24. Mecinus tanaiticus Arzanov

Figs 22, 69–70, 99, 126

Mecinus tanaiticus Arzanov, 2000: 1084 .

Type locality. Gornyi (Rostov province, Russia).

Type series. This species was described from 13 specimens collected at Gornyi (southern Russia), of which we examined one male and one female (ZISP).

Redescription. Male. Length 2.5 mm. Body: long, cylindrical, moderately slender (Fig. 22). Rostrum: black with reddish apex, moderately long (Rl/Pl 0.90), subcylindrical; in lateral view moderately curved, weakly narrowed in apical third (Fig. 69); in dorsal view with subparallel sides, with moderately visible scrobes, in basal two thirds moderately striate-punctured, with sulcus wider and slightly deeper along midline, in basal half with recumbent, somewhat dense, whitish, long (l/w 7–10), seta-like scales. Head: frons as wide as rostrum at base, without fovea; eyes flat. Antennae: reddish, inserted just in front of middle of rostrum; scape moderately short, 3.5x longer than wide; funicle distinctly longer than scape, with segment 1 twice as long as wide, stouter and 1.5x longer than segment 2, which is 1.5x 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, clearly visible especially on disc between recumbent, sparse, whitish and greyish brown, moderately long (l/w 6–9), seta-like scales, which are slightly more adpressed at sides; moderately transverse (Pw/Pl 1.27), with weakly rounded sides, with weakly prominent apical constriction, widest at basal third, somewhat convex. Elytra: reddish except triangular periscutellar area, interstriae 1–2 and 9–10, which are black; long (El/Ew 1.60), cylindrical, at base weakly concave, slightly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.24), with parallel sides, somewhat convex on disc; interstriae clearly visible between recumbent, sparse, greyish brown, long (1.0–1.5x as long as width of interstria; l/w 8–10), seta-like scales, which are arranged in 2–3 irregular rows; striae hardly visible, one third narrower than interstriae, with a row of scales similar to shorter ones covering interstriae. Legs: stout, with moderately dense, greyish, seta-like scales, which are 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 weakly directed outward (Fig. 99); unci dark brown, stout, all equal in length; tarsi reddish, tarsomere 1 1.5x longer than wide, tarsomere 2 about as long as wide, 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 black, 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 clearly visible between recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, whitish, long, hair-like scales; ventrites length ratio 1–2/3–4 1.85. Penis: fig. 126.

Female. As in male except rostrum distinctly longer (Rl/Pl 1.02), subcylindrical, distinctly more curved and weakly concave at base along upper margin (Fig. 70), weakly punctured in basal third then smooth and very shining, antennae inserted at middle of rostrum. Sternite 8: as in M. humeralis (Fig. 148). Spermatheca: as in M. caucasicus (Fig. 158).

Variability. Length 2.4–2.7. In one of the two paratypes which we examined the elytral sides are weakly rounded in basal half.

Remarks and comparative notes. This species is similar to M. circulatus and M. suturalis, from which it may be easily separated by the following characters: dorsal vestiture almost unicoloured, rostrum, especially in the female, differently shaped, segments 1 and 2 of the antennal funicle longer, eyes flattened, apical part of ventral surface of the protibiae only weakly directed outward, penis differently shaped.

Biological notes. This species was collected by Arzanov on Plantago stepposa Kuprian.

Distribution. Southern Russia (Rostov).

Non-type specimens examined. None.