Cionus tristis Boheman, 1838

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 : 19-20

7. Cionus tristis Boheman ( Figs 7a–f )

Cionus tristis Boheman, 1838: 734 .

Type locality. “Caffraria” ( South Africa).

Type series. This species was described from an unspecified number of specimens from Caffraria received by Drège, without the designation of a holotype. At NHRS, we examined one female syntype labelled “Caffraria, Drège / Typus” with strongly damaged rostrum. We designated it as the lectotype by adding the label “ LECTOTYPE Cionus tristis Boheman des. Caldara & Košťál 2014”.

Diagnosis. Rostrum very stout and short. Pronotum without protuberances, with four spots of dark scales. Prosternum with weak emargination. Elytra short, grayish with many dark brown maculae and weakly visible striae. Claws asymmetrical in male.

Redescription. Male ( Figs 7a–b ). Body: stout, globose. Head: rostrum very stout, very short (Rl/Rw 2.60– 2.65; Rl/Pl 0.90–0.93), black; in lateral view very slightly curved, slightly narrowed from base to apex; in dorsal view with slightly divergent sides to apex, irregularly striate-punctate to apex; with recumbent, moderately dense, elliptical, short and elongated (l/w 4–9), grayish white scales in almost entire length. Head between eyes moderately narrow, half as wide as rostrum at base. Eyes flat. Antennae brown, inserted at apical 1/3; scape long (l/w 10); funicle slightly shorter than scape, S1 as robust as S2, twice as long as wide, slightly shorter than S2, S2 3.0 × as long as wide, S3–5 moderately transverse; club oblongly oval, shorter than funicle, uniformly pubescent. Pronotum: black, with regular shallow small punctures, intervals among punctures shining smooth, without protuberances; slightly visible between recumbent, moderately dense, partially imbricate, elongated (l/w 4–7), grayish white scales, with six transversely arranged black spots, four in middle third two at base; conical, moderately transverse (Pw/ Pl 1.55–1.61), widest at base, with almost rectilinear sides, moderately convex on disc. Prosternum: anterior margin weakly emarginated. Scutellar shield: large, subtriangular, covered with dense whitish scales similar to those on elytra. Elytra: black, globose, short (El/Ew 1.12–1.17), widest at middle, distinctly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.65–1.70), humeri rounded, moderately prominent, sides slightly rounded, moderately convex on disc; interstriae flat, wide, with regular, small shallow punctures, intervals between punctures shining, smooth, covered with recumbent, moderately dense, poorly imbricate, moderately elongated (l/w 4–6), grayish white scales, and with many subquadrate, dark brown spots on odd interstriae; striae straight, with small punctures feebly visible due to regular row of light scales inside punctures, 1/3 as wide as interstriae, intervals between punctures situated slightly lower than interstriae. Venter: mesosternal process moderately broad, flat, weakly emarginated. Metasternum covered with moderately dense, elongated, partly hair-like in middle, grayish scales. Abdomen with dense, irregular, moderately deep punctures, feebly visible between elongated (more elongated, hair-like, less dense along midline on all ventrites), whitish scales, without tuft on V2; V1 1.6× as long as V2; V1+2 4.6× as long as V3+4, latter ones as long as V5. Legs: covered with moderately dense, elongated, grayish and light brown intermixed scales; femora black, with robust sharp teeth; tibiae black, unci absent; tarsi dark brown, onychium longer than T1–3 combined, 2.4× as long as T3, claws asymmetrical, fused, one claw half as long as other. Penis: Figs 7 d–f , its body moderately long, with subparallel sides from base to near apex, which is broad with small sharp tip. Flagellum long, thick, enlarged apicad.

Female. Rostrum moderately longer (Rl/Rw 2.80–2.90; Rl/Pl 1.01–1.05) ( Fig. 7c ), claws almost symmetrical.

Variability. Length 2.8–3.5 mm. Not significant in all the specimens examined.

Remarks. Due to the broad shape and the vestiture of the elytra, C. tristis might be confused with C. vicarius and C. notatus . For the differences from the former see Remarks on this species. From the latter it clearly differs by the shorter and stouter rostrum, less broad pronotum with lack of protuberances and a different number of dark spots (six vs. four), less convex elytra and wider head between the posterior margins of the eyes.

Biological notes. Some specimens collected near Grahamstown and Jansenville ( South Africa, Eastern Cape) were collected on Rhigozum obovatum Burch , a genus of the family Bignoniaceae (det. Oberprieler and de Jager respectively).In Namibia, near Grootfontein, it was collected by Oberprieler on Boscia foetida Schinz (Capparaceae) , probably only a refuge plant.

Distribution. Namibia, Botswana, South Africa (Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Western Cape).

Non-type material examined. NAMIBIA: Abachaus, Otjiwarongo distr., III.1950, leg. Hobohm (1, SANC); Farm Naos Bez. Rehoboth, 6.III.1975, leg. Roer (5, ZFMK; 2, SANC); 4 km N Grootfontein, 19.32S 18.07E, 13.III.1987, on Boscia foetida Schinz [ Capparaceae ], leg. Oberprieler (6, SANC); Kaokoveld, Ohopoho 122 km SSE, 18.55S 14.21 E, 5.II.1975, leg Endrödy-Younga (5, TMSA); Khomashochl, Farm Hochenheim, 23.20S 16.20E, 8.III.1975, leg Endrödy-Younga (3, TMSA); Okahandja Distr. Otjiamongombe West, 21°35’52”S 16°56’37”E, 23.III.2002, leg. Deckert (2, ZMHB); 45 km S Otjondeka, 1280 m, 18°58’S 14°23’E, 7.III.2003, leg. Göllner ( ZMHB); Otjosondu, leg. Casper (3, ZMHB); Tsumkwe, Kungveld, I.1958, leg. Koch (2, MKCS; 2, RCCM; 10, TMSA). BOTSWANA: Serowe, 27.XI.1984, leg. Forchhammer (1, SANC). SOUTH AFRICA: Limpopo: Blyde River nr. Strijdom Tunnel, 23.X.1983, leg. Oberprieler (2, SANC); Zoutpanberg, 15–30.XI.1932, leg. Van Son (1, SANC). KwaZulu-Natal: Ndumu Game Reserve, 26°54’S 32°15’E, 5–7.XI.1984, leg. Oberprieler (1, SANC). Gauteng: Ezemvelo Nat. Res., 25°42’S 29°00’E, 25–27.II.2009, leg. MacFadyen (1, TMSA). Eastern Cape: Andries Vosloo Kudu Res. nr. Grahamstown, 15.XI.1980, leg. Neser & Walter (1, SANC); Andries Vosloo Kudu Res. nr. Grahamstown, collected on Rhigozum obovatum Burch , leg. Oberprieler (2, MKCS; 2, RCCM; 17, SANC); 33 km S Fort Beaufort, 23.XI.1988, leg. Grobbelaar (8, SANC); Jansenville, 33°06’S 24°53’E, 1.XI.1987, on Rhigozum obovatum [ Bignoniaceae ], leg. de Jager (22, SANC); Somerset East, X.1930, leg. Turner (1, BMNH); Willowmore, 20.VI.1917, leg. Brauns (1, BMNH). Western Cape: Anysberg Nat. Res., main road 3 km S of Vrede, 735 m, 33°47’S 20°61’E, 2.XII.2013, leg. Wanat (2, MNHW); Bontebok National Park, 3404S 2027E, 15.XI.1993, leg. Koch ( ZMHB); Karoo National Park, 32°19’S 22°30’E, leg. Deckert (2, ZMHB); 12.–14.XI.1993, Wolwefontein, 28.IX.1986, leg. Wittmer (1, SANC).

Figures

FIGURES 7–8. FIGURE 7. Cionus tristis 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 8. Cionus albidus. 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. Not to scale.