Baris nesapia Faust, 1887

Tamutis, Vytautas, Balalaikins, Maksims, Alekseev, Vitalii, Pūtys, Žilvinas & Telnov, Dmitry, 2024, An annotated checklist of supertribe Bariditae Schoenherr, 1836 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Conoderinae) in southeastern Baltic region, Ecologica Montenegrina 71, pp. 144-164 : 156-157

Baris nesapia Faust, 1887

Materials examined. LITHUANIA – Kaišiadorys • Kruonis, 54°44'59"N, 024°13'48"E; alt. 100 m; 1968 (no exact date); leg. A.M; 1 spec.; erroneously reported as Baris spitzyi Hochhuth, 1847 by Ivinskis et al. (2015); KZM, IC-71508 • Tarpumiškis , 54°50'50"N, 024°30'54"E; alt 142 m.; 13.IV.2022; leg V. T; 1 spec.; gravel quarry, Artemisia campestris stand; KZM, IC-71507 – Kalvarija • Liubavas, 54°21'23"N, 023°1'32"E; alt. 154 m; 28.VI.2020; leg. Ž.P.; 1 spec.; xerothermic meadow, from A. campestris ; KZM, IC-71509 – Kaunas • Braziūkai , 54°54'5"N, 023°29'3"E; alt. 73 m; 01.V.2014; leg. V. T.; xerothermic meadow, from A. campestris ; 1 spec.; KZM, IC-71090 • ibid; 25.VI.2021; leg. V. T.; from A. campestris ; 2♂, 1♀; KZM, IC-71510, IC-71511 • ibid; 24.VI.2022; leg. V. T.; from A. campestris ; 1 ♀; KZM, IC-71512 • ibid; 14.I.2023; obs. V. T.; in the roots of A. campestris ; 1 adult and 5 larvae • Ežerėlis, 54°52'50"N, 023°37'16"E; alt. 71 m; 30.V.2023; leg. V. T.; 1 spec.; from A. campestris ; KZM, IC-71713 – Vilnius • Verkšionys, 54°47'45"N, 24°54'38"E, 11- 26.05.2015; leg. P.I.; 1 spec.; erroneously reported as Baris spitzyi Hochhuth, 1847 by Ivinskis et al. (2015); IPC .

Identification. For a long time, following the Faust's (1889) misinterpretation, B. nesapia was considered a melanistic aberration of B. spitzyi ( Smreczyński 1974; Lohse 1983) until Dieckmannn (1988) confirmed the bona species status of B. nesapia . According to Dieckmann (1988), the main features of the two closely similar species are the size of rostrum and the punctures on intervening spaces of elytra. Baris nesapia has comparatively shorter and thicker rostrum, intervening spaces on basal half of elytra generally with a double row of confusedly arranged punctures. Baris nesapia clearly differs from the close B. artemisiae in the shape and dorsal punctures of pronotum. The lateral margins of pronotum are hardly rounded, nearly straight in basal two thirds in dorsal view, notch of anterior pronotal margin is comparatively stronger developed. Dorsal pronotal punctures are comparatively smaller and denser, puncture diameter about 0.025 mm. Some of the examined specimens have a shallow paired dorsolateral impression on postmedian portion of pronotum ( Figure 5 : B). The shape of aedeagus is peculiar and distinctly different from that of B. artemisiae ( Figure 5 : E, F)

Published local records. No published records exist.

General distribution. This species is distributed in the Palaearctic Region from eastern Germany to Zabaikalskii Krai of eastern Russia ( Legalov 2020; Alonso-Zarazaga et al. 2023). It is also reported from Caucasus, Asia Minor and Central Asia ( Dieckmann 1988). Following the refutation of synonymy of Baris spitzyi Hochhuth, 1847 and Baris nesapia Faust, 1887 as justified by Dieckmann (1988), all records of B. spitzyi from Poland are considered referring to B. nesapia ( Burakowski et al. 1995) . The previous record of B. spitzyi from Lithuania ( Ivinskis et al. 2015) refers to B. nesapia as was confirmed re-examining the material.

Notes on biology. This species is narrowly oligophagous on Artemisia species, such as A. absinthium , A. campestris , A. marshalliana ( Korotyaev et al. 2001) .

Local occurrence and phenology. The species is poorly known in the study region, only recorded from four administrative units in Lithuania ( Figure 6 : B) and yet unknown from Latvia and KR. All our studied specimens are sampled from Artemisia campestris in xerothermic grasslands. Larvae fed in main root close to root collar. Usually, larvae are overwintering, but we observed also some adults in the pupal chambers in a root in January and on the soil surface close to the host plant in April. Maximum number of adults recorded in June; the earliest record: January 14, the latest: June 28.

Figures

Figure 5. Baris species (Lithuania, KZM): A – dorsal habitus of B. artemisiae, B – dorsal habitus of B. nesapia, C, D – aedeagus of B.artemisiae, E, F – aedeagus of B. nesapia. Scale bar - 1 mm.

Figure 6. Maps of southeastern Baltic region with a grid of administrative units and shaded units area with available records of Baris species. A – B. artemisiae, B – B. nesapia.