Cionus khorasanicus, 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 : 66-67

38. Cionus khorasanicus sp. n.

Figs 38 a–f.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BAFC05C8-1D20-4600-B6A2-0ACDB4F73068

Type locality. Torqabeh near Mashad ( Iran) .

Type series. Holotype: completely preserved, 3.37 mm long male labeled “ IRAN bor. or. KHORASAN Kuh-e Binalud Mts. Michael Košťál leg. / Torqabeh pr. Masshad 1700 m N 36 o 17.0´E 59 o 17.8´8.v.2008 / Scrophularia sp. [green label] / HOLOTYPUS Cionus khorasanicus sp. n. M.Košťál et R.Caldara des. 2017 [red label]” ( NMPC) . Paratypes: the same labeling as holotype, except for “ PARATYPUS ” (2 ♂♂, 1 ♀ KO) .

Description. Male (holotype). Body medium stout, subrotund. Head: rostrum stout, medium long (l/ w 4.6, Rl/Pl 1.15), brown; in lateral view unevenly curved, moderately abruptly curved at antennal insertion, same width from base to antennal insertion, then tapered to apex; in dorsal view shape, texture and scales as in C. thapsus except more flattened apical part. Head between eyes and eyes as in C. thapsus . Antennae including club reddish-brown, inserted beyond 2/3 of rostrum length; funicle of 0.8 scape length, funicular segments and club as in C. thapsus . Pronotum: light to dark brown, wider than long (Pl/Pw 0.64), punctation, scales and shape outline as in C. thapsus , in lateral view in basal half flat, then abruptly falling to anterior margin. Prosternum: anterior margin with sharply incised, relatively shallow subquadrate emargination without bound, separated from coxae by very narrow prosternal area. Scutellum: as in C. thapsus except covered with scales distinctly thinner than on elytra. Elytra: brown to reddish-brown, shaped as in C. thapsus but more rounded; shorter (El/Ew 1.17), at base markedly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.70), humeri rounded to subquadrate, with posthumeral impression; almost flat on disc; interstriae 1 and 2 as in C. thapsus , but less noticeably encompassing oblong to subrotund dorsal and almost round preapical black tomentous maculae without differently colored scale border; interstriae and striae as in C. thapsus except interstria 3 in basal part moderately vaulted; odd interstriae in anterior half with small, in posterior half with large, often confluent patches of black scales reaching also even interstriae and forming irregular black pattern, with only indistinct small patches of whitish scales, on humeri patches of black scales; entire surface densely covered with recumbent, moderately elongate (l/w 3 -5), yellowish and gingery intermixed scales completely concealing elytral integument. Venter: vestiture as in C. thapsus except clusters of scales less distinct, scales wider; mesosternal process flat, distinctly broad, shallowly emarginate at posterior margin, scaled, punctured; metasternum slightly concave, transversally ribbed to punctured, ventrite 1 with relatively shallow impression, ventrite 2 flat, both punctured; ventrite 1 1.5 × as long as ventrite 2, ventrites 1–2 combined 6 × as long as ventrites 3–4 combined, ventrites 3–4 combined of 0.7 length of ventrite 5. Legs: reddish-brown, profemora with very small blunt teeth emphasized by erect scales, meso- and metafemora with large subtriangular sharp teeth; vestiture as in C. thapsus except for more even distribution of scales and black, sparsely intermixed scales on femora; protarsal onychia moderately longer than tarsomeres 1–3 combined, tarsomere 3 wider than long; claws of equal length. Penis: Figs 38 d–f, its body similar to that of C. thapsus .

Female. Rostrum longer (Rl/Pl 1.31), antennal insertion closer to its mid-length, at 0.6 of rostrum length, apical part parallel-sided. Ventrite 1 without impression, flat to convex.

Variability. Length ♂♂ 3.35–3.67 mm, ♀♀ 3.72–3.87 mm. The type series does not show noteworthy vari- ability.

Diagnosis. This species is recognizable by almost concealed elytral integument, brown to reddish-brown elytra, antennal insertion in distal part of rostrum, very distinct black pattern in posterior part of elytra involving also even interstriae, vaulted interstria 3 in basal part of elytra, and equally long claws in both sexes.

Comparative notes. Cionus khorasanicus is most closely related to C. thapsus , from which it differs by antennal insertion closer to apex of rostrum, elevated interstria 3 in basal part of elytra, reddish-brown to brown integument of elytra and antennae, wider elytral scales, and equally long claws in males.

Biological notes. The first author collected all type specimens in dry steppe-forest rocky place on Scrophularia sp.

Distribution. Iran (Khorasan province).

Non-type specimens examined. None.

Figures

FIGURES 37–38. FIGURE 37. Cionus nigritarsis. 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 38. Cionus khorasanicus 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.