Mecinus caucasicus
Creators: name: Caldara, Roberto
name: Fogato, Valter
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Curculionidae
Mecinus
Mecinus caucasicus

description: 5. Mecinus caucasicus (Reitter)
Figs 4, 46–47, 112, 145, 158
Gymnetron caucasicum Reitter, 1907: 22. Endrǒdi, 1970: 259. Smreczyṅski, 1976: 31.
Mecinus caucasicus (Reitter). Caldara, 2001: 183.
Gymnetron caucasicum var. rubricum Reitter, 1907: 22 (syn. n.).
Type locality. Araxesthal (Azerbaidjan).
Type series. This species was described from specimens from Caucasus (Araxesthal and Azerbaidjan without more precise indications) and from Hungary (Kalocsa). We examined four syntypes (HNHM) labelled respectively: “Kaukasus, Araxesthal, Leder. Reitter / Holotypus, 1907, Gymnetron s. str. caucasicum Reitter / sanguinipes Chevr. / caucasicus Hochh. in l. / Coll. Reitter ” (female, lectotype here designated) and one male and two females “Kaukasus, Araxesthal, Leder. Reitter / Paratypus, 1907, Gymnetron s. str. caucasicum Reitter / Coll. Reitter ” (paralectotypi). The designations written on the cards are unavailable since they were arbitrarly established through antiquated practice. The type specimen from the Hungarian museum is actually a specimen of M. pascuorum (Endrôdi 1970).
Synonyms. The variety rubricus of M. caucasicus was described from specimens from the Caucasus (without more precise indications), characterized by the distinctly transverse pronotum with the sides more rounded and elytra and legs completely reddish. We examined one male of this variety labelled “Mlokoss, 1889 / Kaukasus, Mlokkoss, 1889 / Holotypus, 1907, Gymnetron s. str. caucasicum Rtt. v. rubricum Reitter ” (lectotype here designated). This specimen, which is probably immature, has elytra and legs reddish and prothorax and abdomen dark brown, but does not show other differences from the typical form.
Redescription. Male. Length 1.8 mm. Body: moderately long, subcylindrical, moderately slender (Fig. 4). Rostrum: blackish in basal third then reddish, moderately short (Rl/Pl 0.75), subcylindrical; in lateral view weakly curved, uniform in width from base to apex (Fig. 46); in dorsal view with subparallel sides from base to apex, with hardly visible scrobes, moderately striate-punctured to near apex, in basal half with recumbent, moderately dense, whitish, moderately long to long (l/w 4–8), seta-like scales. Head: frons weakly narrower than rostrum at base, with shallow fovea; eyes flat. Antennae: reddish with dark brown club, inserted just before middle of rostrum; scape short. 3.0x longer than wide; funicle distinctly longer than scape, with segment 1 2.5x longer than wide, stouter and 1.5x longer than segment 2, which is twice as long as wide, segment 3 about as long as wide, segments 4 and 5 transverse; club short, oval, segment 1 almost glabrous. Pronotum: black, with dense and regular punctures, intervals between punctures narrow, smooth and moderately shining, clearly visible between recumbent to suberect, sparse, whitish, seta-like scales; weakly transverse (Pw/Pl 1.23), with weakly rounded sides, with weakly prominent apical constriction, widest at basal third, moderately convex. Elytra: reddish except interstria 1 in basal half, interstria 2 entirely, interstriae 3 and 4 in apical half (Y-inverted pattern) and interstriae 9 and 10, which are black; moderately long (El/Ew 1.40), slightly wider than pronotum (Ew/Pw 1.23), at base weakly concave, with sides weakly rounded from base, widest at middle, moderately convex on disc; interstriae clearly visible between moderately dense, whitish, long (1.5x longer than width of interstria; l/w 9–13), seta-like scales, which are in least part recumbent and for the most part suberect and arranged in a single row; striae moderately visible, one third narrower than interstriae, with a row of scales weakly thinner and slightly shorter than those covering interstriae. Legs: moderately stout, with recumbent to suberect, sparse, whitish, seta-like scales, which are slightly shorter than width of tibia; femora reddish, with small tooth; tibiae reddish, moderately slender, protibiae with apical part of ventral surface weakly directed outward; unci blackish, stout; tarsi reddish, tarsomere 1 1.5x longer than wide, tarsomere 2 about as long as wide, tarsomere 3 bilobed and somewhat wider than tarsomere 2, onychium slightly shorter than tarsomeres 1–3 taken together, claws blackish, equal in length, fused in basal half. Venter: metasternum black, clearly visible between whitish, seta-like scales, distinctly convex with distinct median fovea; mesothoracic epimera and meso- and metathoracic episterna with somewhat dense, whitish, narrow, seta-like scales and wide, fringed scales; abdomen black, with recumbent to subrecumbent, dense and somewhat regular punctures, which are clearly visible between sparse, whitish, seta-like scales; ventrites length ratio 1–2/3–4 1.85. Penis: fig. 112.
Female. As in male except rostrum distinctly longer (Rl/Pl 0.92) and more curved (Fig. 47), femora with smaller tooth. Sternite 8: fig. 145. Spermatheca: fig. 158.
Variability. Length 1.7–2.0 mm. Sometimes the rostrum is black with reddish apex, the femora are in part blackish brown in apical half and the tarsi are brown. The black elytral part may be more expanded with exclusion only of interstriae 1 and 6. Sometimes the frontal fovea lacks.
Remarks and comparative notes. This species is very similar to M. ludyi, with which it shares the shape of the elytra, which are somewhat long and with parallel sides, and that of the terminalia. It differs from this species only by the scales of the dorsal vestiture, especially the recumbent ones, which are less dense and slightly shorter. It also seems closely related to M. variabilis, from which it is distinguishable by the bigger size, the more sexually dimorphic rostra, the epimera and episterna densely covered with scales in part wide, the pronotum with less rounded sides and which is widest at its base, the scales of the elytral interstriae shorter and arranged more regularly, the tooth of the profemora very small but clearly visible, and the shape of the penis.
Biological notes. This species was collected on Plantago sp. in Turkey (M. Košťál pers. comm.).
Distribution. Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaidjan. Turkey.
Non-type specimens examined. ARMENIA: Aragats Mt., 2400 m, 1.VII.2005, Colonnelli leg. (1, ECCR); Artavaz, 2250–2400 m, 29.VI.2005, Colonnelli leg. (1, ECCR); Bjurakan, 16.VI.1987, Kadlec & Vorisek legg. (7, OVCK); Bjurakan, 1500 m, 31.V.1989, Strejček leg. (1, JSCP); Gicht, Garni, river, Azat valley, 1600 m, 29.V.1988, Strejček leg. (1, JSCP); Gokh-Guekhard, 1500 m, 29.V.1980, Papp leg. (1, HNHM); Jerevan, VII.1965, Vyslouzil leg. (1, OVCK); Jerevan, river, Razdan valley, 1100 m, 13.VI.1988, Strejček leg. (2, JSCP); Kuybishev, 1500 m, 21.VII.1977, Zombori leg. (11. HNHM); Western Caucasus, Krasna Poljana, Vorisek leg. (5, OVCK); Western Caucasus, Krasna Poljana, Lagocki leg. (4, MNHN); Syunik, Licik, 11.VI.2003, Mucka leg. (1, RBCS); Sevan lake, 15 km W Shorsha, 18.VII.2001, Kalashian leg. (1, OVCK); 7 km S Selim pass, 2036 m, 23.VI.2005, Colonnelli leg. (1, ECCR). GEORGIA: Abchazia, Jaznyj Ptys river, 28.VI.1981, Kadlec & Vorisek legg. (1, OVCK); Mountain Tushetia, Verkhnyaya, Omalo, 1800 m, meadows at timber line, 18.VII.1959, Zaitzev leg. (4, ZISP); Omalo, 1900 m, dry slopes, 21.VII.1959, Zaitzev leg. (1, ZISP). TURKEY: Ankara, Kizilcahaman, 16.VII.1971, Osella leg. (2, GOCA); Artvin, 4.VII.1975, Osella leg. (2, GOCA); Bitlis, Tatvan, 11.VII.1993, Kantner leg. (7, RBCS); Bolu, Abant Gölö, 1400–1600 m, 29.VI–3.VII.1972, Osella leg. (1, GOCA); Bolu, Abant Dağlan Mts., Samat pr. Bolu, 1250 m, 1.VII.2010, on Plantago, Košťál leg. (4, MKCB); Çankiri, Ilgaz Daglari, Ilgazdagi Geçidi, 1800–2000 m, 6.VII.1996, Bayer & Winkelmann legg. (2, HWCB); Çankiri, Ilgaz Daglari, Ilgaz Geçidi, 2200 m, 5.VI.2001, Vorisek & Košťál legg. (1, OVCK); GümüŞhane, Bayburt, 1400 m, 12.VII.1987, Biondi leg. (1, ECCR); Kars, Karakurt, 30.VI.1993, Hovorka leg. (1, JSCP); Kastamonu N, Aliaga-Kure, 14.VII.1996, Bayer & Winkelmann legg. (2, HWCB); Kastamonu NNW, Azdavay NE, 14.VII.1996, Bayer legg. (2, CBCB); Kastamonu N, Seydile-Kure, 15.VII.1996, Bayer & Winkelmann legg. (6, HWCB); Kastamonu, Tosya, Karadere, 8.VII.1996, Bayer & Winkelmann legg. (2, CBCB; 5, HWCB); Ordu, Harcbeli, 1900 m, 6.VII.1996, Podlussány leg. (1, APCB); Ordu, 14 km N Mesudye, 24.V.1989, Riedel leg. (1, ARCK); Samsun, Terme, 4.VII.1993, Kantner leg. (1, RBCS); Sinop, Atbasi, 26.VI.2003, Białooki leg. (3, PBCS); Trabzon, 9.VI.1926, Bischoff leg. (1, ZMHB).
description: Published as part of Caldara, Roberto & Fogato, Valter, 2013, Systematics of the weevil genus  Mecinus  Germar, 1821 (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). I. Taxonomic treatment of the species, pp. 1-105 in Zootaxa 3654 (1) on pages 17-18, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3654.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5265486