Larinus cuniculus ( Olivier, 1807 )

Gültekin, Levent & Perrin, Hélène, 2011, Study of a part of the A. G. Olivier Lixini collection (Coleoptera: Curculionidae): lectotype designations, new synonymies and nomenclatural acts, Zootaxa 2943, pp. 45-57 : 48

Larinus cuniculus ( Olivier, 1807)

Figs. 3–4 , 18 .

Lixus cuniculus Olivier, 1807: 282 ; pl. 30, fig. 458.

Original description. " L. albo pubescens , elytris striatis fusco alboque variis, thorace scabro. Lixo Jaceae paulo minor. Corpus nigrum albo pubescens . Rostrum cylindricum vix longitudine thoracis. Thorax scaber. Elytra striata, fusco alboque varia versus apicem gibbere parvo notata. Pedes corpore concolores. Femora mutica".

Type locality. “Nord de l’Arabie, près de l’Euphrate”.

Types. In the general collection of MNHN, under the name of “ L. cuniculus Olivier , arabie, M. Olivier” written on yellow paper, there is a single male pinned through the left elytron by a headless and curved pin, elytra divaricated and hind left leg missing. It bears the labels “ L. cuniculus , arabie” handwritten on a round paper, “MUSÉUM PARIS, Arabie” partly printed. The specimen agrees with both description and type locality and is here designated as the lectotype with: “ LECTOTYPUS 3, Lixus cuniculus Olivier, Gültekin & Perrin des. 2010” and identified as “ Larinus cuniculus (Olivier) , Gültekin det. 2010”.

Remarks. The name of this species was first misspelled as “ cuniculinus ” by Gemminger & Harold (1871: 2408), a spelling used also by Marseul (1888: 418), Winkler (1932: 1504), and Csiki (1934: 75), the last authors both considering L. cuniculus as a questionable synonym of L. onopordi (Fabricius, 1787) . Study of the types clearly revealed that L. cuniculus is a good species different from L. onopordi , and that in addition L. marki Ter- Minassian, 1982 is conspecific with it, according to the examination of types of both species by the senior author. Consequently Larinus cuniculus ( Olivier, 1807) , synonym revised (= L. marki Ter-Minassian, 1982 , syn. nov.). Moreover, Walker (1871) described a species from Arabia with the name of Larinus cuniculus Walker, 1871 , hom. nov. of Larinus cuniculus ( Olivier, 1807) and mentioned that this Arabian species was different from Olivier’s one. However his description is that of a Larinus ursus (Fabricus, 1792) , so another synonymy must be established: Larinus ursus (Fabricius, 1792) [= L. cuniculus Walker, 1871 , nec L. cuniculus ( Olivier, 1807) , syn. nov.].

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Lectotypes. 1 – 2, Larinus centaurii (Olivier, 1807); 3 – 4, Larinus cuniculus (Olivier, 1807).

FIGURES 17 – 20. Labels of lectotypes. 17. Larinus centaurii (Olivier, 1807); 18. Larinus cuniculus (Olivier, 1807); 19. Larinus gravidus (Olivier, 1807); 20. Larinus carthami (Olivier, 1807).