Balaninus tonkinensis Heller 1927: 191

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 : 480-481

Balaninus tonkinensis Heller 1927: 191 .

Recognition Characters. Medium­sized to large, oval, moderately robust; derm fuscorufous; rostrum 0.73 as long as body; frons 0.25 as wide as head across eyes; hind femoral tooth medium­sized, thorn­shaped, hind femur lacks proximolateral sulcus; vestiture primarily of narrow, elongate, testaceous scales, with clavate, cretaceous, scales scattered throughout.

Description. Male: Length: 4.8 mm. Width: 2.5 mm Head: Moderately convex; punctures small, with small, narrow, elongate, testaceous scales; anteroventral macula of narrow, elongate, white scales below eyes; eyes moderately large, round, finely faceted; frons, 0.25 as wide as head across eyes; vestiture of larger, narrow, elongate, testaceous scales, along margin of eyes; with median slit­like interocular fovea. Rostrum: Length: 3.5 mm; 0.73 as long as body; cylindrical; thick at base, gradually tapering to apex; margins subparallel, slightly expanded at apex; straight from frons to antennal insertion, gradually curving to apex; median dorsal carina from interocular fovea to insertion of scape; punctures large, deep, oval, laterad of carina; scrobe lateral, glabrous except for short white scales at apex, contiguous to eye; punctures small, numerous distad of antennal insertion; base with narrow, elongate, testaceous, scales, remainder glabrous; scrobe lateral; scape inserted at midpoint. Antennae: Length: Scape 1.4 mm. Funiculus: segment one 0.4 mm, two 0.3 mm, three 0.2 mm, four 0.15 mm, five 0.1 mm, six 0.15 mm, seven 0.1 mm, club 0.6 mm. Funicle 1.4 mm; left antenna missing; scape as long as funicle; vestiture of sparse, small, narrow, elongate, dirty white, scales, with semierect testaceous seta­like scales toward apex of each segment; club elongate­oval, compact, acuminate, longer than segments 4–7 combined with vestiture of fine velvety pile and few erect setae. Thorax: Length: 1.5 mm. Width: 2.1 mm. 0.72 as broad as long with sides subparallel, angled from base to constriction, feebly rounded, feebly convex in lateral view, impressed laterally; disc with feeble indication of median carina; punctures large, somewhat deep, with long, narrow, elongate, testaceous scales with a scattering of few short, clavate, cretaceous scales; base sinuate, with central declivity; mesosternal intercoxal process prominent, clothed with medium­sized, narrow, elongate, cretaceous scales; scutellum small, as broad as long, impressed, clothed, with few white scales; mesepimeron, mesepisternum, metepisternum clothed with medium­sized, narrow, elongate, testaceous scales, with a few medium­sized, clavate, cretaceous scales scattered along margins; metasternum with posterior median nodule anterior to coxal cavity; coxae piceous, clothed with narrow, elongate, white scales. Elytra: Length 2.9 mm. Striae deep lacking scales; shallow declivity around scutellum, disc flat; humeri feebly prominent, roundly, angulate to pronotum; intervals broadly flat with dense vestiture of narrow, elongate, testaceous scales, with confused scattering of narrow, clavate, cretaceous scales, lacking definite macula; crosshatched setae long, erect, fuscous. Legs: Length of hind femur 2.5 mm, tooth medium­sized, thorn­shaped, lacking proximolateral sulcus; pro­ and mesofemur not as long as hind femur, with small teeth; derm of hind femur piceous at base and apex, with club fuscorufous; all femora with vestiture of narrow, elongate, testaceous scales with, few scattered, clavate, cretaceous scales; tibiae with margins almost parallel; pro­, meso­, and metauncus of equal length, almost as long as tarsal claw. Abdomen: Sternite 1 longer than 2 behind coxal cavity; sternite 2 ascending to 3; sternites 3 and 4 same length, 5 not as long as 3 and 4 combined; sternites 1–5 clothed with narrow, elongate, testaceous scales, with clavate, cretaceous scales along base of each segment; sternite 5 with central declivity, 2 tufts of testaceous seta­like scales at apex. Pygidium: Small , with fringe of white seta­like scales. Genitalia: Median lobe of aedeagus 1.1 mm long, 0.3 mm in width, dorsal margin narrow, tapering to rounded apex, abruptly arced to off center acutely rounded apex; aedeagal apodeme 1.0 mm in length ( Figs. 40–42 ).

Female: Length: 4.8–5.1 mm (mean 5 4.95). Width: 2.7 mm. Rostrum: Length: 3.7 mm. Legs: Length of hind femur 2.6 mm, with proximolateral sulcus from base to club. Genitalia: Spermatheca ramus elongate, rounded; collum short, broadly rounded; cornu long, tapering to blunt apex ( Fig. 43 ).

Distribution. China: Yunnan Province, Luxi, 27 June 1958, IZAS; Xishuangbanna, 29 May 1958, 31 May 1958, 800 m, S. Wang. Three specimens examined.

Remarks. This species is similar to Curculio bidens (Heller) , but can be distinguished from this species by length of hind femur exceeding apex of abdomen and a single hind femoral tooth, whereas C. bidens ’ hind femur does not exceed apex of abdomen and has 2 teeth.

Figures

Figs. 33–46. Curculio jilinensis 33) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 34) median lobe, lateral aspect; 35) median lobe, apex; 36) spermatheca, lateral aspect; Figs. 37–39. C. gressitti 37) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 38) median lobe, lateral aspect; 39) median lobe, apex. Figs. 40–42. C. tonkinensis 40) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 41) median lobe, lateral aspect; 42) median lobe, apex; 43) spermatheca, lateral aspect. Figs. 44–46. C. krissiae 44) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 45) median lobe, lateral aspect; 46) median lobe, apex.