A new species of the genus Stephanocleonus Motschulsky, 1860 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from South China

© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:4CE17B4C-7062-4788-9901-F5732307EA4E A new species of the genus Stephanocleonus Motschulsky, 1860 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from South China ANDREI A. LEGALOV1,2,3* & ANTON O. KOZLOV4 1Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, SB RAS, Frunze Street 11, Novosibirsk, 630091, Russia; 2 Altai State University, Lenina Street 61, Barnaul, 656049, Russia; 3 Tomsk State University, Lenina Prospekt 36, 634050 Tomsk, Russia; https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7347-8169 4 Tsyurupy str., 13, Moscow, 117418, Russia; https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6002-4261 * Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected] Received 9 March 2025 │ Accepted by V. Pešić: 27 March 2025 │ Published online 29 March 2025. Abstract A new species, Stephanocleonus (Stephanocleonus) lasyiorum Legalov et Kozlov, sp. nov. from Guangxi (China) is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to Stephanocleonus deportatus Chevrolat, 1873 but differs in the proand mesofemora with short semierect setae, narrow median rostral carina, and a protibia widened at outer apical margin. It is the southernmost species of the genus Stephanocleonus. Key words Biodiversity, Lixinae, Cleonini, new species, Guangxi. Introduction The genus Stephanocleonus Motschulsky, 1860 belongs to the tribe Cleonini and consists of five subgenera with about 150 species (Ter-Minassian 1979, 1988; Anderson 1988; Alonso-Zarazaga et al. 2023; Korotyaev et al. 2023). It is the Holarctic genus. The centre of diversity is in Central Asia (TerMinassian 1979, 1988; Alonso-Zarazaga et al. 2023). Stephanocleonus eruditus Faust, 1890, S. fossulatus (Fischer von Waldheim, 1823) and S. foveifrons Chevrolat, 1873 reach the steppes of eastern Yakutia in the north (up to 67°N) and the east (up to 143°E) (Korotyaev 1980; Legalov 2020a). Stephanocleonus microgrammus (Gyllenhal, 1834) and S. tetragrammus (Pallas, 1781) reach Poland and Hungary in the west (Alonso-Zarazaga et al. 2023). The new record from Guangxi (China) is the southernmost find of a member of this genus. There are five species in North America (Anderson 1988). Mountain steppe species (Stephanocleonus eruditus, S. favens Faust, 1884, S. fossulatus, S. foveifrons, S. grigorievi Suvorov, 1915, S. isochromus Suvorov, 1912, S. leucopterus (Fischer von Waldheim, 1823), S. prasolovi Ter-Minasian, 1990, S. tshuicus Suvorov, 1912, S. luctuosus Faust, 1895, S. suvorovi Legalov, 1999) were widespread on the West Siberian Plain in the Pleistocene (Legalov et al. 2016; Gurina et al. 2018, 2019, 2023; Zinovyev et al. 2016), and S. eruditus has even been found in Belarus (Nazarov 1984). Ecologica Montenegrina 83: 68-73 (2025) This journal is available online at: www.biotaxa.org/em https://dx.doi.org/10.37828/em.2025.83.7 LEGALOV & KOZLOV Ecologica Montenegrina, 83, 2025, 68-73 69 A total of 30 species (Stephanocleonus (Eremocleonus) costatus Gebler, 1832), S. (E.) chankanus Suvorov, 1915, S. (E.) costatus Gebler, 1832, S. (E.) gobianus Suvorov, 1912, S. (E.) potanini Faust, 1890, S. (E.) shansiensis Ter-Minasian, 1988, S. (Sanzia) hexagraptus Petri, 1915, S. (Stephanocleonus) albinae Reitter, 1895, S. (S.) brunnipes Faust, 1904, S. (S.) canaliculatus Gebler, 1829, S. (S.) chinensis Faust, 1904, S. (S.) deportatus Chevrolat, 1873, S. (S.) divisiventris Marshall, 1934, S. (S.) fenestratus (Pallas, 1781), S. (S.) fossulatus, S. (S.) foveifrons, S. (S.) illex Faust, 1904, S. (S.) korinii (Fåhraeus, 1842), S. (S.) kozlovi Suvorov, 1912, S. (S.) labilis Faust, 1895, S. (S.) nasutus Ballion, 1878, S. (S.) perscitus Faust, 1883, S. (S.) pleurocleonides Obst, 1908, S. (S.) postfemoralis TerMinasian, 1970, S. (S.) przewalskyi Faust, 1887, S. (S.) suffusus Faust, 1904, S. (S.) suspiciosus Faust, 1904, S. (S.) tibetanus Suvorov, 1915, S. (S.) timidus Faust, 1887, S. (S.) tricarinatus (Fischer von Waldheim, 1823), S. (Taeniocleonus) giganteus Ter-Minasian, 1970) were known from China (TerMinassian 1979; Alonso-Zarazaga et al. 2023). This paper describes and illustrates the new species of the genus Stephanocleonus from China (Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region). This paper is a continuation of the author's work (Legalov 1999a, 1999b, 1999c, 1999d, 2020a, 2020b, Chabanenko & Legalov 2009) dedicated to the study of the tribe Cleonini. Material and methods Type specimen of the new species is kept in the collection of the Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals (Russia: Novosibirsk) – ISEA. Descriptions, photographs and body measuring of the new species were performed using a Zeiss Stemi 2000-C dissecting stereomicroscope. The terminology of weevil body is according to Lawrence et al. (2010). The systematics of studied taxa are based on Ter-Minassian (1979) and Alonso-Zarazaga et al. (2023). Systematics Insecta: Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae: Cleonini Genus: Stephanocleonus Motschulsky, 1860 Subgenus: Stephanocleonus s. str. Stephanocleonus (Stephanocleonus) lasyiorum Legalov et Kozlov, sp. nov. (Fig. 1) https://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B040F793-D785-4042-97E6-5866B2E629D0 Type material: Holotype, female (ISEA), CHINA, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Dayao Shan, Junxiu, 100 km SE Liuzhou, ~23°45'N, 109°45'E, 1200 m, IV.2005, V. Siniaev. Description. Female: Body black, covered with narrow cream scales. Antennomeres 1-8, apex of tibiae, and tarsal claws brown. Rostrum quite long, weakly curved, with distinct middle wide carina, densely punctate, flattened in apical third, 1.5 times as long as wide at apex, about 1.6 times as long as wide in middle, about 1.4 times as long as wide at base, about 0.9 times as short as pronotum. Mandibles massive. Forehead concave, densely punctate, about 1.2 times as long as rostrum base width. Eyes large, finely faceted, transverse, not protruding from contour of head. Temples short. Antennae long, inserted in apical third of rostrum. Scapus long, about 2.9 times as long as wide at apex, not reaching eyes. Antennomere 2 long-conical, 2.0 times as long as wide at apex, about 0.5 times as long as and about 0.7 times as narrow as antennomere 1. Antennomeres 3-5 of same width. Antennomere 3 slightly wider than length, about 0.4 times as long as and about 0.8 times as narrow as antennomere 2. Antennomeres 3-8 wide-conical. Antennomere 4 about 0.7 times as long as wide at apex, about 0.8 times as long as antennomere 3. Antennomeres 4-6 of same length. Antennomere 5 equal to antennomere 4. Antennomere 6 about 0.6 times as long as wide at apex, slightly wider than antennomere 5. Antennomere 7 about 0.7 times as long as wide at apex, 1.2 times as long as and slightly wider than antennomere 6. Antennomere 8 about 0.6 times as long as wide at apex, about 1.2 times as long as and about 1.5 times NEW SPECIES OF STEPHANOCLEONUS FROM CHINA 70 Figure 1. Stephanocleonus lasyiorum sp. nov., female, holotype, habitus: a – dorsal view; b – frontal view; c – lateral view. Scale bar 5.0 mm. as wide as antennomere 7. Club compact, about 0.8 times as long as antennomeres 2-8 combined. Antennomere 9 about 0.5 times as long as wide at apex, about 1.1 times as long as and 1.2 times as wide as antennomere 8. Antennomere 10 about 0.6 times as long as wide in middle, of same length and slightly narrower than antennomere 9. Antennomere 11 about 1.2 times as long as wide at base, about 1.8 times as long as and about 0.8 times as narrow as antennomere 10. Pronotum companiform, slightly shorter than wide at apex, about 0.7 times as long as wide in middle, about 0.8 times as long as wide at base. Sides almost straight. Greatest width before middle. Disk densely punctate. Scutellum small. Elytra LEGALOV & KOZLOV Ecologica Montenegrina, 83, 2025, 68-73 71 suboval, about 2.1 times as long as wide at base, about 1.6 times as long as wide in middle, about 2.3 times as long as wide at apex, about 3.2 times as long as pronotum. Humeri absent. Greatest width in middle. Interstriae wide, weakly convex, punctate. Striae quite deep. Procoxal cavities rounded and contiguous. Pronotum with well-developed postocular lobes. Precoxal portion about 0.7 times as long as length of procoxal cavity. Postcoxal portion very short, about 0.3 times as long as precoxal portion length. Mesosternum with mesosternal process flat slightly convex. Mesocoxal cavities separated. Metaventrite flattened, about 0.8 times as long as length of metacoxal cavity. Abdomen weakly convex. Abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 fused. Ventrite 1 2.0 times as long as metacoxal cavity. Ventrite 2 slightly shorter than ventrite 1. Ventrite 3 about 0.6 times as long as ventrite 2. Ventrite 4 of same length to ventrite 3. Ventrite 5 about 1.2 times as long as ventrite 4. Pygidium hidden by elytra. Legs long. Femora widened. Tibiae weakly biconcave, with apical comb of thickened brown setae and large uncus. Protibia widened at outer apical margin. Tarsi long. Metatarsi longer than proand mesotarsi. Tarsomeres 1-3 with brown thorns around edges, without pulvilli on lower surface. Tarsomere 3 bilobed. Claws long and fused at base. Tarsomere 5 elongated. Length of body: 12.6 mm. Length of rostrum: 2.0 mm. Figure 2. Stephanocleonus deportatus, female, habitus, Tyva: a – dorsal view; b – lateral view. Scale bar 5.0 mm. NEW SPECIES OF STEPHANOCLEONUS FROM CHINA 72 Differential diagnosis. The new species (Fig. 1) is similar to Stephanocleonus deportatus Chevrolat, 1873 (Fig. 2) but differs in the proand mesofemora with short semierect setae, narrow median rostral carina, and a protibia widened at outer apical margin. Etymology. Patronymic. In honour of Viktor Pavlovich Lasyi and Ella Grigoryevna Lasaia as a sign of respect and gratitude at the special request of Evgeniy Viktorovich Lasyi (Klintsy, Bryansk region, Russia). Localisation. China, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. 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