Procas picipes steveni (Gyllenhal)

Thompson, Richard T., 2006, A revision of the weevil genus Procas Stephens (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea: Erirhinidae), Zootaxa 1234 (1), pp. 1-63 : 21-23

Procas picipes steveni (Gyllenhal)

Rhynchaenus steveni Krynicki, 1832: 147 (nomen oblitum).

Erirhinus steveni Gyllenhal, 1835: 287 ; Gaubil 1849: 158; Bach 1866: xlviii.

Procas steveni (Gyllenhal) : Schönherr 1842: 387; Jekel 1849: 113; Marseul 1857: 142; Lacordaire 1863: 468 (note).

Procas picipes (Marsham) (erratim pices March.): Markovich 1909: 13.

Procas armillatus var. steveni (Gyllenhal) : Heyden, Reitter & Weise 1883: 160.

Procas armillatus (Fabricius) : Lacordaire 1863: 468; Reinkardt 1948: 574; Angelov 1975: 97, 1980: 267; Burakowski 1995: 47; Poiras 1998: 61. [Misidentifications]

Description

Length 4.0– 6.5 mm, mean (22) = 5.76). Head with rostrum (male) × 4.2–5.0 as long as broad, mean (9) = 4.61; rostrum (female) × 4.3–4.8 as long as broad, mean (7) = 4.53.

Antennae with lengths of funicle segments 1–3 in ratio 10: (7.7–9.5): (5.0–6.5), mean (23) = 10: 8.5: 5.7; segment 2 × 1.3–1.8 as long as 3, mean (23) = 1.5.

Prothorax × 0.8–0.9 as long as broad, mean (16) = 0.85; pronotum without, or with only a trace of a smooth median line in middle of its length.

Legs with middle and hind tibiae with long dense pale setae in distal half and much shorter brownish setae in basal half, which appears dark; base without a distinct circlet of white setae.

Vestiture variable; sometimes fine, as in P. p. picipes , sometimes coarse, as in P. p. levantinus.

Terminalia. Male sternite 8, figs 79–81; female sternite 8, figs 32–34; spermatheca, figs 56–58.

Type material

LECTOTYPE of Erirhinus steveni Gyllenhal , here designated, male, with ‘Paratypus’ (printed, black on red), ‘ Charkov / Rossiae./ Steven.’ (Schönherr MS), ‘ LECTOTYPE Erirhinus steveni Gyllenhal det. R.T. Thompson 2002’ and ‘ Procas picipes steveni (Gyllehhal) det. R.T. Thompson 2002’ in SMNH. The specimen is 6.0 mm long (allowing for displacement of the prothorax) and is complete, though the metathorax has been badly damaged by the huge pin upon which the specimen has been impaled. The ‘Paratypus’ label was probably used in the belief that other specimens had been returned to Steven and this may well have been the case (Schönherr states: “... ad describendum benevole missus”). However, the specimen is unusual in having a ‘white scutellum’ which is mentioned in Gyllenhal’s description, so it is eminently suitable for designation. The present curator, Bert Viklund, tells me (pers. comm.) that it is the only specimen of steveni in Schönherr’s collection.

Other material examined

UKRAINE: Kharkov Province: 3 ex. Elitnoye Village , v.1975, tree plantation (windbreak) ; 2 ex. Poltava, 22, 24.iv.1924 (F. Lukyanovich) ; 1 ex. Kamenets­Poldolskii , 3.iv.[1]911 (V. & I. Jakubovskii) ; 3 ex. Odessa, Khadzhibeiskii Park , 28.iii.1926 (F.K. Lukjanovich) ; 1 ex. Khadzhibeiskii Estuary , 30.(?).1920 (all ZIP) ; 1 ex. Odessa, Lgocki , 16.v.1904 (label with black border)( JU) ; 1 ex. Crimea, Simferopol (Artsimovich) ; 1 ex. Elizavetgrad (E. Yatzenkowskii) ; 1 ex. Zhadanov District, Veliko­Anadol (Silantiev); Nikolayev Province : 1 ex. Alexandrovskii District, Bogdanov­Kazikov , 1919 (Shreiner)(all ZIP) . RUSSIA: Rostov Province: 1 ex. Novocherkassk Botanical Garden , 22.iii.1913 (Kizeritsky) ; 1 ex. Rostov­on­Don, Nedvigovka Village , v.1977 (Kozodaev) ; 2 ex. Rostov­on­Don , 4.v.1918 and 22.v.1922 (E. Zvierezomb­Zubovsky)(all ZIP) ; 3 ex. Don River (Eversman)( SMT) ; Stavropol Province: 1 ex. Stavropol, Shpakovskoye Village , 19.iv.1991 (V.A. Krivokhatskii); Krasnodar Province : 1 ex. 26 km ESE of Krasnodar, Kuban River, right bank, 12.v.1980 (B. Korotyaev); South Russia : 1 ex. Kursk, Shcheben , 10.iv.1907 (A. Serebryanik), oak forest (all ZIP) ; 1 ex. with ‘ Caucasus / occ.’ (printed)( NMB) . AZERBAIJAN: 3 ex. Nardaran Village , 6.ii.1982 (Alekperova) ; 1 ex. Apsheron Peninsula, Pirshagi Village , 30.vi.1985 (Alekperova)(all ZIP) . TURKEY: 1 ex. Ezurum Province , 15 km south of Bayburt, 7.vi.1999 (B. Korotyaev), stony slope along road ( ZIP) . Total : 32 specimens.

Other (published) localities MOLDOVA: ( Poiras 1998: 61). BULGARIA: Razgrad ( Markovich 1909: 13).

Comments

Present records show a wide gap between the ranges of the two European subspecies of P. picipes . Efforts by Polish colleagues have failed to produce any museum specimens from that country; Mroczkowski & Stephaṅska (1991) exclude Procas as Polish: ‘… mistakenly recorded over 120 years ago from Prussia and Babia Góra Mt.’ while Wanat & Mokryzcki (2005) do not mention it. M. Merkl (pers. comm.) assures me that it does not occur in Hungary.