Sibinia sicana Ragusa 1908
Creators: name: Skuhrovec, Jiří
name: Gosik, Rafał
name: Caldara, Roberto
name: Košťál, Michael
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Sibinia
Sibinia sicana

description: <i>Sibinia sicana</i> Ragusa, 1908 Caldara, 1985: 85. <b>Material examined</b>. 40 larvae from seeds of <i>Gypsophila arrostii</i> Guss. collected 2.vii. 1989 at Aidone (Enna province, Sicily), leg. R. Caldara, and 6 (4 &amp;male;&amp;male;, 2 &amp;female;&amp;female;) pupae obtained from larvae collected similarly to the others, all determined by association with reared adults. <b>Differential diagnosis.</b> See Key to the immatures of the Palaearctic species of the genus <i>Sibinia</i> and Table. 3. <b>Description of mature larva.</b> COLORATION. Head brown to dark yellow. All thoracic and abdominal segments light yellow. HEAD CAPSULE AND MOUTH PARTS. Head width: 0.48–0.53 mm (see Table. 1). Endocarinal line present, distinctly reaching middle of frons. <i>Des</i> <i>1</i> very short, located close to frontal suture; <i>des</i> <i>2</i> absent; <i>des</i> <i>3</i> very long, located along frontal suture; <i>des</i> <i>4</i> absent; <i>des</i> <i>5</i> moderately long, located anterolaterally, <i>des</i> <i>3</i> 2.5 times as long as <i>des</i> <i>5</i> (Fig. 61). <i>Fs</i> <i>1</i> and <i>fs</i> <i>2</i> absent; <i>fs</i> <i>3</i> minute, located medially; <i>fs</i> <i>4</i> moderately long, located anteromedially (along epistoma); <i>fs</i> <i>5</i> very long, located anterolaterally (along epistoma), <i>fs</i> <i>5</i> 2.5 times as long as <i>fs</i> <i>4</i> (Fig. 61). <i>Les</i> almost as long as <i>des</i> <i>3</i>; both <i>ves</i> short. Postepicranial area without <i>pes</i> and with 5 sensilla. Antennal segment membranous, bearing conical sensorium and 2 very short, conical, sensilla (Fig. 64). Clypeus (Fig. 65) 3 times as wide as long; with 1 very short <i>cls</i>, and 1 sensillum, all located posterolaterally; anterior margin slightly rounded inside. Labrum (Fig. 65) approximately 2.1 times as wide as long; <i>lms</i> <i>1</i> distinctly shorter than <i>lms</i> <i>2</i>, and as long as <i>lms</i> <i>3</i>; anterior margin slightly sinuate. Epipharynx (Fig. 66) with 2 long, finger-like <i>als</i>, different in length; with 3 short <i>ams</i>, in equal length; with 2 relatively short <i>mes</i> (see comments about <i>ams</i> and <i>mes</i> in Material and Methods); labral rods short, kidney-shaped, strongly converging posteriorly. Mandibles (Fig. 63) with 1 very short <i>mds</i>. Maxilla (Fig. 62): stipes with 1 very long <i>stps</i>, and with 2 very long <i>pfs</i>, of similar length; 1 very short <i>mbs</i>; mala with 4 slightly curved <i>dms</i>, different in length; with 3 moderately short <i>vms</i>, almost of equal length. Maxillary palpi: length ratio of basal and distal palpomeres 1: 1.7; basal palpomera with 1 short <i>mxps</i>; distal palpomera with group of 3–4 conical, cuticular apical processes. Prementum (Fig. 62) almost rounded, with 1 long <i>prms</i>; margin of ligula slightly curved inside; ligula with 1 <i>ligs</i>; premental sclerite clearly visible. Postmentum (Fig. 62) with 2 <i>pms</i>, <i>pms</i> <i>1</i> absent, moderately long <i>pms</i> <i>2</i>, 2 times as long as <i>pms</i> <i>3</i>. THORAX AND ABDOMEN. Body length 2.60 –3.00 mm (see Table. 1), elongate (Fig. 67). Abdominal segments I– V almost equal in length, slightly larger than abdominal segment VI and VII (Fig. 67). Spiracles on abdomen in median parts of segments (abdominal seg. I–VIII). Chaetotaxy of body rather reduced. Setae long to very short and light yellow. <b>Thorax.</b> Prothorax (Fig. 68) with 9 <i>prn</i>, 6 macro- and 3 microsetae; 2 long <i>ps</i> of same length; 1 short <i>eus</i>. Meso- and metathorax (Fig. 68) with 1 moderately long <i>prs</i>; 2 long <i>pds</i>, similar in length; alar area with 1 long <i>as</i>; 1 long <i>ss</i>; 1 long <i>eps</i>; 2 moderately long <i>ps</i>, similar in length; and 1 short <i>eus</i>. Each pedal area of thoracic segments well-separated and with 2–3 moderately long to long <i>pda</i>. <b>Abdomen.</b> Abdominal segments I–VII (Figs. 69, 70) with 1 long <i>prs</i>; 3 long <i>pds</i> of similar length, <i>pds</i> <i>1</i> and <i>pds</i> <i>3</i> slightly shorter than <i>pds</i> <i>2</i>; 2 <i>ss</i> of different length, <i>ss</i> <i>1</i> very short to minute, <i>ss</i> <i>2</i> moderately long; 2 long <i>eps</i> in equal length; 1 moderately long <i>ps</i>; 1 moderately long <i>lsts</i>; and 2 short <i>eus</i>. Abdominal segment VIII (Fig. 70) with 1 short <i>prs</i>; 3 relatively short <i>pds</i> of similar length, <i>pds</i> <i>1</i> and <i>pds</i> <i>3</i> slightly shorter than <i>pds</i> <i>2</i>; 1 minute <i>ss</i>; 2 moderately long <i>eps</i> in equal length; 1 moderately long <i>ps</i>; 1 moderately long <i>lsts</i>; and 2 short <i>eus</i>. Abdominal segment IX (Fig. 70) with 1 moderately long <i>ds</i>; 2 moderately long <i>ps</i> of similar length; and 2 moderately long <i>sts</i> in equal length. Anal lobes on abdominal segment X (Fig. 70) without setae. <b>Description of pupa.</b> COLORATION. Body white. MORPHOLOGY (Figs. 71–75). Body length 1.67–2.34 mm; widest part 1.16–1.40 mm (see Table. 2). Body moderately elongated. Rostrum medium long, approximately 3.1 times as long as wide, reaching almost to mesocoxae. Pronotum 1.37 times as wide as long. CHAETOTAXY (Figs. 71–75). Setae distinct, long, all equal in length (except on abdominal seg. IX), light, hairlike. Setae on abdominal segments I–VIII placed posteromedially and posterolaterally; all abdominal setae located on small, conical protuberances. Pseudocerci elongated, slightly curved to inside. <b>Biological observations.</b> The host plant, <i>Gypsophila arrostii</i> Guss., was previously unknown. It is an endemic species of southern Italy and Sicily. The larvae fed on seeds and, as with other species, left the capsule when mature. Pupation was observed 8 days after the larvae entered the soil. Adults were found in the cells 10 days later. <b>Remarks.</b> With its host plant, this species is only found in southern Italy (Basilicata and Calabria) and Sicily and was considered very rare. However, adults were collected in large numbers on its flowering host plant in a season when typically in Sicily almost the whole herbs are dry and the collection of weevils by netting was unlikely to be conducted. Additionally, <i>S</i>. <i>unicolor</i> Fåhraeus, 1843, which is a closely related species to <i>S</i>. <i>sicana</i> and is widely distributed in the central and Eastern Palaearctic, lives on <i>Gypsophila</i> (<i>G</i>. <i>paniculata</i> L., <i>G</i>. <i>papillosa</i> Porta, and <i>G</i>. <i>repens</i> L.: Caldara 1985; Dieckmann 1988).
description: Published as part of <i>Skuhrovec, Jiří, Gosik, Rafał, Caldara, Roberto &amp; Košťál, Michael, 2015, Immatures of Palaearctic species of the weevil genus Sibinia (Coleoptera, Curculionidae): new descriptions and new bionomic data with suggestions on their potential value in a phylogenetic reconstruction of the genus, pp. 151-187 in Zootaxa 2</i> on pages 172-176, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3955.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/239116
description: {"references": ["Caldara, R. (1985) Revisione delle Sibinia paleartiche (Coleoptera Curculionidae). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 62 / 63 (1983 - 1984), 24 - 105.", "Dieckmann, L. (1988) Beitrage zur Insektenfauna der DDR: Curculionidae (Curculioninae: Ellescini, Acalyptini, Tychiini, Anthonomini, Curculionini). Beitrage zur Entomologie, 38, 365 - 468."]}