Cionus cretaceus Caldara & Košťál 2023, sp. n.
Creators: name: Caldara, Roberto
name: Košťál, Michael
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Cionus
Cionus cretaceus

description: 13. Cionus cretaceus sp. n. (Figs 13a–b)
Type locality. Algeria (Western Cape, South Africa).
Type series. Holotype, female “ Algeria 21.IX. 400–800 m, 1984 / Südafrika, W Cape, W. Wittmer ” (NHMB). Paratypes: “Kleen Deuwils Kloof 800–1000 m Cederberg 8.XI / Cape Prov. S. A. W. Wittmer 1983” (1 female, NHMB; 1 female, RCCM).
Diagnosis. Dorsal vestiture with dense, recumbent, uniformly light brown scales, Pronotum with two distinct protuberances, conical with rectilinear sides. Elytra with all interstriae completely flat, with striae concealed by scales. Claws asymmetrical in female.
Description. Female (Figs 13a–b). Body: robust, moderately elongated. Head: rostrum moderately stout, moderately long (Rl/Rw 4.02–4.06, Rl/Pl 1.24–1.29), black, in lateral view weakly, angularly curved at antennal insertion, slightly tapered from antennal insertion to apex, in dorsal view subparallel-sided from base to apex; covered to near apex with recumbent, light brown, elliptical (l/w 4–7) scales. Head between eyes moderately narrow, 0.4× as wide as rostrum at base. Eyes flat. Antennae reddish brown, inserted between middle and apical third of rostrum; scape long (l/ w 10); funicle slightly shorter than scape, S1 moderately robust, slightly longer than S2, 2.7× as long as wide, S2 3.0 × as long as wide, S3–5 as long as wide; club oblongly oval, slightly shorter than funicle, uniformly pubescent, Pronotum: brown, completely hidden by dense, recumbent, moderately long (l/w 4–6), rectangular, light brown scales; subconical, transverse (Pw/Pl 1.42–1.46), widest at base, with sides subparallel in basal half, then weakly convergent to apex, with dense, moderately deep, regular, small punctures, weakly convex, with two distinct lateral protuberances. Prosternum: anterior margin distinctly emarginated. Scutellar shield: heart-shaped, feebly visible due to dense pale brown scales. Elytra: brown, moderately long (El/Ew 1.24–1.29), subrectangular, somewhat wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.65–1.67), humeri prominent, rounded, sides subparallel, in lateral view more convex in basal third; interstriae flat, with sparse, irregular, shallow, small punctures, completely hidden by very dense, appressed, recumbent, rectangular uniformly colored light brown scales; striae with shallow, small punctures, 1/3 as wide as interstriae, completely hidden by vestiture. Venter: mesosternal process moderately convex, slightly emarginated. Metasternum with very dense, rectangular light brown scales. Abdomen with sparse, irregular, small shallow punctures, completely hidden by dense, moderately elongated, light brown scales; V1 1.4× as long as V2; V1+2 5.3× as long as V3+4, latter ones as long as V5. Legs: densely covered with elongated, whitish scales, femora blackish, with robust sharp teeth; tibiae blackish; tarsi dark brown, onychium as long as T1–3 combined; claws asymmetrical, one claw 2/3 as long as other.
Male. Unknown.
Variability. Length 3.9–4.4 mm. The three specimens of the type species do not show particular differences.
Etymology. The Latin adjective refers to the chalk-like color of scales covering the dorsum.
Remarks. Similar to C. intermedius from which it differs by elytra slightly shorter and more convex in basal half, scales of the dorsal vestiture longer, very dense, uniform in color, without paler scales at sides and dark spots on elytra.
Biological notes. No data are available.
Distribution. South Africa (Western Cape).
description: Published as part of Caldara, Roberto & Košťál, Michael, 2023, A Taxonomic Revision Of The Afrotropical Species Of The Weevil Genus Cionus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), pp. 1-98 in Zootaxa 5288 (1) on pages 29-31, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5288.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7958875