Mecinus bonnairei (Desbrochers des Loges)

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 : 32-33

14. Mecinus bonnairei (Desbrochers des Loges)

Gymnetron bonnairei Desbrochers des Loges, 1898: 39 . Reitter, 1907: 19.

Mecinus bonnairei (Desbrochers des Loges) . Caldara, 2001: 183.

Type locality. Laverdure ( Algeria).

Type series. We examined six syntypes of this taxon: five in Hoffmann's collection ( MNHN) labelled respectively: “Laverdure / Bonnairei Desbr. / Type / G. Bonnairei Desb. Frel. Vol VI p. 39 1898 Type! / Type” (male, lectotype here designated); “Laverdure, Algérie, Bonnaire / Laverdure / Gymnetron Bonnairei Desbr. / Type” (2 males on the same pin, paralectotypes); “ G. Bonnairei , Laverdure, Algérie, paratypes ” (1 male and 1 female on the same pin, paralectotypes) and one in Solari's collection ( MSNM) labelled “Laverdure, Algeria, coll. Desbrochers des Loges” (female, paralectotype).

Redescription. Male. Length 1.9 mm. Body: somewhat short, oval, stout. Rostrum: black with reddish apex, moderately short (Rl/Pl 0.79), subcylindrical; in lateral view weakly curved in basal half then straight; in dorsal view with sides weakly narrowed in basal third then parallel, with hardly visible scrobes, moderately striatepunctured to near apex, shining, in basal half with recumbent to erect, sparse, whitish, long (l/w 5–10), seta-like scales. Head: frons slightly wider than rostrum at base, without fovea; eyes moderately convex. Antennae: reddish with blackish brown club, inserted just before middle of rostrum; scape very short, twice as long as wide; funicle distinctly longer than scape, segment 1 twice as long as wide, stouter and 2.5x longer than segment 2, which is about as long as wide, segments 3–5 gradually more transverse; club short, oval, with segment 1 almost glabrous. Pronotum: black, with dense and regular punctures, intervals between punctures narrow, smooth and shining, clearly visible between recumbent to erect, sparse, whitish and light brown, long (l/w 6–10), seta-like scales; distinctly transverse (Pw/Pl 1.55), with moderately rounded sides, with moderately prominent apical constriction, widest in basal third, moderately convex. Elytra: reddish except base, interstria 1, sides and two oblique bands (basal half and apical half) from interstria 1 to 7, which are black; moderately long (El/Ew 1.20), suboval, at base weakly concave, moderately wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.30), widest in basal half, distinctly convex on disc; interstriae moderately visible between recumbent to suberect (latter arranged in 1–2 irregular rows), somewhat dense, white and light brown, long (0.7–1.5x as long as width of interstria; l/w 8–15), seta-like scales, with white ones more numerous and more adpressed, in part imbricate, especially on reddish part of elytra; striae hardly visible, as wide as half of interstria, with a row of scales similar to shorter ones covering interstriae. Legs: moderately stout, with subrecumbent to erect, sparse, whitish, seta-like scales, which are slightly shorter than width of tibia; femora black, stout, with very small tooth; tibiae reddish, moderately slender, protibiae with apical part of ventral surface weakly directed outward; unci black, stout, all equal in length; tarsi reddish, tarsomere 1 1.3x longer than wide, tarsomere 2 moderately transverse, tarsomere 3 bilobed and distinctly wider than tarsomere 2, onychium as long as tarsomeres 1–3 taken together; claws blackish, equal in length, fused in basal half. Venter: metasternum black, clearly visible between recumbent to subrecumbent, sparse, whitish, long, hair-like scales; mesothoracic epimera and meso- and metathoracic episterna with moderately dense, whitish, seta-like scales and wider, bifid to fringed scales; abdomen black, with somewhat dense and regular punctures, with subrecumbent to suberect, sparse, whitish and light brown, long, hair-like scales, with brown ones arranged along midline and more numerous at apex; ventrites length ratio 1–2/3–4 2,03. Penis: as in M. labilis ( Fig. 117 ).

Female. As in male except rostrum longer (Rl/Pl 0.95), straighter, smooth and shining, sparsely punctured, in lateral view thinner and cylindrical from antennal insertion to apex, in dorsal view weakly widened in apical third, antennae inserted at basal third, femora with indistinct tooth. Sternite 8: as in M. pascuorum ( Fig. 144 ). Spermatheca: as in M. labilis ( Fig. 160 ).

Variability. Length 1.8–2.1 mm. Sometimes the black oblique bands of the elytral integument are reduced.

Remarks and comparative notes. This species is very closely related to M. labilis , of which it seems to be a North African vicariant. Possibly they may constitute two subspecies if not even a single variable species. M. bonnairei differs from M labilis only by the denser elytral vestiture, with white scales forming patches on the elytra. The body is slightly wider, with the elytra slightly shorter, and the rostrum is slightly longer and straighter basally.

Biological notes. No data are available.

Distribution. Algeria, Tunisia.

Non-type specimens examined. ALGERIA: Boumerdés, Dellys , Bou Berak (1, MNHN) ; El Tarf, La Calle [= El Kala] (1, MNHN) . TUNISIA: Jendouba, Ain Draham , 23.IV.1997, Mertlik leg. (3, RBCS) ; Jendouba, Ghardimaou, Fôret de Feidja, Djebel Statir , 880 m, 1.V.1998, Borovec leg. (1, RBCS) ; Jendouba, 5 km S of Ain Draham , 7.V.2006, Kresl leg. (12, PKCJ) .

Figures

FIGURES 108–120. Penis in dorsal and lateral view of (108) Mecinus pascuorum; (109) M. crassifemur; (110) M. ictericus; (111) M. latiusculus; (112) M. caucasicus; (113) M. variabilis; (114) M. tychioides; (115) M. haemorrhoidalis; (116) M. longulus; (117) M. labilis; (118) M. plantaginis; (119) M. alboscutellatus alboscutellatus; (120) M. paratychioides. Scale bar = 0.2 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.