Cionus griseopubens Wingelmüller, 1914

Košťál, Michael & Caldara, Roberto, 2019, Revision of Palaearctic species of the genus Cionus Clairville (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cionini), Zootaxa 4631 (1), pp. 1-144 : 77-78

45. Cionus griseopubens Wingelmüller, 1914

Figs 45 a–f.

Cionus griseopubens Wingelmüller, 1914: 200 ; 1921: 117; 1937: 181. Caldara, 2013: 123. Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 185.

Type locality. Paleopanagia, Peloponnesos S Taygetos Mts. , 400-500 m ( Greece) .

Type series. The species was described based on a single male specimen. Despite our considerable efforts, we could not find the type in coll. Wingelmüller ( NHMW) or elsewhere. Therefore, in order to fix the taxon with regard to its very closely related species we designated the neotype of Cionus griseopubens Wingelmüller as currently understood. Given that Wingelmüller described the species from a Greek specimen, we designated a 4.48 mm long, completely preserved male labeled “GRAECIA, Peloponnesos S Taygetos Mts., 400-500 m Paleopanagia env. 30.iv.2008. machia S. Benedikt leg.” by adding the label “ NEOTYPUS Cionus griseopubens Wingelmüller R.Caldara et M.Košťál des. 2017 [printed red label]”. The neotype is deposited in NHMW.

Synonyms. None.

Redescription. Male. Body stout, suboval to subrotund. Head: rostrum moderately stout, medium long (l/ w 5.0, Rl/Pl 1.29), black; in lateral view moderately evenly curved, of same width from base to antennal insertion, then moderately tapered to apex; in dorsal view near base slightly constricted laterally, in apical part slightly flattened; texture and vestiture as in C. ganglbaueri . Head between eyes and eyes as in C. ganglbaueri except slightly more rounded eyes. Antennae reddish-brown, with darkened club and last funicular segments, inserted before 0.7 of rostrum length; funicle of more than 0.6 scape length, segment 1 slightly wider than segment 2, segment 1 about twice, segment 2 more than three times as long as wide, segments 3–5 as long as wide; club elongate, about 2.8 × as long as wide, of almost 0.9 funicle length, otherwise as in C. ganglbaueri . Pronotum: dark, moderately wider than long (Pl/Pw 0.71), texture and vestiture as in C. ganglbaueri ; widest at base, in basal half moderately subconically narrowed, then abruptly strongly conically narrowed to anterior margin, without constriction, in lateral view in basal part flat, then almost abruptly falling to anterior margin. Prosternum: anterior margin with sharply incised, deep emargination bounded by two shiny uneven tubercles, separated from coxae by narrow prosternal area. Scutellum: as in C. ganglbaueri . Elytra: black, in basal 2/3 moderately rounded, in apical third very broadly, evenly rounded, short (El/Ew 1.11), widest in mid-length, at base markedly broader than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.76), humeri rounded, prominent, with shallow posthumeral impression; slightly convex on disc; interstria 1 at about 1/3 of medial length and in preapical area moderately broadened, interstria 2 at same lengths narrowed and constricted laterally encompassing medium-sized black tomentous maculae without differently colored scale border; interstriae except perimacular areas of equal width; odd interstriae as in C. ganglbaueri except for black patches being slightly more sparsely distributed; striae and entire surface as in C. ganglbaueri , but scales slightly thinner, more elongate, almost completely concealing integument. Venter: almost evenly densely covered with recumbent, strongly elongate scales and hair-like scales, without distinct clusters of scales; mesosternal process flat, broad, blunt at posterior margin, scaled, densely punctured; metasternum concave, densely transversally punctured, with a few indistinct transverse ribs; ventrites 1 and 2 with deep punctured impression; ventrite 1 1.6 × as long as ventrite 2, ventrites 1–2 combined 3.6 × as long as ventrites 3–4 combined, ventrites 3–4 combined of approximately same length as ventrite 5. Legs: as in C. ganglbaueri except smaller profemoral teeth and femora covered with more evenly dense scales. Penis: Figs 45 d–f, its body medium long, parallel-sided, rounded at apex.

Female. Rostrum longer (Rl/Pl 1.59), antennal insertion closer to rostrum mid-length, at 0.6 of rostrum length. Ventrites 1 and 2 without impression. Protarsal onychia slightly shorter, claws equally long.

Variability. Length ♂♂ 3.86–4.67 mm, ♀♀ 4.19–5.24 mm. The vestiture can be seldom yellowish instead of grayish. The rostrum, especially in females, slightly varies in its length.

Diagnosis. This species is recognizable by concealed elytral integument, alternating black patch pattern on odd interstriae, mostly grayish integument, elongate antennal club, short protarsal onychia in both sexes, and penis shape.

Comparative notes. Cionus griseopubens is most closely related to C. ganglbaueri and C. neglectus . It differs from the former by bigger body size, antennal insertion closer to the rostrum mid-length, smaller dorsal macula, and penis shape, from the latter by subrotund elytra, and penis shape. Some specimens, especially yellowish colored, are reminiscent of C. olivieri , from which they differ by more distally inserted antennae and shorter protarsal onychia in both sexes, and by penis shape.

Biological notes. Biology unknown. As closely related species C. ganglbaueri and C. colonnellii live on various Verbascum species, the same host plant genus is to be expected also in C. griseopubens . The species was collected at elevations 0–1,700 m a. s. l. from April to June.

Distribution. Greece, Macedonia, Bulgaria.

Non-type specimens examined. We examined 32 specimens. GREECE: Peloponnesos (Kardamyli 2 ♀♀ BN; Menalon Mt. 2 ♂ 1 ♀ ME, 1 ♀ PY, 2 ♂♂ 3 ♀♀ coll. Angelini; Chelmos Mts. 2 ♂ BN; Kandila 1 ♂ KO, 1 ♂ BMNH; Pirgos 1 ♂ WM; Sparta 1 ♀ KY; Kalavryta 1 ♂, AI, 1 ♀ TI; Arcadias, Menalon Mt. 2 ♂♂ 1 ♀ ME) , Thessalia (M. Pieria 1 ♂ OA) , West Macedonia (Florina 1 ♂ OA) , Epiros (Igoumenitsa 1 ♂ OA) , Makedonia ( Falakron Mts. 1 ♂ WM, Thessaloniki 1 ♀ PY) ; MACEDONIA: Galičica (1 ♂ 2 ♀♀ BMNH) ; BULGARIA: Sandanski (1 ♂ BN) , Rodopi , Mugla (1 ♀ ZS) .

Figures

FIGURES 45–46. FIGURE 45. Cionus griseopubens. 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. FIGURE 46. Cionus neglectus 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.