Mecinus paratychioides (Hoffmann, 1965)

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 : 36-38

Mecinus paratychioides group

Diagnosis. Club with inner half regularly convex, but completely glabrous, shining and smooth without line of separation between segments and with outer half flattened and segment 1 glabrous and other segments normally pubescent ( Fig. 107 ). Tarsomere 3 not bilobed and only slightly wider than tarsomere 2. Protibiae in female with premucro.

Remarks and comparative notes. The characters reported in the Diagnosis of the group, and especially the uncommon shape of the club and the presence of a tibial premucro in female, allow for the species in this group to be easily distinguished from all other Mecinus . It is noteworthy that in Mecinini only Gymnetron buddleiae Caldara, 2003 from South Africa has the antennal club and the tibiae with a similar pattern, apparently due to convergence.

17. Mecinus paratychioides (Hoffmann)

Figs 15 , 60 , 107 , 120

Gymnetron longirostre Pic, 1921: 6 (non Gyllenhal, 1838) (syn. n.)

Mecinus longirostris (Pic) . Caldara, 2001: 183. Magnano et al., 2009: 228.

Gymnetron paratychioides Hoffmann, 1965: 26 .

Mecinus paratychioides ( Hoffmann, 1965) . Caldara, 2001: 183.

Type locality. Oued el Anfdj ( Algeria).

Type series. This species was described from four specimens which we examined ( MNHN). They were collected in two localities in the north-western Sahara ( Algeria): Oued el Anfdj (type locality) and Chabit el Karka .

Synonyms. Gymnetron longirostre was described by Pic (1921) from females (as inferred by the original description) from Peyerimhoff's collection (MNHN), where we found two syntypes labelled respectively “El-golea [sic] / Gymnetron longirostre n. sp. [handwritten by Pic] / Echange 1921. page 6” (lectotype here designated) and “El Goléa, 4.5.1919, C. Dumont” (paralectotype). We examined another syntype, labelled “El Goléa, C. Dumont / G. longicolle [sic] Pic [handwritten by Peyerimhoff] / longirostre Pic [handwritten by Pic]”, in Pic's collection (MNHN, paralectotype). We have not found differences between these specimens and the lectotype of M. paratychioides . The name longirostre Pic is invalid since primary homonym of Gymnetron longirostre Gyllenhal, 1838 (presently Cleopomiarus ).

Redescription. Male. Length 1.9 mm. Body: long, subcylindrical, moderately slender ( Fig. 15 ). Rostrum: reddish, long (Rl/Pl 1.04), cylindrical; in lateral view moderately curved, same in width from base at apex ( Fig. 60 ); in dorsal view with parallel sides, with hardly visible scrobes, weakly striate-punctured at sides, smooth and moderately shining on dorsum, in basal half with recumbent to suberect, somewhat dense, white, long (l/w 7–10), seta-like scales. Head: frons as wide as rostrum at base, without fovea; eyes narrow, flat. Antennae: reddish, inserted just before middle of rostrum; scape somewhat short, 4.0x longer than wide; funicle distinctly longer than scape, segment 1 2.3x longer than wide, stouter and 1.3x longer than segment 2, which is twice as long as wide, segments 3–5 about as long as wide; club moderately long, oval. Pronotum: reddish, with sparse punctures irregular in size (in part very small) and disposition, intervals between punctures in part wider than punctures, smooth, moderately shining, somewhat visible between recumbent (for the most part) to suberect, moderately dense, light brown and white (more numerous at sides), very long (l/w 10–15), seta-like scales; moderately transverse (Pw/Pl 1.23), with distinctly rounded sides, widest at middle, with very weakly prominent apical constriction, moderately convex. Elytra: reddish; moderately long (El/Ew 1.43), subrectangular, at base moderately concave, moderately wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.30), with subparallel sides, weakly convex on disc; interstriae slightly visible between somewhat dense, white and greyish brown, very long (1.5–2.0x longer than width of interstria with longer scales apically; l/w 10–15), seta-like scales, which are recumbent (irregularly arranged) to suberect (arranged in a somewhat regular single median row); striae hardly visible, one third narrower than interstriae, shallow, with a row of scales as long as and slightly thinner than shorter ones covering interstriae. Legs: moderately slender, with subrecumbent to erect, somewhat dense, whitish, seta-like scales, which are slightly shorter than or as long as width of tibia; femora reddish, unarmed; tibiae reddish, moderately slender, protibiae with apical part of ventral surface weakly directed outward; unci blackish, very stout, all equal in length; tarsi reddish, tarsomere 1 1.5x longer than wide, tarsomere 2 as long as wide, segment 3 not bilobed and slightly wider than tarsomere 2, onychium slightly shorter than tarsomeres 1–3 taken together; claws brown, almost equal in length, fused in basal half. Venter: metasternum dark brown, clearly visible between sparse, whitish, long, hairlike scales; mesothoracic epimera and meso- and metathoracic episterna with sparse, whitish, in part narrow, setalike and in part wide, fringed scales; abdomen dark brown with reddish ventrite 5, with shallow punctures which are sparse and irregular in size (in part very small) and disposition, and clearly visible between recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, whitish, long, seta-like scales; ventrites length ratio 1–2/3–4 1.70. Penis: fig. 120.

Female. As in male except rostrum longer (Rl/Pl 1.15) and more curved, antennae inserted between median third and basal third of rostrum, uncus of metatibiae slightly smaller than others, all tibiae with premucro. Sternite 8 and spermatheca: as in M. caucasicus ( Figs 145 and 158 ).

Variability. Length 1.8–2.1 mm. Sometimes the rostrum is blackish brown and the venter is completely reddish, whereas the pronotum may be slightly darker than the elytra, sometimes with weakly rounded sides. The elytra are also sometimes weakly rounded and widest behind the middle.

Remarks and comparative notes. This species differs from the other two species of the group, M. linnavuori and M. desertorum , by the scrobes not being visible in dorsal view, the longer and cylindrical rostrum, and the usually longer elytra. It also differs from the former species by the antennal funicle with segment 2 about twice as long as wide and the elytra with shorter scales, whereas from the latter it differs by the eyes being distinctly narrower and flat.

Biological notes. In Algeria some adults were collected on Plantago ciliata Desf. and one emerged from a fruit of this plant (Peyerimhoff det.).

Distribution. Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, UAE.

Non-type specimens examined. MOROCCO: Erfoud , 14–16.IV.1971, Péricart leg. (1, MNHN) ; 52 km SW of Bouârfa , 1000 m, 5.V.2009, Borovec leg. (1, RBCS) ; 10 km E of Figuig , 900 m, 8.V.2009, Borovec leg. (2, RBCS) . ALGERIA: Bechar, Igli-Touzdit , 4.IV.1988, Colonnelli leg. (2, ECCR) ; Bechar, Duveyrier , 2.IV.1988 (1, ECCR) ; Sahara, Béni-Abbès , 11.V.1969 (1, MNHN) ; Sahara, Béni-Abbès km 30, 16.V. 1965, Mateu leg. (22, CWOB) ; Ghardaïa, V.1942, Paulian leg. (2, MNHN) ; Sahara , 10 km E Ghardaïa, 1.V.1987, Strejček leg. (1, JSCP) ; Western Sahara , D' Heimruk , from fruit of Plantago ciliata , Peyerimhoff leg. (1, MNHN) ; Figuig , IV.1924 (1, MNHN) ; Figuig, Defilia , 5–20.IV.1966, Hutson leg. (1, BMNH; 1, RCCM) ; Tarouela, Hoggar , 2175 m, on Plantago ciliata , 26.III.1928, Peyerimhoff leg. (4, MNHN) . TUNISIA: Metlaoui , II.1921 (5, MNHN) ; Sfax, III.1903, Birò leg. (1, HNHM) . SAUDI ARABIA: road Riyadh-Damman km 84 , 26.IV.1976, Wittmer & Bütiker legg. (1, NHMB) . UAE: Sharjah Desert Park , 21.I–17.II.2008, Colonnelli leg. (3, ECCR; 2, RCCM) .

Figures

FIGURES 98–107. Male right protibia in anterior view of (98) Mecinus pascuorum; (99) M. tanaiticus; (100) M. comosus; (101) M. simus; (102) M. pirazzolii; (103) M. vulpes; (104) M. pipistrellus. Male right profemur of (105) M. pascuorum; (106) M. ictericus. Right antenna of (107) M. paratychioides.

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.