Cionus merkli Stierlin, 1882

Košťál, Michael & Caldara, Roberto, 2019, Revision of Palaearctic species of the genus Cionus Clairville (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cionini), Zootaxa 4631 (1), pp. 1-144 : 92-93

55. Cionus merkli Stierlin, 1882

Figs 55 a–f.

Cionus merkli Stierlin, 1882: 253 . Reitter, 1904: 58 ( C. olens merkli ) (stat. dem.). Wingelmüller, 1914: 217 (stat. prom.); 1921: 110; 1937: 199. A. Hoffmann, 1958: 1225. Caldara, 2013: 123. Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 185.

Cionus parcenotatus Desbrochers des Loges, 1895: 84 . Wingelmüller, 1914: 218 ( C. merkli “ab.” parcenotatus ) (stat. dem.); 1921: 110 ( C. merkli “ab.” parcenotatus ); 1937: 200 ( C. merkli “ab.” parcenotatus ). A. Hoffmann, 1958: 1225 ( C. merkli parcenotatus ). Caldara, 2013: 124 (syn. n.). Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 186.

Type locality. Turkey .

Type series. According to the original description, the species was described based on an unknown number of specimens from Turkey. Specimens were given to Stierlin by H. Merkl. In the general collection of SMDEI, under the name “ Cionus merkli Stierlin ”, there are six specimens labeled with a printed red label “ Syntypus ”. Three of them originate from coll. Stierlin and three from coll. von Heyden. As the red labels were apparently added later, only Stierlin´s specimens were regarded as syntypes. A slightly damaged, 4.75 mm long female with missing right metatarsus labeled “ Türkei / coll.Stierlin / Syntypus / Wingelmüller det. / C. n. sp. bei olens Merklii m. ... Merkl ...” was remounted, labeled “Michael Košťál reprep. 2012”and designated as the lectotype of Cionus merkli Stierlin by adding the label “ LECTOTYPUS Cionus merkli Stierlin Michael Košťál des. 2012 [printed red label]”. A male labeled “ Türkei / coll.Stierlin / Syntypus / Wingelmüller det. / olens v. Merkl wohl Typen Stierl.” was remounted, dissected for genitalia and labeled as paralectotype of C. merkli Stierlin accordingly. A male bearing labels “ Türkei / coll. Stierlin / Syntypus / Wingelmüller det.” was also labeled as paralectotype of C. merkli Stierlin accordingly.

Synonyms. Cionus parcenotatus was described from Akbes ( Turkey, formerly Syria) without an indication of specimen number. According to Desbrochers des Loges (1895), this species should differ from C. olens by bigger and plumper size, from C. merkli by different shape of pronotum and more numerous black spots on elytra. In coll. Desbrochers ( MNHN), there are two specimens with a label “parcenotatus” handwritten by Desbrochers. We have remounted and dissected for genitalia a 4.54 mm long, damaged male labeled “parcenotatus n. / Ex Musaeo Desbrochers 1914 / MUSÉUM PARIS COLL. DESBROCHERS” without a locality label, and designated as the lectotype of Cionus parcenotatus Desbrochers des Loges by adding the label “ Cionus parcenotatus Desbrochers Michael Košťál des. 2014 [printed red label]”. The other specimen, a clumped, probably female labeled “olens Syrie v. par- cenotatus / parcenotatus m. ...[illegible] / type”, plus other labels as in the lectotype, was labeled as paralectotype accordingly. Both specimens show no significant difference from C. merkli , the male genitalia correspond to those of this species. The lectotype and paralectotype are conspecific with the lectotype of C. merkli Stierlin. We provided both specimens with labels “ Cionus merkli Stierlin M. Košťál det. 2014” accordingly.

Redescription. Male. Body stout, subrotund to subquadrate. Head: rostrum stout, long (l/ w 5.2, Rl/Pl 1.4), black to dark brown; in lateral view very slightly curved, of same width from base to antennal insertion, then slightly tapered to apex, lower outline shortly before apex with sharp incision; in dorsal view of same width from base to antennal insertion, then slightly narrowed to apex, in basal part round in cross-section, in apical part slightly dorsoventrally flattened; texture and vestiture as in C. olens . Head between eyes very narrow, of 0.3 rostrum width at base. Eyes as in C. olens , slightly less broadly rounded. Antennae of same color and insertion site as in C. olens ; funicle of 0.7 scape length, segment 1 slightly wider than segment 2, segment 1 twice, segment 2 three times as long as wide, segments 3–5 as long as wide; club as in C. olens . Pronotum: black to dark brown, moderately wider than long (Pl/ Pw 0.74), punctation, vestiture and outline as in C. olens , in lateral view in basal half flat, then moderately gradually falling to anterior margin. Prosternum: as in C. olens . Scutellum: as in C. olens . Elytra: dark brown to black, in basal 2/3 very slightly rounded to subparallel, in apical part very broadly evenly rounded, subparallel slightly elongate (El/Ew 1.17), widest at about 1/3 of elytral length, at base moderately wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.50), humeri subrotund, slightly prominent, with shallow wide indistinct posthumeral impression; flat on disc; interstriae, striae, maculae and vestiture as in C. olens except erect seta-like scales longer, preapical macula smaller to reduced or missing, recumbent to subrecumbent scales on average thinner and longer. Venter: as in C. olens except slightly deeper and finely transversally ribbed impression on ventrites 1 and 2. Legs: as in C. olens except markedly larger profemoral teeth. Penis: Figs 55 d–f, as in C. olens except on average slenderer apical part of body of penis.

Female. Rostrum slightly more curved, length and antennal insertion approximately as in male. Ventrites 1 and 2 slightly convex. Claws of approximately equal length.

Variability. Length ♂♂ 3.87–4.98 mm, ♀♀ 4.19–5.07 mm. The variability is similar to that of C. olens and concerns the same characters. The preapical and rarely the dorsal elytral macula are reduced or missing.

Diagnosis. This species is recognizable by fully concealed elytral integument, considerably long erect seta-like scales on all interstriae, larger profemoral teeth, relatively long pronotum and short elytra, pronotum in lateral view gradually, not abruptly falling to anterior margin, and penis shape.

Comparative notes. Cionus merkli is undoubtedly most closely related to C. olens , from which it differs by larger profemoral teeth, shorter elytra, on average larger body size, pronotum in lateral view gradually falling to anterior margin, and on average more elongate apical part of body of penis.

Biological notes. The first author collected series of specimens in Turkey, Armenia, Macedonia and Greece on large Verbascum species, predominantly sitting in first-year rosettes of leaves.

Distribution. Macedonia, continental Greece, Samos Island, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran.

Non-type specimens examined. We examined more than 490 specimens from all above reported countries except Georgia.

Figures

FIGURES 55–56. FIGURE 55. Cionus merkli. 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 56. Cionus pulverosus. 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.