Cionus terrosus, 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 : 53-54

27. Cionus terrosus sp. n. ( Figs 27a–f )

Type locality. Mthatha (Eastern Cape, South Africa) .

Type series. “ S. Africa. R.E. Turner. Brit. Mus. 1923‒189. / Umtata [currently Mthatha ], Transkei , 18.II– 18.III.1923.” ( BMNH) . Paratypes: same data as holotype (2, BMNH; 1, RCCM); “1–12.1.51 / S. Afr. Cape Prov. Hout Bay. Skoorsteenkop. No. 157 / Insect trap Alt. ft” (1, MZLU) ; S. Afr. Cape Prov. Hout Bay. 29.I–1922, Skoorsteenkop 51 No. 157 / Swedish South African Expedition 1950–1951 leg. Brinck - Rudebeck (1, MZLU) ; “ S. Africa. R.E. Turner. Brit. Mus. 1924‒424 / Cape Province, Mossel Bay . Sept. 1924 ” (1. BMNH) ; “ S. Africa. R.E. Turner. Brit. Mus. 1930‒266 / Cape Province: Mossel Bay . May 1930 ” (1. BMNH) ; “S. Africa. R.E. Turner. Brit. Mus. 1926‒71. / Cape Town , Milnerton. Jan. 1926 ” (2, BMNH) . “ Rep. of South Africa, Western Cape Pr. Melkbosstrand Beach , 21.ix.2018, J. Haran leg. / –3368 1843, on Scrophulariaceae, JHAR 01509” (2, CBGP) .

Diagnosis. Rostrum stout, short. Pronotum with two moderately pronounced protuberances. Elytra with brown scales and small whitish maculae on odd interstriae, striae not visible. V 2 in male with distinct tuft of hair-like scales. Only protarsal claws asymmetrical in male.

Description. Male ( Figs 27a–b ). Body: robust, moderately elongated. Head: rostrum stout, short (Rl/Rw 3.30– 3.36, Rl/Pl 0.75–0.79), brown, in lateral view moderately curved, of same width from base to antennal insertion, then slightly tapered to apex, in dorsal view parallel-sided; from base to near apex with moderately dense, recumbent, elliptical, moderately short (l/w 3–5) light brown scales. Head between eyes moderately narrow, half as wide as rostrum at base. Eyes flat. Antennae reddish brown, inserted between middle and apical third; scape long (l/w 10); funicle moderately shorter than scape, S1 moderately robust, moderately more robust than and as long as S2, twice as long as wide, S2 2.5 × as long as wide, S3–5 as long as wide; club oblongly oval, moderately shorter than funicle, uniformly pubescent. Pronotum: dark brown, with dense, more or less small, irregularly arranged, deep punctures completely hidden by dense, recumbent, moderately long (l/w 5–7), rectangular, brown scales with a few intermixed grayish scales; conical, transverse (Pw/Pl 1.47–1.51), widest at base, sides slightly curvilinear, weakly convex on disc, with two distinct small lateral protuberances. Prosternum: anterior margin distinctly emarginated. Scutellar shield: heart-shaped, densely covered with elongated, light brown scales. Elytra: brown, moderately elongated (El/Ew 1.16–1.20), subrectangular, subparallel-sided in basal half, somewhat wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.68), humeri distinct, prominent, weakly convex on disc; interstriae flattened, with small, shallow, irregular punctures completely hidden by recumbent, brown scales, and with sparse rectangular whitish scales, forming small spots on odd interstriae; striae with moderately deep punctures, halfwidth of interstriae, completely hidden by scales similar to those on interstriae. Venter: mesosternal process weakly convex, not emarginated. Metasternum densely covered exclusively with uniformly elongated, rectangular brown (at sides) and white scales, without hair-like scales. Abdomen with dense, irregular, moderately deep punctures completely hidden by moderately elongated scales, hairlike scales forming distinct tuft on V2; V1 1.5× as long as V2; V1+2 5.6× as long as V3+4, latter ones 0.8× as long as V5. Legs: femora dark brown, with robust sharp teeth; tibiae dark brown, unci absent; tarsi brown, onychium as long as T1–3 combined; lateral protarsal claw 2/3 as long as other, meso- and metatarsal claws symmetrical. Penis: Figs 27d–f , its body gradually narrowed from base to apex, tip short, broad, slightly emarginated. Flagellum robust, moderately long, bifurcated at base.

Female. Rostrum slightly longer (Rl/Rw 3.40–3.44, Rl/Pl 0.80–0.85) ( Fig. 27c ), all claws symmetrical, abdomen with all scales similar in shape.

Variability. Length 2.5–3.1 mm. The scales on elytra may be not completely unicolorous but partly light brown, partly dark brown, especially in basal third. Spots on elytra formed by white scales may be more or less distinct and numerous. In one specimen the elytral interstria 7 is covered with white scales.

Etymology. The Latin adjective meaning “earthy” refers to the brown color of the dorsal vestiture.

Remarks. This species is similar to C. pustulatus and C. nubilosus from which it differs by almost symmetrical claws in male and by a shorter and stouter rostrum, and longer elytra.

Biological notes. No data are available.

Distribution. South Africa (Eastern Cape, Western Cape).

Figures

FIGURES 27–28. FIGURE 27. Cionus terrosus 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 28. Cionus usambicus. a: body in dorsal view (female), b: body in lateral view (female). Not to scale.