Brachysomus (Hippomias) albanicus ( Apfelbeck, 1911 )

Yunakov, Nikolai, 2022, A review of the genus Brachysomus Schoenherr (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Zootaxa 5193 (1), pp. 1-165 : 62

Brachysomus (Hippomias) albanicus ( Apfelbeck, 1911)

Figs. 57, 124, 125, 157, 217, 239B

Platytarsus albanicus Apfelbeck, 1911: 222 . Type locality: Albania, Mirditё; Dalla Torre et al., 1937: 172; Košťál, 1992: 45.

Redescription. Measurements: Body length 1.9–2.55 mm, width 1.1–1.5 mm. Colouration: Body, legs and antennae brown. Vestiture: Body covered with recumbent scales and erect, oblong-lanceolate setae. Scales grayishbrown,lanceolate, densely covering dorsal surfaces of body, external surface of femora and tibia. Setae at pronotum suberect, at elytra erect, forming 1–2 straight rows at interstriae, as long as 0.5 of interstrial width.

Head: Rostrum conical, narrowed from base to middle, as long as wide (L/W= 1.00–1.08). Pterygia distinctly projecting from outline of rostrum. Epifrons convex longitudinally separated from vertex by transverse depression. Vertex flat, finely rugose under dense vestiture. Eyes weakly convex, highly variable in size (VW/ELD in males = 1.83–2.45; in females = 2.50–2.73); dorsal margin of eyes situated almost at level of vertex. Antennae: scape distinctly curved, evenly widened distally; funicular antennomeres: 1st and 2nd strongly elongate, 1st noticeably larger than 2nd; 3rd–6th as long as wide; 7th transverse; club egg-shaped.

Thorax: Pronotum transverse [PL/PW = 0.70–0.79 (0.75)], weakly constricted anteriorly, evenly convex at sides; disc weakly convex, densely and coarsely punctate under vestiture; punctures shallow. Elytra: oblong-oval, weakly convex at sides and disc (EL/EW = 1.20–1.35). Striae linear; punctures deep, slightly separated; interstriae distinctly convex, 2x wider than striae. Base of elytra 1.02–1.09x as wide as base of pronotum. Legs: Femora moderately swollen at middle part; tibiae straight externally, weakly sinuate internally. Fore tibiae not widened distally. Hind tibiae in male gently mucronate. Second tarsomere weakly transverse, 3rd with wide lobes. Fifth fore tarsomere extending beyond apical lobes of 3rd by length of the lobes.

Abdomen: covered with recumbent hairs and piliform scales; male 5th ventrite evenly and strongly convex, without depression near apex, with apical margin obtuse, in females moderately rounded. Male genitalia: Aedeagus weakly sclerotized, median lobe 1.5x shorter than apodemes, distinctly constricted in anterior half. Spermatheca with curved collum and long emarginate ramus.

Diagnosis. Brachysomus albanicus is closely related to B. mikati , differing in eyes large, weakly convex (VW/ ELD = 1.70–1.90; whilst in B. mikati = 2.00–2.70), in lateral view situated lower than level of vertex, with dorsal margins separated from level of vertex by 0.25 ETD. Body with slender, parallel-sided, erect setae; pronotal disc uniformly, evenly, and slightly squamulate and setose.

Distribution. Albania (Mirditё, Shkodёr).

Bionomics. Unknown.

Type material. ALBANIA: Lectotype, ♂ (NMW) ‘Merdita [= Mirditё], Zebia’ (printed), ‘ Brachysomus albanicus Apf. ’ (handwritten), ‘Brach. albanicus Apfelbeck 1911 , 222’ (handwritten), ‘Lectotypus, Brachysomus albanicus Apfb., Košťál design. 1987’ (red, handwritten). PLT♀ (NMW): ‘Merdita, Zebia’ (printed), ‘ Brachysomus albanicus Apf. ’ (handwritten), ‘Paralectotypus, Brachysomus albanicus Apfb., Košťál design. 1987’ (red, handwritten).

Additional material examined. ALBANIA: 1♂; 1♀ (MSNM) ‘Merdita [= Mirditё], Zebia’, ‘Albania occ., Coll. Apfelbeck’; 1♂ (ZMUH) ‘Merdita [= Mirditё], Oroschi [= Orosh]’; 1♂ (BRc), Albania, Shkoder [= Shkodёr], m. e Cukalit Mt. (1723 m), 1300 m, 27.vi.2001 (P. Moravec).