Rhinusa Stephens: a taxonomic revision of the species belonging to the R. tetra and R. bipustulata groups (Coleoptera Curculionidae)

Abstract

The species of Rhinusa Stephens, 1829 (Curculionidae, Curculioninae, Mecinini) belonging to the R. tetra and R. bipustulata groups are revised. Four of them from Middle East are new to science. The R. bipustulata group includes five species: R. bipustulata (Rossi, 1792); R. pelletieri sp. nov.; R. scrophulariae Caldara, 2009; R. algirica (Brisout de Barneville, 1862); R. emmrichi (Bajtenov, 1979), whereas the R. tetra group includes nine species: R. tetra (Fabricius, 1792); R. verbasci (Rosenschoeld, 1838); R. ensifer sp. nov.; R. moroderi (Reitter, 1906); R. weilli sp. nov.; R. comosa (Rosenschoeld, 1838); R. acifer sp. nov.; R asellus (Gravenhorst, 1807); R. tenuirostris (Stierlin, 1888). The following new synonym is proposed: Rhinusa bipustulata (Rossi, 1792) (= Gymnetron municipale Voss, 1960 syn. nov.). The neotype of Rhynchaenus asellus Gravenhorst, 1807 was designated. Moreover, the following lectotypes are designated: Cionus spilotus Germar, 1821; Gymnetron bipustulatum var. germari Faust, 1889; Gymnetron bodenheimeri Wagner, 1926; Gymnetron cylindrirostre Gyllenhal, 1838; Gymnetron nasutum Rosenschoeld, 1838; Gymnetron plagiatum Gyllenhal, 1838; Gymnetron polonicum Rosenschoeld, 1838; Gymnetron tenuirostre Stierlin, 1888. A key to the species, diagnoses of species groups, descriptions or redescriptions, notes on type specimens, synonymies, comparative notes, distribution, bionomics when available, photographs of habitus and drawings of rostra, terminalia and other useful characters for taxonomy are provided.

Phylogenomics illuminates the phylogeny of flower weevils (Curculioninae) and reveals ten independent origins of brood-site pollination mutualism in true weevils

“…This study constitutes the first formal molecular investigation of the phylogenetic relationships among the flower weevil subfamily. Based on a dense and worldwide sampling of lineages in this clade, we infer that the current concept of Curculioninae (sensu [32]) is not satisfactory, as it is unambiguously polyphyletic. Indeed, several lineages previously assigned to Curculioninae due to their long rostrum and endophytic larvae (typical conditions for CCCMS and Curculioninae in particular [9,32]) clustered in the CEGH clade, whose members generally have a short rostrum and ectophytic larvae [67] (see electronic supplementary material, S1).…”

“…Based on a dense and worldwide sampling of lineages in this clade, we infer that the current concept of Curculioninae (sensu [32]) is not satisfactory, as it is unambiguously polyphyletic. Indeed, several lineages previously assigned to Curculioninae due to their long rostrum and endophytic larvae (typical conditions for CCCMS and Curculioninae in particular [9,32]) clustered in the CEGH clade, whose members generally have a short rostrum and ectophytic larvae [67] (see electronic supplementary material, S1). The condition of the elongated rostrum was previously reported in other genera of this clade, such as Phrynixus, Gerynassa and other Hyperinae and several genera of different tribes of Cyclominae [68].…”

“…Twenty-nine tribes of Curculioninae sensu Caldara et al [32] were sampled, representing approximately 85% of the 34 currently recognized, with 1-20 genera sampled from each tribe, including the type genera in 27 cases. Six additional genera currently classified as incertae sedis in Curculioninae were also included.…”

“…B 290: 20230889 morphological data, the interpretation of which varies, sometimes considerably so, among authors. Many weevil groups traditionally comprising Curculioninae lack relevant apomorphic features [32]. For example, 18 of the 34 tribes of Curculioninae included in a recent comprehensive revision lack clear boundaries, three are monotypic and could not be related to any existing groups of Curculioninae and 12 genera were treated as incertae sedis [32].…”

“…Also unknown in both situations are the lifestyle strategies that promoted the emergence of this ecologically and evolutionarily significant mutualism. The larvae of Curculioninae develop mostly in the reproductive tissues of their host plants [9,32], a condition that is thought to have promoted the shift from parasitism to mutualism. The evolution of mutualism, in this case, relates to the behaviour of adults, which move between inflorescences of conspecific plant species to mate and oviposit, potentially pollinating them [12].…”