly hair-like in middle. Abdomen with dense, somewhat regularly arranged, shallow, small punctures completely hidden by recumbent, dense, moderately broad, whitish scales, with few elongated, hair-like scales on V1, V2 and V5 at midline forming a small tuft on V2; V1 1.5× as long as V2; V1+2 5.8× as long as V3+4, latter ones 0.7× as long as V5. Legs: densely covered with elongated whitish scales; femora black, with robust sharp teeth; tibiae black, unci lacking; tarsi black, onychium 2.0× as long as T3; claws long, asymmetrical, one claw 1/3 as long as other. Penis: Figs 9d–f , its body slightly narrowed from base to apex, tip emarginated. Flagellum short, bifurcated at base.

Female. Rostrum very slightly longer (Rl/Rw 2.90–2.95; Rl/Pl 1.40–1.44) ( Fig. 9c ), claws very slightly asymmetrical, with one claw as long as 3/4 of other, abdomen without hair-like scales.

Variability. Length 3.1–3.6 mm. We found no noteworthy differences among examined specimens except for the number of dark spots on the elytra, which are however always very few.

Etymology. We named this species in honour of our colleague Peter Schüle, who collected many specimens of the type series.

Remarks. Similar to C. transvaalicus (head between eyes very narrow), from which it differs by the longer rostrum, the more convex and more emarginated mesosternal process, the shape of the penis with shorter body, sides narrowing from base to apex and shorter flagellum.

Biological notes. No data are available.

Distribution. Northern South Africa (Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal), Eswatini.

Figures

FIGURES 9–10. FIGURE 9. Cionus shuelei 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. FIGURE 10. Cionus transvaalicus 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.