Anthonomus (Persexarthrus) brevispinus Pic
Creators: name: Košťál, Michael
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Anthonomus
Anthonomus brevispinus

description: Anthonomus (Persexarthrus) brevispinus Pic
Figs 2, 6, 10, 16, 17
Anthonomus brevispinus Pic, 1902: 139. Dieckmann, 1968: 492.
Neobradybatus funebris Hoffmann, 1963: 96. Dieckmann, 1968: 492.
Type locality. “Caucase: Araxesthal”.
Type series. Dieckmann (1968) designated two males from the Pic collection (MNHN) as lectotype and paralectotype. These specimens were not located either in the Pic collection or in the general collection of MNHN.
Synonyms. Neobradybatus funebris was described based on six specimens from Iran. There are two males and one female of a Persexarthrus species in the Hoffmann collection (MNHN) labeled in a full accordance with the original description. I dissected genitalia of one male and the female. One male bears a red-printed label “ TYPE ”, two other specimens “ PARATYPE ”. Hoffmann gives a clear reference to a single type specimen: “ type mâle, ma collection”. In accordance with Article 73.1.1. of the Code (ICZN 1999), this specimen should be regarded as a holotype. The holotype is 3.50 mm long, completely preserved, heavily abraded and labeled “W. Laizengou 14.III.61 IRAN G. REMAUDIERE / s Amygdalus scoparius / Neobradybatus funebris m. A. Hoffmann det. / TYPE [red printed] / MUSEUM PARIS 1968 Col. A. HOFFMANN / Michael Košťál reprep. 2013”. The other two specimens with identical locality labels and red printed label “ PARATYPE ” should be regarded as paratypes. In the Smreczyński collection (ISZP), there is one female with identical labeling as above and a red printed label “ PARATYPE ”, which should also be regarded as a paratype. Dieckmann (1968) saw five of six type specimens, however referring to them as females, and found them all to be conspecific with his lectotype of A. brevispinus Pic. Hence, I have no doubt about the specific identity of A. brevispinus.
Redescription. Male (Fig. 16). Length 3.2–3.9 mm. Body: moderately slender, very slightly broadened posteriorly. Rostrum: blackish, length (Rl/Pl = 1.32–1.41); in lateral view evenly curved, uniform in width from base to apex; in dorsal view with sides parallel to antennal insertion, in distal part very slightly broadened to apex; densely striate-punctured from base to apex; in basal half bearing white seta-like recumbent scales. Head: frons same width as rostrum, very densely and finely sculptured, with white seta-like scales directed laterally; eyes prominent. Antennae: Reddish with dark brown club, inserted at about 2/3 length of rostrum; funicular segments 1 and 2 2.5x longer than wide; club spindle-shaped, about twice as long as wide. Pronotum: reddish brown, lighter than elytra color; with large rounded regular punctures, intervals between punctures considerably narrower than diameter of punctures; on sides and in middle line densely covered with whitish and yellowish recumbent seta-like scales forming lateral broad and medial white longitudinal lines; transverse (Pw/Pl ≈ 1.35), broadest shortly after middle, with unequally rounded sides, slightly and broadly constricted in anterior one-third; disc convex. Elytra: Dark brown, with slightly lighter area on interstriae 2–4 in third quarter of elytral length; moderately long (El/Ew ≈ 1.5), moderately rounded at sides widest behind middle, flat on disc. Striae and interstriae visible only in areas where scales are sparse; whitish recumbent seta-like scales densely covering scutellum. Elytral base, two clear transverse bands at end of first and second third of elytral length, dispersed patches between both transverse bands and patch on interstriae 4–5 shortly before apex as well as elytral apex itself densely whitish squamose, in middle of posterior transverse band scales yellowish. Elytra except densely white squamose parts with scattered small whitish patches of scales and brown sparse scales between white bands and patches. Legs: Dark brown to black, except tarsi with darkened tarsomere 3, distal half of tibiae, femorotibial junction and basal parts of femora reddish to yellow; covered with whitish recumbent or subrecumbent seta-like scales. Profemora with small sharp tooth (Fig. 2). Meso- and metafemora with small sharp tooth. Tarsomere 3 weakly bilobed and only slightly wider than tarsomere 2, onychium shorter than tarsomeres 1–2 combined; claws simple. Venter: Uniformly covered with white seta-like scales, medial part of metasternum, ventrite 1 and 2 with fine, very dense transverse furrowing with no or only few small round scattered punctures. Penis: Fig. 6 a–c. Plates of sternite IX: Fig. 6 d.
Female (Fig. 17). Length 3.7–4.4 mm. As in male except integument lighter, reddish brown. Rostrum considerably less densely squamose, distal part more broadened to apex, finely punctured, with antennal insertion after middle of rostrum length. Recumbent scales on pronotum sides yellowish, scaling of elytra markedly reduced, mostly to transverse bands and apical patches. Elytra between bands only with blackish, subrecumbent sharp setalike scales. Spermatheca: Fig. 10.
Variability. Integument varies considerably from yellowish red to dark brown. Elytral bands of white scales vary considerably in size and shape. Legs are very variable in color. In some specimens tibiae may be entirely reddish. Some specimens, especially from the south of the area of distribution, have reddish pronotum and dark brown elytra.
Diagnosis. This species is characterized by the small sharp tooth on the profemur without an emargination between the tooth and femoral apex, larger size (3.2–4.4 mm) and the narrow tarsomere 3 being only slightly wider than tarsomere 2.
Comparative notes. The most closely related species is A. variabilis, from which A. brevispinus differs by its larger size (3.2–4.4 mm), on average broader apex of penis, more sclerotized lobes of plates of sternite IX and spermatheca with more developed ramus and nodulus as well as stouter corpus in relation to cornu. The anterior elytral band in males is formed by densely arranged whitish seta-like scales which are narrower and only rarely confluent with the posterior band.
Biological notes. Hoffmann (1963) reports this species (A. funebris) in Iran from Prunus (Amygdalus) scoparia (Spach) C. K. Schneider. I collected many specimens in Armenia (Saravan) on P. fenzliana Fritsch, four specimens in Iran (Khaneh Zenyan) on P. eleagnifolia Spach and seven specimens in Syria (Al Sihl) together with A. baudueri on shrubby Prunus (Amygdalus) sp. In Syria the almond trees were slightly into the second half of blossoming; in Armenia and Iran they had small fruits.
Distribution. Syria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran.
Non-type specimens examined. SYRIA: Yabrud 20 km SW, 1700 m, 3.V.2000, Kresl leg. (1 ♂, 1 ♀ BC); Al Sihl pr. An Nabk, 1550 m, 34°01.8’N 36°37.7’E, 14.IV.2009, Košťál leg. (5 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀ KO). ARMENIA: Saravan env., 1600 m, 39°43.0’N 45°37.6’E, 27.V.2011, Košťál leg. (18 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀ KO). IRAN: Kohgiluyeh va Boyer- Ahmad, Belghays spring, 26.IV.2011, Salahi leg. (1 ♀ THU); Khaneh Zenyan pr. Shiraz, 2000 m, 29°36.7’N 52°16.3’E, 26.IV.2006, Košťál leg. (3 ♂♂, 1 ♀ KO).
description: Published as part of Košťál, Michael, 2014, Revision of the subgenus Persexarthrus Voss of the genus Anthonomus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Anthonomini), pp. 561-574 in Zootaxa 3785 (4) on pages 569-570, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3785.4.5, http://zenodo.org/record/228999