Mecinus suturalis Reitter, 1907

Caldara, Roberto & Fogato, Valter, 2013, Systematics of the weevil genus <i> Mecinus </ i> Germar, 1821 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). I. Taxonomic treatment of the species, Zootaxa 3654 (1), pp. 1-105 : 51-52

28. Mecinus suturalis Reitter

Fig. 26

Mecinus suturalis Reitter, 1907: 13 . Hustache, 1931: 402, 407. Clermont, 1935: 11. Smreczyṅski, 1951: 74. Hoffmann, 1958: 1266, 1275. Tempère, 1975: 650. Péricart, 1989. Caldara, 2008: 186.

Type locality. Charente ( France).

Type series. This species was described from a single male in Reitter's collection, collected in Charente (western France) without more precise indications. Clermont (1935) reported that this specimen was probably collected at Lignières-Sonneville, a locality near Cognac. We examined this specimen ( HNHM) labelled: “Gallia, Charente / Charente / Holotypus, 1907, ♂, Mecinus suturalis Reitter / suturalis m. 1906, Typ. / coll. Reitter ”.

Redescription. Male. Length 2.4 mm. Body: long, cylindrical, moderately slender ( Fig. 28 ). Rostrum: black with reddish apex, moderately short (Rl/Pl 0.74), subcylindrical; in lateral view moderately curved, weakly narrowed in apical third (as in M. circulatus , fig. 71); in dorsal view with subparallel sides, with moderately visible scrobes, distinctly striate-punctured in basal two thirds, with deeper sulcus along midine, in basal half with recumbent, somewhat dense, whitish, moderately long to long (l/w 4–7), seta-like scales. Head: frons as wide as rostrum at base, without fovea; eyes weakly convex. Antennae: reddish with brown club, inserted just in front of middle of rostrum; scape moderately long, 4.0x longer than wide; funicle about as long as scape, segment 1 1.5x longer than wide, stouter and twice as long as segment 2, which is as long as wide, segments 3–5 distinctly transverse; club long, oval, segment 1 almost glabrous. Pronotum: black, with dense and regular punctures, intervals between punctures flat, smooth and shining, moderately visible between recumbent, somewhat dense, whitish (along midline and sides) and greyish brown, long (l/w 5–8), seta-like scales; moderately transverse (Pw/Pl 1.22), with moderately rounded sides, with weakly prominent apical constriction, widest near middle, distinctly convex. Elytra: reddish except interstriae 1–4, which are black; long (El/Ew 1.61), at base weakly concave, about as wide as pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.14), with parallel sides, distinctly convex on disc; interstriae clearly visible between recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, greyish brown and whitish (interstria 1 and 3 and sides), long to very long (about as long as width of interstria; l/w 7–12), seta-like scales, which are arranged in 2–3 irregular rows; striae hardly visible, one third narrower than interstriae, with a row of scales slightly shorter and narrower than those of interstriae. Legs: stout, with recumbent to subrecumbent, moderately dense, whitish, seta-like scales, which are distinctly shorter than width of tibia; femora reddish and brown, subclavate, profemora with very small tooth; tibiae reddish, short; protibiae with apical part of ventral surface somewhat directed outward; unci dark brown, stout, all equal in length; tarsi reddish, tarsomere 1.5x longer than wide, tarsomere 2 about as wide as long, tarsomere 3 bilobed and distinctly wider than tarsomere 2, onychium slightly shorter than tarsomeres 1–3 taken together; claws dark brown, equal in length, fused in basal half. Venter: metasternum distinctly convex, clearly visible between recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, whitish, long, seta-like scales; mesothoracic epimera and meso- and metathoracic episterna with somewhat dense, whitish, long seta-like and wide fringed scales; abdomen black, with somewhat dense and regular punctures, which are moderately visible between recumbent to subrecumbent, somewhat dense, whitish, long, hair-like scales; ventrites length ratio 1–2/3–4 1.81. Penis: as in M. circulatus , fig. 127).

Female. As in male except rostrum longer (Rl/Pl 0.90), distinctly curved at base, subcylindrical (as in M. circulatus , ( Fig. 72 ), weakly punctured, antennae inserted at middle of rostrum. Sternite 8 and spermatheca as in M. circulatus ( Figs 149 and 164 ).

Variability. Length 2.3–2.6 mm. Sometimes the black area of the elytral integument is more reduced than that described or even lacking. The width of the pronotum is somewhat variable (Pw/Pl 1.17–1.32; Ew/Pw 1.12–1.20).

Remarks and comparative notes. This species is very closely related to M. circulatus , with which it shares the shape of the terminalia. It differs from M. circulatus by the wider and more convex pronotum, the vestiture of the elytral interstriae, which is composed of greyish brown and whitish (interstria 1 and 3 and sides), seta-like scales, which are about as long as the width of an interstria, and the clearly visible striae covered with a row of brown or whitish scales that are slightly shorter and narrower than those of the interstriae. With regard to the characters differentiating this species from M. tanaiticus , see the comparative notes of the latter species.

Biological notes. Tempère (1975) quoted that this species feeds on Plantago sempervirens Crantz (= P. cynops L.), on which we also collected adults, often co-living with M. latiusculus , and probably on P. psyllium L.

Distribution. Central and southern France (Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes), north-western Italy.

Non-type specimens examined. FRANCE: Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes Maritimes, St. MartinVésubie , 20-22.V.1930 (2, MSNM) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes Maritimes, Menton, Castellar , 25.V.2007, on Plantago sempervirens, Caldara leg. (1, RCCM) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes Maritimes, Menton, St. Agnes , 1.VI.2006, on Plantago sempervirens, Caldara leg. (2, RCCM) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Bouches-duRhône, Eyguières , 16.IV.1952, on Plantago cynops, Tempère leg. (3, MNHN) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Gard, Servièrs , 15.V.1951, Tempère leg. (1, MNHN) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Var, Hyères, Port Pothuau , 4.IV.2003, Messutat leg. (1, JMCS) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Vaucluse , Avignon (3, MNHN) ; Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Vaucluse, Saint Colombe , 14.V.1935, Thérond leg. (2, MNHN) ; Rhône-Alpes, Drôme , Valence (2, MNHN) . ITALY: Liguria, Imperia, Grimaldi di Ventimiglia , 25.V.2007, on Plantago sempervirens, Caldara leg. (2, RCCM) .

Figures

FIGURES 19–27. Habitus of (19) Mecinus henrici; (20) M. elongatus; (21) M. alternans; (22) M. tanaiticus; (23) M. reichei; (24) M. humeralis; (25) M. circulatus; (26) M. suturalis; (27) M. pyraster. Not to the same scale.

FIGURES 28–36. Habitus of (28) Mecinus baridioides; (29) M. comosus; (30) M. simus; (31) M. pirazzolii; (32) M. vulpes; (33) M. pipistrellus; (34) M. collaris; (35) M. sicardi; (36) M. janthinus. Not to the same scale.

FIGURES 69–77. Rostrum in lateral view of (69) Mecinus tanaiticus, male; (70) idem, female; (71) M. humeralis, female; (72) M. circulatus, male; (73) idem, female; (74) M. pyraster, male; (75) idem, female; (76) M. baridioides, male; (77) idem, female. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 144–156. Sternite 8 of (144) Mecinus pascuorum; (145) M. caucasicus; (146) M. marina; (147) M. reichei; (148) M. humeralis; (149) M. circulatus; (150) M. pyraster; (151) M. simus; (152) M. collaris; (153) M. janthinus; (154) M. lixoides; (155) M. sicardi; (156) M. heydenii. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.

FIGURES 157–171. Spermatheca of (157) Mecinus pascuorum; (158) M. caucasicus; (159) M. haemorrhoidalis; (160) M. labilis; (161) M. marina; (162) M. elongatus; (163) M. reichei; (164) M. circulatus; (165) M. pyraster; (166) M. simus; (167) M. comosus; (168) M. lixoides; (169) M. janthinus; (170) M. heydenii; (171) M. collaris. Scale bar = 0.2 mm.