Cionus oculatus 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 oculatus

description: 20. Cionus oculatus sp. n. (Figs 20a–f)
Type locality. Bon Accord (Gauteng, South Africa).
Type series. Holotype, male “Bon Accord Tvl.Pretoria, 10/3/1963, A.L.Capener, Ac.Col. 69” (SANC). Paratypes: same data as holotype (4, MKCS; 4, RCCM; 15, SANC); “Bulawayo Dept.Agric. S. Rhodesia [currently Zimbabwe] Sept. 1947 / On Gomphost.[igma] scoparioides Turcz. / E.C.G. Finhey Collector ” (2, SANC); “ Bulawayo, July. 1900, GaKM / GAK Marshall BMNH{E} 1950-255” (1, BMNH); “ Bulawayo, Dec. 1903, GaKM / GAK Marshall BMNH{E} 1950-255” (1, BMNH); “ Bulawayo, Jan. 1901, J.P. Gregor / GAK Marshall BMNH{E} 1950-255” (4, BMNH); “ Bulawayo, 21.Dec.1911 Rhodesia Museum. / Nevinson Coll. 1918-14” (3, BMNH); “ ZIMBABWE (A9) Makurumidzi Riv, 7 km E Masvingo 3600’ 23.I.1986 Bellamy, Westcott & d’Hotman (1, SANC); “S RHODESIA Matopo Hills iv 1932 / miss A. Mackie / GAK Marshall BMNH{E} 1950-255” (1, BMNH).
Diagnosis. Pronotum subconical with two indistinct lateral protuberances and two small blackish spots just laterally from midline. Elytra short, with dense whitish vestiture, with several black spots on odd interstriae, without raised scales, with interstria 3 at apex slightly convex. All scales on ventrites elongated, of same width. Claws asymmetrical in both sexes.
Description. Male (Figs 20a–b). Body: robust, globose. Head: rostrum stout, moderately long (Rl/Rw 4.67– 4.73, Rl/Pl 1.15–1.19), black, in lateral view very weakly curved, weakly angular at antennal insertion along dorsal outline, moderately tapered from antennal insertion to apex, in dorsal view parallel-sided, slightly enlarged apicad; in basal half densely, in apical half sparsely covered with recumbent, elliptical, moderately elongated (l/w 4–7), whitish, scales. Head between eyes moderately narrow, half as wide as rostrum at base. Eyes flat. Antennae brown with dark brown club, inserted between middle and apical third; scape long (l/w 12); funicle slightly shorter than scape, S1 moderately robust, as robust and as long as S2, 2.8× as long as wide, S2 3.0 × as long as wide, S3–5 as long as wide; club moderately oblongly oval, distinctly shorter than funicle, uniformly pubescent. Pronotum: dark brown, with dense, partially regularly arranged, shallow, small punctures completely hidden by dense, recumbent, moderately long (l/w 4–6), subelliptical, whitish scales, with two striking spots of dark brown scales situated paramedially at about midlength; moderately conical, moderately transverse (Pw/Pl 1.28–1.34), widest at base, in basal 1/4 sides subparallel, then moderately curved to apex, weakly convex, with two lateral indistinct protuberances. Prosternum: anterior margin distinctly emarginated. Scutellar shield: feebly visible due to dense whitish scales also at its margins. Elytra: dark brown, short (El/Ew 1.08–1.12), globose, widest at middle, somewhat wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.55–1.60), humeri distinct, rounded, sides slightly rounded, moderately convex on disc; interstriae flat, without distinct punctures, very slightly rugulose, opaque, completely hidden by recumbent, moderately elongated (l/w 4–7), subelliptical, whitish scales, with numerous small to large subquadrate to rectangular blackish spots on odd interstriae; striae with dense, moderately deep punctures, half as wide as interstriae, intervals between punctures situated at same level as interstriae, completely hidden by vestiture. Venter: mesosternal process moderately convex, moderately emarginated. Metasternum with scales in middle moderately longer than those at sides but not hair-like. Abdomen with small, dense, somewhat regularly arranged shallow punctures completely hidden by recumbent, dense, elongated whitish scales, all of same width; V1 1.4 × as long as ventrite 2, V1+2 6.1 × as long as V3+4, which are 0.9× as long as V5. Legs: densely covered with elongated whitish scales; femora black, with robust sharp teeth; tibiae black, unci absent; tarsi black, onychium 2.0× as long as T3; claws distinctly asymmetrical, with one claw 1/3 as long as other. Penis: Figs 20d–f, its body slightly narrowed from base to apex, tip distinct, subacute. Flagellum very long, thin, narrowly and shortly bifurcated at base.
Female. Rostrum slightly longer (Rl/Rw 5.6; Rl/Pl 1.87) (Fig. 20c), one claw half as long as other, abdomen with all scales similar in shape.
Variability. Length 3.2–3.6 mm. Black spots on elytra vary in number but are always numerous.
Etymology. The Latin adjective means “with eyes” and refers to the two dark spots of scales present on the pronotum.
Remarks. Due to the two spots of dark scales on the pronotum, this species is similar to C. mimeticus, from which it differs by the pronotum with indistinct but present weak protuberance at sides before middle, the rostrum in lateral view especially in male shorter, less curved, the elytra with more numerous subquadrate and rectangular spots and no raised scales, the elytral interstria 3 slightly convex at apex.
Biological notes. No data are available.
Distribution. South Africa (Gauteng).
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 41-42, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5288.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7958875