Cionus schultzei Reitter, 1904

Košťál, Michael & Caldara, Roberto, 2019, Revision of Palaearctic species of the genus Cionus Clairville (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cionini), Zootaxa 4631 (1), pp. 1-144 : 38-39

19. Cionus schultzei Reitter, 1904

Figs 19 a–f.

Cionus schultzei Reitter, 1904: 50 . Wingelmüller, 1914: 188; 1921: 103; 1937: 168. Caldara, 2013: 124. Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 186.

Cionus schultzei tiefenbachi Reitter, 1904: 50 . Wingelmüller, 1914: 189 ( C. schultzei tieffenbachi ); 1921: 103 ( C. schultzei tieffenbachi ); 1937: 169 ( C. schultzei tieffenbachi ). Alonso-Zarzaga et al., 2017: 186 ( C. tiefenbachi ) (syn. n.).

Type locality. Turkey .

Type series. In coll. Reitter ( HNHM), there are a couple of specimens bearing red-outlined labels (made later by Z. Kaszab) “ Holotypus ” and “ Paratypus ”. The original description reports “ Türkei ” as patria of C. schultzei . There is no doubt that these two specimens are syntypes.A pinned, well-preserved, 5.26 mm long female with missing right posterior and left medial leg labeled “ Turkei / C.Schultzei m. / Holotypus Cionus Schultzei Reitter 1904 . / Coll. Reitter” was remounted and designated as the lectotype of C. schultzei Reitter by adding the printed red label “ LECTOTYPUS Cionus schultzei Reitter M.Košťál et R.Caldara des.2011”. The other specimen, a male labeled “ Türkei / Paratypus Cionus Schultzei Reitter 1904 . / Coll. Reitter” was labeled as paralectotype accordingly.

Synonyms. There are no data on the locality of C. schultzei v. tiefenbachi in its original description. In coll. Reitter ( NHMW), there is a single male labeled “ ♂ / Graecia / ab. Tieffenbachi” with historically dissected genitalia. This slightly damaged specimen without anterior tarsi, right medial tarsus and right posterior leg, 4.95 mm long, corresponds to the original description and was designated as the lectotype by adding the printed red label “LEC- TOTYPUS Cionus schultzei v. tiefenbachi Reitter M. Košťál et R. Caldara des. 2011”. As there is no significant difference except for a more distinct elytral pattern and a darker coloration, we regard this taxon as consubspecific with C. schultzei Reitter.

Redescription. Male. Body large, stout, subrotund to suboval. Head: rostrum moderately slender, long (l/ w 6.4, Rl/Pl 1.34), brown; in lateral view slightly evenly curved, same width from base to antennal insertion, then markedly tapered to apex; in dorsal view very slightly broadened to antennal insertion, then very slightly narrowed to apex, basal part laterally constricted, apical part markedly dorsoventrally flattened; from base to shortly before apex densely longitudinally punctured to ribbed, scales similar to those in C. hortulanus but in apical part setalike scales arranged more densely. Head between eyes and eyes as in C. hortulanus . Antennae as in C. hortulanus except segment 1 more than twice, segment 2 more than three times as long as wide, segments 3–4 slightly longer than wide, segment 5 subglobose. Pronotum: dark brown, moderately wider than long (Pl/Pw 0.78), punctation as in C. hortulanus but punctures slightly more sparsely distributed; densely covered with subrecumbent, forwardly oriented, elongate (l/w 4–8), yellow scales; widest at base, moderately evenly convergent to half of pronotal length, then conically narrowed to anterior margin, with only very slightly indistinct broad constriction, in lateral view as in C. hortulanus . Prosternum: anterior margin with deep semicircular sharply incised emargination, otherwise as in C. hortulanus . Scutellum: as in C. hortulanus . Elytra: colored and shaped similarly as in C. hortulanus , moderately longer (El/Ew 1.21), somewhat wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.65), humeri as in C. hortulanus , posthumeral shallow emargination more distinct; moderately convex on disc; interstria 1 in about 0.3 of medial length and in preapical area slightly broadened, internal margin of interstria 2 at same lengths moderately emarginate encompassing small, round, black tomentous macula without differently color scaled border, interstriae except perimacular areas of similar width; odd interstriae with more or less evenly distributed patches of black scales, yellow scale patches less conspicuous; striae as in C. hortulanus ; entire surface densely covered with small, shorter (l/w 3–6), yellow scales completely concealing integument. Venter: as in C. hortulanus except for broader and more densely arranged yellow scales on sides of metepisternum, metasternum, ventrites, and concave longitudinal median part of metasternum. Legs: brown, as in C. hortulanus except for more dense scales and protarsal tarsomere 3 wider than long. Penis: Figs 19 d–f, its body similar to that of C. hortulanus , on sides less concave.

Female. Rostrum considerably longer (Rl/Pl 1.59), apical part shiny, with feebly visible tiny punctures or puncture-free, antennal insertion shortly before rostrum mid-length. Ventrites 1 and 2 without impression, convex. Claws equally long.

Variability. Length ♂♂ 4.20–5.20 mm, ♀♀ 4.75–5.88 mm. This species shows a variability in elytral pattern from entirely missing black patches to marked patches with indistinct yellow and dark alternating patches of scales on odd interstriae (this color form was described as “ v. tiefenbachi Reitter ”), the interstria 1 is often free of black patches. The length of rostrum, especially in females, varies to some extent.

Diagnosis. This species is characterised by concealed elytral integument, large size, unusually long tapered rostrum, especially in females, longer and unevenly convergent pronotum, deep impression on ventrites 1 and 2 in males, and penis shape.

Comparative notes. The most closely related species are C. hortulanus , from which C. schultzei differs by larger size, longer rostrum and pronotum, and C. dependens , from which it differs by lighter integument coloration, rostrum shape and less angulate pronotum outline.

Biological notes. The first author collected series of specimens on various Verbascum spp. in Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey.

Distribution. We examined specimens from Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Armenia, Syria, Israel and Jordan. The species is also reported from Cyprus ( Alziar 2018) .

Non-type specimens examined. We saw more than 500 specimens from the above reported countries.

Figures

FIGURES 19–20. FIGURE 19. Cionus schultzei. 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 20. Cionus dependens. 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.