Balaninus alboscutellatus Roelofs, 1874: 159

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 : 472-475

Balaninus alboscutellatus Roelofs, 1874: 159 .

Recognition Characters. Elongate oval; derm fuscorufous; elytra with macular fascia at midpoint, of broad, clavate, cretaceous scales on intervals 2, 7, and 8; pronotum with basocentral triangular macula of clavate, cretaceous scales, with two small basolateral macula of clavate, cretaceous scales; hind

femoral tooth large­sized, acute, with distal keel, sometimes with indication of dentition; mesosternal intercoxal process prominent.

Description. Male —Length: 3.7–4.3 mm (mean 5 3.98). Width: 1.8–2.3 mm (mean 5 2.11) Head: Moderate­sized, moderately convex; punctures small, with small, narrow, elongate, dirty white scales; cretaceous macula of short, clavate scales ventrad of eyes and rostrum. Frons, 0.19 as wide as head across eyes; few medium, narrow, elongate, testaceous scales, lacking interocular fovea. Rostrum: Length 2.2–2.7 mm (mean 5 2.42); 0.61 as long as body; derm piceous to fuscorufous, usually darker basally, becoming lighter toward apex; robustly cylindrical, broad at base, slightly curving from base to insertion of scape, then tapering with broader arc to slightly expanded apex; with three median carinae from frons to insertion of scape; scrobe ventral; scape inserted in apical half. Antennae: Length: Scape 1.0– 1.2 mm (mean 5 1.08) Funiculus: segment one 0.3 mm, two 0.25 mm, three 0.2 mm, four 0.15 mm, five 0.1 mm, six 0.1 mm, seven 0.15 mm, club 0.5 mm. funicle 1.1 mm; scape as long as funicle; clothed with narrow, elongate, cretaceous scales and erect, testaceous setae toward apex of each segment; club small, oval, compact, as long as funicular segments 4–7. Thorax: Length: 1.0– 1.5 mm (mean 5 1.3); Width: 1.4–1.8 mm (mean 5 1.62); 0.7 as long as broad; margins of disc dorsally angle toward constriction, broadly rounded; disc convex in lateral view, lacking median longitudinal carina; punctures small, shallow, with narrow, elongate, testaceous scales, with some larger, longer, broader white scales; base with median triangular macula of cretaceous, clavate scales anterior to scutellum, small macula of cretaceous scales on basolateral angle, anterior to elytral humeri; ventromedially with macula of short, broad, clavate, cretaceous scales; pleuron with punctures slit­like, with small, narrow, elongate, testaceous scales, with some bifid, white scales; mesosternal intercoxal process prominent, clothed with narrow, elongate, white scales; scutellum large, as long as broad, densely clothed with cretaceous scales; mesepimeron densely clothed with clavate, cretaceous scales; mesepisternum not as densely clothed as mesepimeron with clavate, cretaceous scales; metepisternum clothed with small, narrow, white scales, with macula of larger, broader, clavate cretaceous scales at distal angle; procoxae clothed with narrow, elongate, clavate, white scales; base of metasternum emarginate with short median sulcus at apex of emargination. Elytra: Length: 2.1–2.5 mm (mean 5 2.3). Striae broad, deep, with short testaceous scales; basal declivity around scutellum; humeri feebly prominent, rounded; intervals broad, flat, clothed with short, narrow, elongate, testaceous and scattered longer, broader, cretaceous scales; midway with macular fascia of broad, clavate, cretaceous scales on intervals 2, 7 and 8; interval 1 with erect, long, piceous, some white, crosshatched setae, from posterior third to apex. Legs: Length of hind femur 1.9– 2.1 mm (mean 5 1.99); tooth large, acute, keel distad to tooth with accessory dentation; pro­, and mesofemora with medium tooth; derm piceous basally, femoral club rubiginous with knee piceous, clothed with narrow, elongate, white scales from base to club, with testaceous scales on club; hind tibiae straight clothed with white scales pro­ and mesouncus large, longer than tarsal claw, metauncus lacking. Abdomen: Derm fuscous; sternite 2 longer than 1 behind coxal cavity; sternite 1 with broad median declivity; sternite 2 ascending to 3, not as long as 3 and 4 combined; sternite 5 almost as long as 3 and 4 combined, with truncate apex and 2 single elongate, erect, white seta; sternites 1 and 2 clothed with short, broad, cretaceous scales laterally, centrally scales narrower, same as on sternites 3, 4 and 5. Pygidium: Prominent , large­sized, with narrow, elongate, white seta­like scales. Genitalia: Median lobe of aedeagus 0.8 mm in length, 0.2 mm in width, dorsally sides even to arced apex, angular to blunt point, laterally somewhat thick, gradually arced to abruptly curved down apex; apodeme 0.9 mm in length ( Figs. 47– 49 );

Female: Length: 3.5 mm. Width: 1.9 mm. Rostrum: Length 2.5 mm, scape inserted at or just apical to midpoint. Legs: pro­ and mesofemoral tooth medium­sized, acute; pro­ and mesouncus large, metauncus medium. Pygidium: Visible , small­sized, with short white seta­like scales. Spermatheca: not dissected.

Distribution. China: Hupeh, Province, Lichuan District, Suisapa, 06 August

1948, Gressitt and Djou; Guangxi, Longshey, 840 m, 06 June 1963, Y. Shi; Yunnan Province , Jingdong, 02 April 1957, Z. Zhu. Japan. Seven specimens examined .

Remarks. This species closely resembles C. simius spretus . However, the number of elytral macula in fascia and male genitalia can be used to separate the two species. In C. alboscutellatus intervals 2, 7, 8, and 9 have abbreviated cretaceous macular fascia. In C. simius spretus , elytral intervals 2, 3, 7, 8, and 9, have well­defined, cretaceous macular fascia.

Figures

Figs. 47–58. Curculio alboscutellatus 47) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 48) median lobe, lateral aspect; 49) median lobe, apex. Figs. 50–53. C. simius spretus 50) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 51) median lobe lateral aspect; 52) median lobe, apex; 53) spermatheca, lateral aspect. Figs. 54–56. C. latusrostris 54) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 55) median lobe, lateral aspect; 56) spermatheca, lateral aspect. Figs. 57–58. C. shopfneri 57) median lobe, dorsal aspect; 58) median lobe, lateral aspect.