Cionus himalayensis, Košťál & Caldara, 2019

Košťál, Michael & Caldara, Roberto, 2019, Revision of Palaearctic species of the genus Cionus Clairville (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cionini), Zootaxa 4631 (1), pp. 1-144 : 25-26

9. Cionus himalayensis sp. n.

Figs 9 a–f.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:10AF7606-F67F-47F5-B77D-195F1C179FF1

Type locality. Kairang Khola (Karnali, Nepal) .

Type series. Holotype: completely preserved, 3.05 mm long male missing right anterior onychium labeled “ NEPAL Prov. Karnali Distr. Humla 20kmW Simikot,2kmS Chala , Kairang Khola , 3200m 29°59´27˝N, 81°37´30˝ E 27.06 .2001 leg. A. Kopetz river valley HF/KL / HOLOTYPUS Cionus himalayensis sp. n. M.Košťál et R.Caldara des. 2017 [printed red label]” ( NMEG) . Paratypes (same designating label but instead of “ HOLOTYPUS ” “PARA- TYPUS”): “ NEPAL Prov. Karnali Distr. Jumla , 5km E Churta 3400m 05.V.1995 leg. A.Weigel ” (1 ♂ NMEG) ; “ NEPAL,P: Karnali D: Jumla, Gothichaur valley , around camp 2950mNN, 29.V.2007 29°11´50˝N,82°18´30E leg. M.Hartmann, KLS/HF / collection Naturkunde-museum Erfurt [printed yellow label]˝ (1 ♀ NMEG) .

Description. Male. Body medium stout, subrotund. Head: rostrum medium stout, medium long (l/ w 3.9, Rl/Pl 1.34), black; in lateral view slightly evenly curved, same width from base to antennal insertion, then moderately tapered to apex; in dorsal view of same width from base to apex, basal part in cross-section round, apical part moderately dorsoventrally flattened; excepting apex longitudinally ribbed to confluently punctured, apex almost glabrous, with sparse small punctures on lateral sides; basal part covered with suberect, upwardly oriented, shortly elongate black scales, apical part with forwardly oriented, suberect to erect, long whitish hair-like scales. Head between eyes narrow, backwardly convergent, of approximately 1/2 of rostrum width at base. Eyes large, flat. Antennae brown except darkened club, inserted at 0.7 of rostrum length; funicle of 0.7 scape length, segment 1 wider and very slightly longer than segment 2, segment 1 almost, segment 2 approximately twice as long as wide, segments 3–5 globose; club suboval, about twice as long as wide, of approximately same length as funicle, completely covered with subrecumbent, densely arranged, whitish to dark, tiny hairs and sparse moderately long erect whitish sensilla. Pronotum: black, somewhat wider than long (Pl/Pw 0.65), densely, nearly evenly punctured, punctures small, subrotund, somewhat different in size; covered with unevenly arranged, mostly forwardly and medially directed, subrecumbent, elongate (l/w 6–10), mostly brown and sparsely whitish intermixed scales; widest at base, moderately convergent from base to mid-length, then narrowed and very shallowly constricted towards anterior margin, along midline visibly convex, in lateral view in basal half flat on disc, then falling to anterior margin. Prosternum: anterior margin with deep, rounded, broadly incised emargination, not bounded by tubercles, not reaching coxae. Scutellum: subtriangular, blunt at apex, covered with subrecumbent, backwardly oriented elongate pale scales of similar shape but shorter as on elytra. Elytra: black, in basal 2/3 subparallel to slightly rounded, in apical 1/3 broadly evenly rounded, moderately elongate (El/Ew 1.17), widest at about mid-length, at base markedly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.70), humeri rounded, protruding, with posthumeral impression, slightly convex on disc; interstria 1 from 1/4 to 1/2 of medial length moderately, shortly before apex almost invisibly broadened, interstria 2 at anterior broadening of interstria 1 moderately narrowed and constricted laterally encompassing elongate dorsal black tomentous macula and in preapical area strip-like patch of subrecumbent yellowish to whitish scales, odd interstriae wider and more convex than even ones, interstria 3 and 5 in anterior 1/4 of elytral length with apparently prominent swellings; odd interstriae, especially in posterior and lateral parts of elytra, with patches of suberect, dense, black elongate scales; striae shallow, formed by irregular rows of unevenly large round punctures; entire surface covered with differently oriented, unevenly distributed, recumbent to suberect, thin, long (l/w 5–10), whitish and reddish intermixed hair-like scales leaving integument clearly visible, odd interstriae with whitish scales forming scattered indistinct patches. Venter: sparsely covered with backwardly oriented, subrecumbent, whitish and sporadically intermixed brown hair-like scales, on margins of ventrites 3 and 4 clustered into small suberect brushes; mesosternal process convex to protruding, subquadrate, blunt at posterior margin, punctured; metasternum concave, slightly transversally punctured; ventrite 1 with broad, medium deep punctured impression, ventrite 2 slightly concave, punctured; ventrite 1 1.5 × as long as ventrite 2, ventrites 1–2 combined 4.7 × as long as ventrites 3–4 combined, ventrites 3–4 combined of 0.6 length of ventrite 5. Legs: femora blackish brown, tibiae and tarsi brown; profemora with slightly protruding, wide but sharp teeth, meso- and metafemora with large triangular sharp teeth; femora and tibiae covered with recumbent, tarsi except onychia with suberect, elongate whitish scales, on femora clustered into indistinct transverse bands, onychia with long recumbent to subrecumbent whitish hairs; onychia of anterior legs of normal length, approximately as long as tarsomeres 1–3 combined, protarsal tarsomere 3 wider than long; claws of all legs of equal length. Penis: Figs 9 d–f, its body subparallel, moderately tapered at apex.

Female. Rostrum very slightly longer (Rl/Pl 1.4), otherwise as in male.

Variability. Length: ♂♂ 2.92–3.05 mm, ♀ 3,17 mm. The type series shows a certain variability in the color of legs, which is more or less light on tibiae and tarsi.

Diagnosis. This species is recognizable by smaller size, almost entirely visible elytral integument, not elongate male onychia with equally long claws, less prominent swellings on interstriae 3 and 5 in anterior part of elytra, small longitudinally elongate dorsal macula, and penis shape.

Comparative notes. Cionus himalayensis is most closely related to C. championi , from which it differs by smaller body size, smaller, wholly flat eyes, less prominent profemoral teeth, less erect scales on elytra, less prominent swellings on interstriae 3 and 5, deeper and larger impression on ventrite 1, shorter ventrite 1 in comparison to ventrite 2, shorter ventrites 2 and 3, and moderately tapered apex of penis.

Biological notes. Biology unknown. Montane species.

Distribution. West Nepal.

Etymology. The species was named after its distributional region, which is the western Himalaya Mountains.

Non-type specimens examined. None.

Figures

FIGURES 9–10. FIGURE 9. Cionus himalayensis 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. Not to scale. FIGURE 10. Cionus yunnanensis sp.n. a: body in dorsal view (female), b: body in lateral view (female). Not to scale.