Cionus leonhardi Wingelmuller M. Kostal et R. Caldara 1914
Creators: name: Košťál, Michael
name: Caldara, Roberto
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Cionus
Cionus leonhardi

description: 28. Cionus leonhardi Wingelmüller, 1914
Figs 28 a–f.
Cionus leonhardi Wingelmüller, 1914: 212; 1921: 119; 1937: 193. Smreczyński, 1976: 59. Caldara, 2013: 123. Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 185.
Cionus inexspectatus Tempère, 1961: 98. Caldara, 2013: 123. Alonso-Zarazaga et al., 2017: 185. syn. n.
Type locality. Oberweiden (Austria).
Type series. In coll. Wingelmüller (NHMW), there are a male of Cionus labeled “Marchfeld Wingelm. / ♂ / Leonhardi m. det. Wingelmüll. ” and a female with the same data except for “ ♀ ”. In the original description, one of localities is reported as “Oberweiden” in Lower Austria. This place is situated in Marchfeld area, therefore both specimens are syntypes. The male was remounted, dissected for the genitalia and designated as the lectotype of Cionus leonhardi Wingelmüller by adding the printed red label “ LECTOTYPUS Cionus leonhardi Wingelmüller M. Košťál et R. Caldara des. 2011”. The lectotype is perfectly preserved, 3.64 mm long, the penis is slightly damaged on its side, but the typical apex is preserved. The other specimen was labeled as paralectotype. In the collections of SDEI, there are 17 specimens labeled as “ Syntypus ” of C. leonhardi Wingelmüller. Fourteen (4 ♂♂, 10 ♀♀) specimens come from “Kronstadt” (modern Brasov, Romania), a couple from “Bulg. Rhodope Geb.” and one male from “Bulg. Rila Kloster”, both last localities in Bulgaria. All these 17 specimens were labeled as paralectotypes of Cionus leonhardi Wingelmüller by the printed red label “ PARALECTOTYPUS Cionus leonhardi Wingelmüller Michael Košťál des. 2012”, and all belong to the taxon as currently understood. Lastly, in the collections of MTD, there is a male labeled “Siebenbürgen Kronstadt / Leonhardi Wingelm. det. / PARATYPE / Samml. K. A. Penecke Geschenk 1940.20 / Staatliche Museum für Tierkunde Dresden”. This male was also labeled as paralectotype by adding the printed red label “ PARALECTOTYPUS Cionus leonhardi Wingelmüller Michael Košťál des. 2014”.
Synonyms. Cionus inexspectatus was described based on several specimens from French eastern Pyrenees (Corsavy, Targassone) referring to its similarity to C. nigritarsis but differing by its peculiar penis shape (“Pénis très remarquable...”). In the collection Tempère (MNHN), there is a single 3.87 mm long, well-preserved male specimen with dissected genitalia labeled “PYRÉNÉES ORIENTALES Targasonne 27-7-57 G. TEMPERE / C. inexspectatus Temp. HOLOTYPE [red label] / MUSEM PARIS 1984 Coll. G. TEMPERE”. This specimen has darker integument and more striking dark spots on elytra, but in all important characters corresponds entirely in habitus and penis to the lectotype of C. leonhardi. We added an identification label “ Cionus leonhardi Wingelm. M. Košťál det. 2014” accordingly.
Redescription. Male. Body medium stout, suboval. Head: rostrum medium stout, medium long (l/ w 3.5, Rl/Pl 1.17), brown; in lateral view slightly unevenly curved, with convexity on upper outline shortly before antennal insertion, of approximately same width from base to convexity, at antennal insertion rather abruptly narrowed and then almost of same with to shortly before apex; in dorsal view same width from base to antennal insertion, then slightly narrowed to apex, basal part in cross-section round, apical part dorsoventrally flattened; confluently longitudinally punctured, at apex punctures densely arranged; basal part with up- and backwardly oriented, recumbent yellowish scales, apical part with forwardly oriented, subrecumbent whitish longer scales. Head between eyes narrow, of 0.4 rostrum width at base. Eyes large, rounded, not protruding from head outline. Antennae reddish-brown, inserted beyond 0.7 of rostrum length; funicle of 2/3 scape length, segment 1 moderately wider than segment 2, segment 1 less than twice, segment 2 twice as long as wide, segment 3 slightly longer than wide, segments 4–5 as long as wide; club spindle-shaped, slightly more than twice as long as wide, completely covered with recumbent, thin yellowish-gray to reddish hairs and sparse long erect pale sensilla. Pronotum: black, markedly wider than long (Pl/Pw 0.60), very densely, finely evenly punctured, punctures subrotund, slightly unequal in size, spaces between punctures smaller than puncture diameter; covered with evenly distributed, variously oriented, recumbent, elongate (l/w 4–8) yellow scales; widest at base, in basal half moderately conically, in anterior half more distinctly conically narrowed to anterior margin, without constriction, in lateral view flat in basal half, then moderately falling to anterior margin. Prosternum: anterior margin with sharply incised semicircular to subquadrate emargination, bounded by two indistinct tubercles, separated from coxae by narrow prosternal area. Scutellum: subtriangular with blunt apex, covered with scales similar to those on elytra, punctured. Elytra: dark brown to reddish-brown, in basal 2/3 slightly rounded to subparallel, in apical part broadly rounded, moderately elongate (El/Ew 1.20), widest at about 1/4 of their length, at base markedly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.73), humeri subrotund, slightly prominent, without visible posthumeral impression; slightly convex on disc; interstria 1 at 1/3 of medial length and in preapical area moderately broadened, interstria 2 at same lengths moderately narrowed and constricted laterally encompassing subrotund to irregular black tomentous maculae without differently colored scale border; interstriae except perimacular areas of approximately same width; odd interstriae, especially in posterior half, with unevenly distributed, large black scale patches, and only indistinct alternating patches of clustered yellow scales; striae very shallow, formed by even single rows of very densely arranged, large punctures; entire surface covered with recumbent and subrecumbent, elongate (l/w 4–6) yellow scales, often truncated distally, almost completely concealing integument. Venter: densely, evenly covered with recumbent, light yellow, elongate, variously oriented thick scales; mesosternal process flat, broad, blunt at posterior margin, densely scaled, punctured; metasternum moderately concave, punctured, at posterior margin transversally ribbed, ventrite 1 with deep, ventrite 2 with shallow impression, punctured; ventrite 1 2.1 × as long as ventrite 2, ventrites 1–2 combined 5.3 × as long as ventrites 3–4 combined, ventrites 3–4 combined of 0.6 length of ventrite 5. Legs: reddish-brown to brown, profemora with very small teeth emphasized by erect scales, meso- and metafemora with large sharp subtriangular teeth; femora covered with recumbent yellow scales feebly clustered into indistinct transverse bands, tibiae covered with subrecumbent yellowish and whitish elongate scales, tarsomeres 1–3 with suberect whitish seta-like scales, onychia with recumbent, thin whitish hairs; protarsal onychia long, 1.2 × as long as tarsomeres 1–3 combined, tarsomere 3 as long as wide, with narrow lobes; protarsal lateral, meso- and metatarsal medial claws by approximately 1/3 shorter than their pairclaws, markedly thinner. Penis: Figs 28 d–f, its body long and thin, with slightly sinuate sides, at apex extended into long thin downwards hooked process.
Female. Rostrum markedly longer (Rl/Pl 1.50), black to dark brown, antennal insertion between 0.5 and 0.6 of rostrum length. Ventrites 1 and 2 without impression. Claws of approximately equal length.
Variability. Length ♂♂ 3.42–3.89 mm, ♀♀ 3.59–4.08 mm. This species does not show remarkable variability. The shape and size of both elytral maculae, the elytral pattern on odd interstriae and the brightness of yellow scales on the entire body vary to some extent. In some specimens, the antennal club is markedly darkened.
Diagnosis. Cionus leonhardi is recognizable by almost concealed elytral integument, antennal insertion in males closer to apex, at distinctly more than 0.6 of rostrum length, thin tarsi, narrow lobes of tarsomere 3, long protarsal onychium in males, and penis shape.
Comparative notes. Cionus leonhardi is most closely related to C. hypsibatus and C. donckieri. It differs from the former by the more or less distinct elytral pattern, and the narrow lobes of tarsomere 3, from the latter by the lack of elytral erect seta-like scales.
Biological notes. The first author collected this species in Hungary in primeval sandy steppe on Verbascum lychnitis. Smreczyński (1976) reported this plant and V. chaixii austriacum as host plants.
Distribution. This species is widespread in southern part of Europe except for Portugal, reaching from Spain and France across Germany to east Ukraine and Asian part of Turkey. It does not occur in Poland and northwards. Dedyukhin (2014) reported also central European Russia and Wingelmüller (1914) also Syria without detailed locality, hence, it is not clear if this record concerns the current territory of Syria or modern Turkey (Akbes).
Non-type specimens examined. We examined more than 170 specimens from all above mentioned countries and regions except Russia.
description: Published as part of Košťál, Michael & Caldara, Roberto, 2019, Revision of Palaearctic species of the genus Cionus Clairville (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cionini), pp. 1-144 in Zootaxa 4631 (1) on pages 51-53, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4631.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3294117