Brachysomus (Hippomias) fallax Yunakov, 2006

Yunakov, Nikolai, 2022, A review of the genus Brachysomus Schoenherr (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Zootaxa 5193 (1), pp. 1-165 : 61

Brachysomus (Hippomias) fallax Yunakov, 2006

Figs. 56 , 216 , 239B

Brachysomus fallax Yunakov, 2006: 307 . Type locality: Greece, Pieria Mts.

Redescription. Measurements: Body length 1.70–2.45 mm, width 0.95–1.40 mm (in holotype 1.90 and 1.10 mm). Colouration: Body, legs and antennae brown. Vestiture: Ventrites covered with hairs and piliform scales. Body brown or dark-brown. Body and external surface of femora and tibiae distinctly covered with recumbent, lanceolate, grey-brown scales and erect setae. Setae 0.5x as long as width of interstriae. Setae at pronotum weakly visible. Length of suberect setae uniform across entire surface of elytra. Antennae, tarsi, and internal surface of tibiae covered with erect setae and hairs.

Head: Rostrum noticeably conically narrowing from base to middle, then parallel-sided, slightly longer than wide or as long as wide (RL/RW = 1.00–1.07). Pterygia clearly visible in dorsal view, noticeably projecting from outline of rostrum. Epifrons weakly convex longitudinally, separated from vertex by weak transverse depression, with noticeable thin median longitudinal sulcus. Eyes small (VW/ELD = 2.20–2.60) slightly convex, situated near level of vertex. Vertex flat, distinctly, finely, and longitudinal punctate under scales. Antennae: antennal scape noticeably curved, evenly widened distally; funicular antennomeres: 1st and 2nd elongate, 1st larger than 2nd; 3rd–6th as long as wide, 7th transverse; club egg-shaped.

Thorax: Pronotum slightly transverse [PL/PW = 0.79–0.93 (0.86)], widest at middle, evenly and slightly convex at disc and sides, weakly constricted anteriorly and most noticeably posteriorly, finely, densely, and shallowly punctate under scales. Elytra: oval or broadly-oval, sometimes nearly round (EL/EW = 1.16–1.30), evenly convex at sides and disc. Striae linear; punctures deep, slightly separated; spaces between punctures somewhat narrower than diameter of puncture, situated deeper than interstrial level. Interstriae convex, shiny, 2x wider than striae. Base of elytra 1.02–1.15x as wide as base of pronotum. Legs: femora moderately swollen at middle part. Protibiae straight, with slightly S-shaped interior side. Male metatibiae weakly mucronate. First tarsomere triangular, 2nd weakly transverse. Fifth fore tarsomere extending beyond apical lobes of 3rd by 0.65 length of the lobes. Abdomen: Male 5th ventrite evenly strongly convex, not depressed at apical part, with straight apical margin, in females rounded. Male genitalia: Aedeagus slightly sclerotized. Median lobe short, 2x shorter than apodemes, parallel-sided and narrowed in apical 1/3; endophallus with dense spiculate field in distal part. Spermatheca with long ramus, short collum and swollen corpus.

Diagnosis. Brachysomus fallax is closely related to B. albanicus and B. mikati , differs in median longitudinal sulcus at epifrons, small mucro at male metatibiae, weakly erect setae at elytral interstriae, and structure of genitalia in both sexes. From B. mikati , rather differs by the eyes situated almost at level of vertex.

Distribution. Greece (Kazani, Macedonia).

Bionomics. This species inhabits leaf litter in Fagus forests and grass-litter in mountain meadows at around 1500 m a.s.l.

Material examined. GREECE: Holotype,♂ (SDEI): Greece, Kazani, Pieria Mts., SE Velventos, N-Lage, 1570 m, 16.iv.2000 / Fagus-Wald, gesiebt, 40°11′16″N, 22°05′46″E (L. Behne). Paratypes, 9♂, 9♀ (DEI, ZIN): as holotype; 13♂, 2♀ (SDEI): ‘Greece, Macedonia, Pieria, Oros Pieria, O-Seite, Ski-Center oberhalb Elatochori, Streu am Schneerand, 4.iv.2001, 1485 m, 40°18′26″N, 22°12′04″E (L. Behne).

Figures

FIGURE 216. Brachysomus fallax: A: aedeagus; B: tegmen; C: spermatheca; D: head; E: hind tibia of male; F: scales of elytra; G: deciduous process.

FIGURE 239. Occurrence map of Brachysomus: A: Brachysomus s. str.; B: subgenus Hippomias.

FIGURES 51–56. Brachysomus, dorsal habitus: 51: B. oertzeni (lectotype) 52: B. moczarskii, female. 53: B. assingi, 54: B. moczarskii, male, 55: B. curvimanus. 56: B. fallax.