Mesites (s. str.) cunipes Boheman, 1838

Nazarenko, V. Yu. & Gontarenko, A. V., 2017, New Records Of Mesites (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) In Ukraine, Vestnik Zoologii 51 (1), pp. 75-78 : 76

Mesites (s. str.) cunipes Boheman, 1838 ( fig. 1 , a–b, e, g, h, k, m)

Boheman, 1838: 1046; Folwaczny, 1973: 130.

M a t e r i a l. Odesa Reg.: floodlands of Dniester Riv, 2.05.1985, 1 Ơ (Berezovskii) ( SIZK); Biliaivka Distr. , 9 km W Maiaky, right bank Dniester Riv., floodplain forest, under bark, 22.07.1995, 1 Ơ; 12.07.1996, 5 Ơ, 3 ♀; under snag, 22.08.2000, 2 ♀ (A. Gontarenko); Bolgrad Distr. , left bank of Yalpug lake , near Krynychne , 18.07.2000, 1 Ơ (Tkachenko) (cGon); idem, between Krynychne and Izmail, in wood of Salix sp. , 24.07.2000, 1 ♀ (Trach) ( SIZK) .

D i s t r i b u t i o n. Europe: Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Romania, Spain, S European Russia, Switzerland; North Africa: Algeria, Egypt; Asia: Cyprus, Iran, Turkmenistan, Turkey ( Hlaváč, Maughan, 2013). First record from Ukraine ( fig. 2 , circles).

B i o l o g y. Develops in old wood of dead but staying willows and poplars (Lukjanovich, Arnoldi, 1951; Folwaczny, 1973).

D i a g n o s i s. This species can be recognized from externally similar Cossonus species ( C. (Caenocossonus) cylindricus Sahlberg, 1835 ) with rostrum not widened in Ơ and dilated basally in ♀. From wider distributed M. pallidipennis it differs by nearly unicolor body, evident microsculpture on pronotum, elytral interstriae narrower then striae, sparse interstrial punctures weakly enlargered on declivity; slightly widened from the base to its middle median lobe of aedeagus with apical portion almost parallelsided and apical edge wide rounded; wide divergent at the base and inner subparallel arms of sternite VIII in female; feeding in dead wood, not driftwood.

Figures

Fig. 1. Morphological details of adult Mesites: a — M. cunipes, Ơ; b — M. cunipes, ♀; c — M. pallidipennis, Ơ; d — M. pallidipennis, ♀; e — pronotal disc microreticulation of M. cunipes; f — the same of M. pallidipennis; g — left elytron apex of M. cunipes; h — medial part of elytral disk of M. cunipes; i — the same of M. pallidipennis; j — left elytron apex of M. pallidipennis; k — female sternite VIII of M. cunipes; l — the same of M. pallidipennis; m — aedeagus median lobe of M. cunipes; n — the same of M. pallidipennis.

Fig. 2. Findings of Mesites cunipes (circles) and M. pallidipennis (triangles: gray for examined material and white for cited) in Ukraine. Black dots — exact position.