Cionus balianii F. Solari, 1932

Košťál, Michael & Caldara, Roberto, 2019, Revision of Palaearctic species of the genus Cionus Clairville (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cionini), Zootaxa 4631 (1), pp. 1-144 : 58-60

33. Cionus balianii F. Solari, 1932

Figs 33 a–f.

Cionus balianii F. Solari, 1932: 88 . Zumpt, 1937: 223. Caldara, 2013: 123. Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 185.

Cionus galanus Angelov, 1978: 68 . Dieckmann & Behne, 1994: 295 (syn. n.). Caldara, 2013: 123. Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 185.

Type locality. Gran Sasso (Abruzzo, central Italy) .

Type series. According to the original description, C. balianii was described from several places in Italy. Gran Sasso is reported as “loc. class.” and the other localities in the original description are: Modena province (Emilia), Turlago (Massa Carrara province, Toscana) and S. Biase di Ceraso (Salerno province, Campania). In coll. Solari ( MSNM), there are six specimens under the name C. balianii : a couple from “Gran Sasso”, one female from “Turlago”, a couple from “Emilia Modenese” and one male from “S. Biase Ceraso”. The original description corresponds to all localities on labels. Therefore, we designated a male from Gran Sasso labeled “Gran Sasso Abruzzo VII. 1894 A. Fiori / C. balianii m. typus! ♂ det. F. Solari” as the lectotype of Cionus balianii F. Solari by adding the printed red label “ LECTOTYPUS Cionus balianii F. Solari M.Košťál et R.Caldara des. 2016”. The lectotype is 4.07 mm long, perfectly preserved, with originally dissected penis and spiculum gastrale on a separate card. All five above mentioned specimens were labeled as paralectotypes accordingly.

Synonyms. Angelov (1978) described C. galanus based on several specimens not giving the sex and the number of paratypes. In the original description, the holotype and the allotype were clearly indicated. The holotype comes from Wratza ( Balkan Mts. ) and the allotype from the same place. Additionally, the paratypes come from different localities in Bulgaria ( Balkan Mts. , Wratza , Twarditza , Rodopi Mts. , Momtschilgrad , Parwenetz , Golo Bardo Mts. , Lülin Mts. , Kalotina , Küstendil , Boboschewo ), Turkey ( Gökceada ) and Greece (Kephallenia, Korfu). In coll. Angelov ( MZHF), there is one male with missing posterior leg from tibia including, with dissected genitalia labeled as “ Holotypus ” of C. galanus Angelov coming from “Wraza”. Moreover, 16 paratypes (9 ♂♂, 7 ♀♀) are present in this collection. In the collections of MSDEI, there are six specimens labeled as “ Paratypus ” of C. galanus Angelov. One male is from “Corfu”, other three specimens (2 ♂♂, 1 ♀) from “Kephallenia”. All these four specimens were previously identified by Wingelmüller as C. ungulatus . In the collections of MSDEI, there are two additional paratypes, a male from “Wraza” and a female from “Twardiza”. Holotype and all paratypes are conspecific with the lectotype of C. balianii F. Solari.

Redescription. Male. Body medium stout, suboval. Head: rostrum moderately stout, medium long (l/ w 4.6, Rl/Pl 1.22), dark brown; in lateral view upper margin at antennal insertion slightly abruptly curved, lower margin almost evenly curved, same width from base to antennal insertion, then visibly tapered to apex; in dorsal view very slightly broadened to antennal insertion, then parallel-sided, basal part very slightly laterally constricted, apical part beyond antennal insertion markedly dorsoventrally flattened; basal part evenly, moderately densely covered with subrecumbent, backwardly oriented, yellowish and light brown elongate scales, in distal part with suberect and erect, forwardly and laterally oriented, long whitish seta-like scales being very close to apex sparse, with bare shiny median area. Head between eyes narrow, of about 0.3 rostrum width at base. Eyes large, not protruding from head outline. Antennae reddish brown, inserted at 0.6 of rostrum length; funicle of about 0.7 scape length, segment 1 very slightly wider than, and as long as segment 2, segments 1 and 2 twice as long as wide, segments 3–5 as long as wide, subquadrate; club oval, about 2.1 × as long as wide, of about 0.6 funicle length, covered with short, densely arranged, whitish and brownish setae and sparse erect whitish long sensilla. Pronotum: dark brown to reddish brown, somewhat wider than long (Pl/Pw 0.65), with very densely arranged, subrotund punctures; covered with unevenly densely arranged and variously oriented, subrecumbent to suberect, elongate (l/w 5–7) yellowish scales; widest at about 1/4 of its length, in basal half rounded, then unevenly narrowed to anterior margin, with indistinct broad constriction, convex on disc. Prosternum: anterior margin with rounded, sharply deep incised emargination not reaching coxae. Scutellum: subtriangular, at apex broadly rounded, at margins densely covered with recumbent, backwardly oriented whitish and intermixed brown elongate scales. Elytra: brown, in anterior 2/3 very slightly rounded, in posterior 1/3 broadly rounded, slightly elongate (El/Ew 1.15), widest at about 1/3 of their length, at base markedly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1,74), humeri prominent, broadly rounded; very slightly convex to flat on disc; interstria 1 broadened and interstria 2 considerably narrowed and constricted laterally at about 1/3 of medial length and in preapical area encompassing black tomentous subrotund maculae with border formed by sparsely arranged, yellowish to gingery scales, interstriae of about equal width; odd interstriae with evenly distributed patches of yellowish and whitish-yellow elongate scales alternating with black oblong patches of subrecumbent scales, interstriae convex; striae shallow, formed by densely arranged punctures, stria 5 at humeri equally deep as other striae; entire surface, especially even interstriae, covered with subrecumbent, backwardly oriented, whitish, very thin seta-like scales (l/w 5–9) leaving less than half of integument visible, yellowish elongate scales, similar to those patched on pronotum, feebly thicker on humeral base, and more markedly densely arranged in posthumeral part of elytra not forming distinct macula. Venter: covered with recumbent to subrecumbent, elongate, whitish and yellowish seta-like scales and elongate, pale yellowish scales, latter ones thicker at sides forming small patches at lateral margins of ventrites 2–4; mesosternal process very short, almost straight at apex; metasternum with broad shallow longitudinal furrow, transversally ribbed; ventrite 1 with deep impression, ventrite 2 with shallow impression, semidensely covered with variously oriented, whitish long hairs; ventrite 1 2.1 × as long as ventrite 2, ventrites 1–2 combined 5.2 × as long as ventrites 3–4 combined, ventrites 3–4 combined of 0.6 length of ventrite 5. Legs: brown, onychia and distal part of tarsi lighter; profemora with small teeth, meso- and metafemora with large sharp teeth; femora covered with recumbent yellowish elongate scales, tibiae and tarsi except onychia with suberect yellowish elongate scales on tibiae intermixed with suberect blackish seta-like scales, onychia covered with recumbent, very thin, elongate whitish hairs; protarsal onychia considerably long, about 1.2 × as long as tarsomeres 1–3 combined; protarsal lateral claws by 1/4, meso- and metatarsal medial claws only slightly shorter than their pair-claws. Penis: Figs 33 d–f, its body with sharply tapered straight apex.

Female. Rostrum longer (Rl/Pl 1.29), antennal insertion at about 0.6–0.7 of rostrum length. Ventrites 1 and 2 without impression. Protarsal onychia short, of about 0.7 length of tarsomeres 1–3 combined, claws only very slightly unequally long.

Variability. Length ♂♂ 3.55–4.15 mm, ♀♀ 3.30–4.27 mm. This species does not show marked variability. In some specimens, especially from the Balkan Peninsula, the protarsal onychia in male are slightly longer in relation to tarsomeres 1–3 combined. Sporadically, the dorsal black macula is somewhat elongate instead of round.

Diagnosis. This species is characterised by small body size, clearly vaulted interstriae, markedly rounded convex pronotum with densely, unevenly clustered yellowish scales in both sexes, and by long protarsal male onychia, and tapered sharp apex of body of penis.

Comparative notes. Cionus balianii differs from the closely related C. ungulatus by the unevenly distributed scales on pronotum, and especially by the shape of the body of penis, which is tapered at apex and in lateral view straight in C. balianii , and subtruncate at apex, in lateral view clearly bent dorsally in C. ungulatus . C. winkelmanni has bigger teeth on profemora and on average larger body size.

Biological notes. There are no data on host plant in the original description. However, the species is being regularly collected on species of Scrophularia in the S. canina -group. The first author collected a series of specimens on Scrophularia sp. of the above group in Bulgaria. According to data on specimens studied, the species was collected from May to July at elevations 250–1,400 m a. s. l.

Distribution. Italy, Croatia (1 ♂ 40 km N Split (BN)), Bulgaria, Greece. The paratypes of C. galanus from Turkey belong probably to C. winkelmanni .

Non-type specimens examined. We examined more than 280 specimens in large series from above mentioned countries except for Croatia, where only one specimen was recorded.

Figures

FIGURES 33–34. FIGURE 33. Cionus balianii. 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 34. Cionus winkelmanni. 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.