Balaninus scutellaris Chevrolat 1878

Frank W. Pelsue, Jr. & Zhang, Runzhi, 2000, A Review Of The Curculio From China With Descriptions Of New Taxa. Part II. The Curculio Alboscutellatus Group (Curculionidae: Curculioninae: Cyrculionini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 54 (4), pp. 467-496 : 488-489

Balaninus scutellaris Chevrolat 1878 : XXXII.

Recognition Characters. Medium­sized, broadly oval, robust; derm fuscous; narrow, elongate, testaceous and ocherous bifid scales on pronotum; narrow, elongate, clavate, whites scales in elytral striae some bifid most with tapering truncated apices; intervals with narrow, elongate, clavate scales, with truncated to acute apices; scutellum longer than broad, oval, white; mesosternal intercoxal process prominent.

Description. Male: Length: 4.7–4.8 mm (mean 5 4.75). Width: 2.6–2.8 mm (mean 5 2.7). Head: Small, short, slightly convex, punctures small, with short, narrow, elongate, ocherous scales, becoming longer toward frons. Frons, 0.25 as broad as head across eyes, with narrow, elongate, ocherous scales. Rostrum: Length: 2.5–2.6 mm (mean 5 2.55), 0.53 as long as body; broad to antennal insertion, 0.25 mm, then narrowing abruptly, tapering to apex of 0.15 mm in width; cylindrical; slightly arced from base to apex; central dorsal carina with lateral shallow punctures flanked by lateral carinae; scrobe ventral; scape inserted at midpoint. Antennae: Length: Scape 1.0 mm. Funiculus: segment one 0.35 mm, two 0.3 mm, three 0.2 mm, four 0.2 mm, five 0.15 mm, six 0.1 mm, seven 0.15 mm, club 0.5 mm; funicle 1.7 mm; scape 0.59 as long as funicle; sparsely clothed with elongate, semierect, seta­like scales; club elongate, oval, velvety with few, fine, erect setae, not as long as funicular segments 4–7. Thorax: Length: 1.3 mm. Width 1.7–1.8 mm (mean 5 1.75); disc margins subparallel, broadly rounded to narrow constriction, punctures small, close together, clothed with narrow, elongate, bifid, white and ochraceous scales forming a whorl ending with a small, cretaceous macula, toward base; clothed with narrow, elongate, bifid, white and ochraceous scales; convex in lateral view; mesosternal intercoxal process prominent, clothed with narrow, elongate, white scales; scutellum longer than broad not impressed, oval, clothed with white to cretaceous scales; mesepimeron, mesepisternum, metepisternum clothed with diffuse mix of dirty white and ochraceous scales; procoxae clothed with narrow, elongate, white scales. Elytra: Length: 3.0 mm. Striae deep, with deep punctures having elongate, clavate, bifid, cretaceous to ochraceous scales; basal scutellar declivity; humeri prominent, rounded; disc convex in lateral view; intervals with confused mixture of elongate, clavate, white to ochraceous scales some bifid some with acute apices; proximal to midpoint, disc with fascia of fuscous scales; at midpoint fascia of cretaceous scales, followed by macula of fuscous scales, with confused mix of white scales to apex; interval one, with short, erect, ochraceous, crosshatched setae from distal fourth to apex. Legs: Length of hind femur 2.4–2.5 mm (mean 5 2.45), broadened with small­sized, acute tooth; pro­ and mesofemoral tooth small, acute; all femora clothed with narrow, elongate, white to ochraceous scales; tibiae sinuate, thick toward apex, with apical comb ascending; pro­ and mesouncus longer than tarsal claw, metauncus small. Abdomen: Sternite 2 longer than 1 behind coxal cavity, ascending to 3; sternite 1 with broad, shallow, median declivity; sternites 3 and 4 equal in length, combined longer than 5; all sternites clothed with narrow, elongate, dirty white scales; sternite 5 triangular, with shallow apical concavity. Pygidium: Small , feebly visible. Genitalia: Median lobe of aedeagus 0.6 mm in length, 0.2 mm in width, dorsally margins parallel, thin slightly narrowed to truncated apex; laterally gradually arced, thin; aedeagal apodeme 0.7 mm ( Figs. 62–64 ).

Female: Length: 4.3–5.0 mm (mean 5 4.67). Width: 2.4–2.9 mm (mean 5 2.7). Rostrum: Length: 2.4–2.8 mm (mean 5 2.64). Antenna: Length: Scape 0.85 mm. Funiculus: segment one 0.35 mm, two 0.3 mm, three 0.2 mm, four 0.15 mm, five 0.15 mm, six 0.15 mm, seven 0.15 mm, club 0.5 mm. Funicle 1.45 mm; scape 0.59 as long as funicle. Thorax: Length: 1.2–1.5 mm (mean 5 1.27). Width: 1.7–2.0 mm (mean 5 1.87). Elytra: Length: 2.9–3.2 mm (mean 5 3.1). W shaped fuscous macula in basal area of disc. Legs: Length of hind femur 2.3–2.5 mm (mean 5 2.4), tooth large­sized, wedge shaped; one specimen femur exceeds apex of abdomen others equal to apex. Abdomen: Sternite 2 strongly ascending to 3; sternite 5 with apical median declivity. Pygidium: Concealed. Genitalia: Spermatheca ramus, knob like, erect; collum projecting out to rounded apex; cornu thickened basally tapering to narrower rounded apex ( Fig. 65 ).

Distribution. China: Hainan Island, Nodoa, 28 June 1935, 10 July 1935, J. L. Gressitt. Five specimens examined (CASC), compared with specimens determined by Marshall in the BMNH.

Remarks. This species is similar to Curculio sauteri Heller. The holotype of C. sauteri is slightly smaller than specimens of either C. kojimai and C. scutellaris and the scales are somewhat lighter in color than either of the other two species, which are almost identical in external morphology, even in measurements. However, without comparing male genitalia of all three species we cannot at this time consider them conspecific.

Figures

Figs. 59–72. Curculio francisi 59) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 60) median lobe, lateral aspect; 61) median lobe, apex. Figs. 62–65. C. scutellaris 62) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 63) median lobe, lateral aspect; 64) median lobe, apex; 65) spermatheca, lateral aspect. Figs. 66–69. C. mathewi 66) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 67) median lobe, lateral aspect; 68) median lobe, apex; 69) spermatheca, lateral aspect. Figs. 70–72. C. ochromaculata 70) median lobe dorsal aspect; 71) median lobe, lateral aspect; 72) median lobe, apex.