Cionus frater, Caldara & Košťál, 2023

Caldara, Roberto & Košťál, Michael, 2023, A Taxonomic Revision Of The Afrotropical Species Of The Weevil Genus Cionus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Zootaxa 5288 (1), pp. 1-98 : 14-16

4. Cionus frater sp. n. ( Figs 4a–f )

Type locality. Angwa Bridge env. ( Zimbabwe) .

Type series. Holotype, male “ Zimbabwe, 7 km SE Angwa Bridge , 16.08S 30.15E, 20.v–29.vii.1998, A. Ufer ” ( SANC) . Paratypes: same data as holotype (2, RCCM; 2, SANC); “ Nairobi , Ken. [ya], 9.1961, P.P. de Moor ” (1, TMSA) ; “ Tanzania or., Utete Rufiji , Kinwiivi, 10– 14.12.1993, Lgt. M. Snizek” (2, HWCB) ; “[ Tanzania] G.E. Africa, Usangu Dist. , Nov.29 to Dec.15, 1910, 3,500 –4,500 ft., S.A. Neave” (2, BMNH) ; “[ Tanzania] Africa or. Katona / Lac. Djipe, Katona” (1, HNHM) ; “[ Tanzania] Pangani Falle 1.VI.[19]10” (1, ZMHB) .

Diagnosis. As C. pericarti except for rostrum more curved, pronotum more convex and with slightly rounded sides, humeri more prominent, and teeth of femora less sharp.

Description. Male ( Figs 4a–b ). Body: moderately stout, elongated. Head: rostrum stout, short (Rl/Rw 3.20– 2.23; Rl/Pl 1.26–1.30), black; in lateral view weakly curved, slightly tapered from base to apex, in dorsal view slightly enlarged from base to apex, striate-punctate to apex, from base to near apex with recumbent, moderately dense, not adpressed, whitish and light brown, moderately long (l/w 4–6), elliptical scales. Head between eyes narrow, 0.3× as wide as rostrum at base. Eyes almost flat. Antennae brown, inserted between middle and apical third; scape long (l/w 8); funicle 0.6× as long as scape, S1 slightly more robust, moderately longer than S2, 1.7× as long as wide, S2 1.4 × as long as wide, S3–5 transverse; club oblongly oval, as long as funicle, pubescent. Pronotum: dark brown, without protuberances, with dense regular punctures, intervals among punctures narrow, slightly shining, smooth, feebly visible between recumbent, moderately dense, moderately long (l/w 4–6), elliptical, intermixed light brown and whitish scales; subconical, distinctly transverse (Pw/Pl 1.56–1.61), widest at base, with moderately rounded sides, somewhat convex on disc. Prosternum: anterior margin with deep emargination. Scutellar shield: subtriangular, with moderately dense grayish scales similar to those on elytra. Elytra: brown, rectangular, moderately long (El/Ew 1.27–1.29), distinctly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.75–1.80), humeri moderately prominent, rounded, sides parallel, weakly convex on disc; interstriae straight, with shallow irregular punctures feebly visible between recumbent to subrecumbent, moderately dense, irregularly arranged, moderately long (l/w 4–6), elliptical, intermixed whitish and light brown scales, the lighter ones forming small spots on odd interstriae; striae feebly visible, 2/3 as wide as interstriae, with deep dense punctures, intervals between punctures narrow, situated lower than interstriae. Venter: mesosternal process convex, slightly emarginated. Metasternum covered with moderately sparse, elongated, grayish scales. Abdomen with moderately deep, irregularly arranged punctures, which are clearly visible between moderately dense scales (longer, hair-like in middle, shorter at sides); V1 1.6× longer than V2; V1+2 5.6× longer than V3+4, which are 0.6× as long as V5. Legs: covered with moderately dense, elongated, grayish scales; femora blackish, with moderately stout sharp teeth, covered with moderately dense, whitish and light brown intermixed scales; tibiae dark brown; tarsi dark brown, onychium as long as T1–3 combined; claws asymmetrical, one claw half as long as other. Penis: Figs 4d–f , its body with parallel sides in basal 2/3, then gradually narrowed, tip rounded. Flagellum as long as apodemes, bifurcated at its base.

Female. Rostrum slightly longer (Rl/Rw 3.31–3.35; Rl/Pl 1.35–1.39) ( Fig. 4c ), claws symmetrical.

Variability. Length 3.0– 3.4 mm. The specimens of the type series do not show considerable differences.

Etymology. The Latin substantive in apposition means “brother” and is to emphasize the close relationship of this species with C. pericarti .

Remarks. This species is closely related to C. pericarti , however, clearly differing from it by the shape of the pronotum, which is more rounded at sides and more convex on the disc, less sharp femoral teeth, and the body of penis in lateral view less thin in the apical half.

Biological notes. No data are available.

Distribution. Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe.

Figures

FIGURES 3–4. FIGURE 3. Cionus pericarti. 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 4. Cionus frater 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.