Cionus schoenherri C. N. F. Brisout de Barneville, 1863

Košťál, Michael & Caldara, Roberto, 2019, Revision of Palaearctic species of the genus Cionus Clairville (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cionini), Zootaxa 4631 (1), pp. 1-144 : 86-87

51. Cionus schoenherri C. N. F. Brisout de Barneville, 1863

Figs 51 a–f.

Cionus schoenherri C. N. F. Brisout de Barneville, 1863: 115 . Reitter, 1904: 55. Wingelmüller, 1914: 193; 1921: 105; 1937: 174. Hustache, 1932: 342. A. Hoffmann, 1958: 1220. Caldara, 2013: 124. Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 186.

Cionus schoenherri laportei A. Hoffmann, 1953: 193 . Caldara, 2013: 124. Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 186. syn. n.

Type locality. France ( Eastern Pyrenees ), Spain. As both lectotype and paralectotype bear no locality label, and the lectotype coming from one of both type localities was designated, both localities should be regarded as type localities. According to Articles 73.2.3 and 76 of the ICZN (1999), more type localities for one species are admissible .

Type series. The species was described based on specimens from Eastern Pyrenees and Spain. In coll. C. N. F. Brisout ( MNHN), there are a couple on a single pinned card. A 3.77 mm long, well-preserved male, corresponding to the original description, labeled “Schoenheri / Muséum Paris S. E. F. Coll. Ch. Brisout” was designated as the lectotype by adding the label “ LECTOTYPUS Cionus schoenherri C. Brisout ♂ Michael Košťál des. 2014 [printed red label]”. The female was labeled as paralectotype accordingly.

Synonyms. Cionus schoenherri var. laportei was described based on two males from Algeria. In coll. A. Hoffmann ( MNHN), there is one male labeled “Sakamody I-VI-52 ( Algerie) M.Laporte / Cionus Schonherri Ch. Bris var. a ...[illegible]... discale oblongue et etroite. A. Hoffmann / Cionus Schonherri Ch. Bris. v. Laportei m. A. Hoffmann det. / TYPE [red label] / MUSEUM PARIS 1968 Col. A. HOFFMANN”. According to the original description, this specimen is a syntype. We dissected this well-preserved, 4.15 mm long specimen for genitalia and designated it as the lectotype of Cionus schoenherri var. laportei A. Hoffmann by adding the printed red label “ LECTOTYPUS Cionus schoenherri var. laportei Hoffmann M.Košťál et R.Caldara des.2018”. We compared it with the lectotype of C. schoenherri as well as with the non-type specimens of C. schoenherri from North Africa. As the only difference is the shape of the dorsal elytral macula and in the material from North Algeria (Setif) (coll. SMDEI), there are specimens with both round and oval dorsal macula, we consider this taxon consubspecific with C. schoenherri .

Redescription. Male. Body stout, subrotund. Head: rostrum moderately slender, medium long (l/ w 4.5, Rl/Pl 1.17), dark brown; in lateral view evenly moderately curved, in basal part of same width, from antennal insertion to apex slightly tapered, ventral outline not beveled at apex; in dorsal view slightly broadened from base to antennal insertion, then of same width to apex, in basal part slightly constricted laterally, in apical part moderately flattened; texture as in C. longicollis ; basal part with up- and backwardly oriented, subrecumbent, blackish and sparser yellowish elongate scales, apical part with relatively short, for- and inwardly oriented, suberect, yellowish seta-like scales. Head between eyes very narrow, of less than 0.4 rostrum width at base. Eyes large, broadly rounded, very slightly protruding from head outline. Antennae reddish-brown, club slightly darkened, inserted at 0.6 of rostrum length; funicle of 0.7 scape length, segment 1 wider than segment 2, segment 1 twice, segment 2 almost three times as long as wide, segments 3–5 as long as wide; club spindle-shaped, about 2.5 × as long as wide, of about 0.8 funicle length, completely covered with thin, recumbent reddish hairs and sparse erect, relatively short, light brown sensilla. Pronotum: brown, markedly wider than long (Pl/Pw 0.60), very densely unevenly punctured, punctures rather variable in size, subrotund, spaces between punctures much smaller than puncture diameter; unevenly densely covered with recumbent, up- and forwardly oriented, variously large, elongate (l/w 4–6), yellowish, on sides gingery scales, mediobasal area with more sparsely distributed scales; widest at base, roundly narrowed to anterior margin, without constriction, in lateral view flat in basal half, then falling to anterior margin. Prosternum: anterior margin with moderately deep, semicircular emargination bounded by less distinct tubercles, separated from coxae by narrow prosternal area. Scutellum: as in C. longicollis . Elytra: brown to reddish-brown, in basal 2/3 slightly rounded to subparallel, in apical third broadly evenly rounded, moderately elongate (El/Ew 1.17), widest at 1/3 of their length, at base somewhat wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.65), humeri subrotund, moderately prominent, with posthumeral impression; almost flat on disc; interstria 1 from 0.2 to almost half of medial length and in preapical area very strongly broadened, interstria 2 at same lengths very strongly narrowed to invisible, considerably constricted laterally, interstria 3 on dorsum clearly constricted laterally encompassing very large round black tomentous macula with medium broad border of gingery and clustered whitish scales; interstriae except perimacular areas of approximately equal width, in basal part of elytra slightly vaulted; odd interstriae with unevenly distributed small, indistinct patches of whitish to yellowish scales and sparser patches of dark brown scales; striae shallow, formed by densely arranged regular rows of large punctures; entire surface covered with unevenly densely distributed, variously large and thin, moderately elongate (l/w 3–5), recumbent whitish scales and sparsely intermixed gingery scales almost completely concealing integument; gingery and yellowish broad scales densely clustered in sub- and posthumeral area forming large orange irregular macula. Venter: semidensely covered with thin, backwardly oriented, subrecumbent, grayish hairs, at mes- and metepisternum, and lateral parts of metasternum covered with very densely distributed, broad, intermixed whitish and gingery scales forming confluent area with lateral pronotal and subhumeral macula; in posterior parts of ventrites 1 and 2 paramedially, and on margins of ventrites 3–4 clusters of broader, subrecumbent whitish scales; mesosternal process very slightly convex, subquadrate, moderately emarginate at posterior margin, with hairs, very densely punctured to rugulose; metasternum slightly concave, transversally punctured to ribbed; ventrites 1 and 2 with relatively deep and broad, transversally punctured to ribbed impression; ventrite 1 1.9 × as long as ventrite 2, ventrites 1–2 combined 4.7 × as long as ventrites 3–4 combined, ventrites 3–4 combined of 0.8 length of ventrite 5. Legs: reddish-brown, with darkened apices of onychia, profemora with small teeth, meso- and metafemora with large triangular sharp teeth; scales similar to those in C. longicollis but denser; protarsal onychia short, of 0.8 length of tarsomeres 1–3 combined, protarsal tarsomere 3 wider than long; claws as in C. longicollis except protarsal lateral claws less reduced, of about 3/4 length of their pair-claws. Penis: Figs 51 d–f, its body medium long, with slightly convex sides, bluntly tapered at apex.

Female. Rostrum moderately longer (Rl/Pl 1.30), antennae inserted as in male. Ventrites 1 and 2 without impression, convex. Claws of approximately equal length.

Variability. Length ♂♂ 3.74–4.27 mm, ♀♀ 3.98–4.61 mm. This species shows variability in the size and shape of the dorsal black tomentous elytral macula. This macula can be somewhat reduced, apparently longitudinally elongate, especially in specimens from North Africa (described as C. schoenherri ssp. laportei ).

Diagnosis. Cionus schoenherri is distinguishable by only partially visible, in perimacular areas concealed elytral integument, subrotund elytra, very large to large dorsal elytral macula with whitish and gingery border, large sub- and posthumeral patches of gingery to reddish scales, short onychia also in males, relatively deep and large impression on ventrites 1 and 2 in males.

Comparative notes. Cionus schoenherri shows a relationship with C. longicollis and C. distinctus . From the former it differs by subrotund elytra, elytral subhumeral macula, evenly roundly narrowed pronotum, shorter rostrum in both sexes, and shorter onychia. From the latter it differs by larger body size, round or longitudinally elongate dorsal elytral macula, and elytral pattern.

Biological notes. The first author collected series of specimens in Spain (Castilla-León, Aldealpozo) and in Morocco (High Atlas Mts. Touama, N 31°30.3´W 07°31.7´, 900 m a. s. l.) on Scropularia spp. Hoffmann (1958) reported S. canina , S. nodosa and S. lucida as host plants. The second author found this species in northern Italy on S. canina and S. nodosa . There is no doubt that there are more Scrophularia -species which are host plants of this species. The species is xerothermophilous, inhabiting lower elevations or sun-exposed montane habitats in southern Europe, and reaches higher elevations, often up to 1,200 m a. s. l. in southern Morocco (above mentioned locality and six specimens from Morocco, Imlil , 1,200 m a. s. l., BMNH) .

Distribution. This species is widespread in Portugal, Spain, southern France, Italy, Morocco and Algeria. Germann (2010) reported this species also from Switzerland.

Non-type specimens examined. We examined 170 specimens from all the above mentioned countries except Switzerland.

Figures

FIGURES 51–52. FIGURE 51. Cionus schoenherri. 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 52. Cionus distinctus. 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.