Otiorhynchus (Tecutinus) charleshuberi Germann, 2016, sp. nov.

Otiorhynchus (Tecutinus) charleshuberi sp. nov.

(Figs 1–3) Type material: Holotype: ♂ "TR – Prov. [Province] Antalya Uyluk Tepes / Ak Dağları Gömbe /Elamlı 2300–2600m N 36°33,31 E 29°35, 26, 8.6.2006 " // Red label: Holotype Otiorhynchus (Tecutinus) charleshuberi sp. nov. des. GERMANN, 2016 (NMBE). Paratypes: 2 ♂, 2 ♀ Same data as holotype // Red label: Paratype Otiorhynchus (Tecutinus) charleshuberi sp. nov. des. GERMANN, 2016 (cCG, NMBE). 3 ♀ " TR Region Elmalı Uyluk Tepesi (Akdag) bei Gömbe 2300–2700 m 8.6.2006 [N]36°33, [E]29°35 (NMBE, NMSO). // All with red labels: Paratype Otiorhynchus (Tecutinus) charleshuberi sp. nov. des. GERMANN, 2016.

Size (including rostrum): Holotype male: 7.7 mm, Paratypes males: 7.7–7.9 mm, Paratypes females: 8.1–8.5 mm.

Habitus (Figs 1 A–B), body black. Head wide; eyes button-like, convex, laterally protruding from head outline, surrounded by furrows; rostrum as long as wide, rostral dorsum flat and shiny, punctate-striolate; vertex one fourth wider than rostral dorsum between insertions of antennae, with puncture-like fovea; pterygia wider than width of head at level of the eyes.

Antennae scape short and robust, weakly widening towards tip, of about twice its width at base; first and second funicular segments of equal size, 1.2 times longer than wide; third to seventh transverse, club fusiform. Pronotum transverse (length/width: 0.81–0.86), widest behind first third, sides irregularly rounded, anterior margin as wide as posterior one. Disc of pronotum densely punctured, surface shining, without microsculpture; sides with flat umbilicate tubercles. Short bowed brownish bristles arise from punctures and tubercles. Elytra (length/width males: 1.6; females: 1.48–1.5) elongate oval, widest in the middle, without shoulders and regularly rounded towards base. Striae with shallow regular punctures, from part of them arise tiny bowed bristles. Intervals flat with irregularly standing fine punctures, from which short and bowed, mainly brownish bristles arise. Anterior margins of punctures towards the sides of elytra somewhat elevated, thus appearing as sharp microscopic tubercles. Surface of elytra chagrinated, thus appearing duller than the shiny pronotum. Legs very robust, femora unarmed, protibiae not dilated outwards, male hind tibiae not incised on inner side at apex; tarsi very strong. Genitalia penis subparallel-sided from base up to apical fourth, from there on narrowed towards the characteristic bispinate apex (Figs 2 A–B). Internal sac consisting of four twisted sclerites (Fig. 2 C).

Ovipositor rather simple, very robust and strongly sclerotized, pearshaped (Fig. 2 D). Apex without styli or bristles. Spiculum ventrale very robust and entirely strongly sclerotized, plate trapezoid, apical margin straight and set with hairs (Fig. 2 E). Spermatheca with long bowed cornu, short globular nodulus and short but thick ramus (Fig. 2 F).

Sexual dimorphism: Elytra of males narrower than in females; legs in males stronger, tarsi – especially third bilobed segment – broader, at least twice as big as in females; pro- and mesotarsi in males more robust than metatarsi. Antennae more robust in females; funicular segments of antennae shorter, thus more transverse (Figs 1 A–B).

Diagnosis: The new species is morphologically close to O. catonii LoNA, 1943 and O. kindermanni STIERLIN, 1861 based on the pointed apex (although elongated tongue-like in these two) of the penis, and the bare and elongate elytra. The chagrinated surface of the elytra is shared with O. catonii and the four species O. salbakosanus LoNA, 1943, O. karagolensis SMRECzYÑsKI, 1970, O. brevicornis BoHEMAN, 1842 and O. staveni BRAuN, 2000.

Otiorhynchus charleshuberi sp. nov. is the fourth member of the O. catonii -group sensu Braun (although the placement of O. lefkaoriensis from Crete Island is at best preliminary, as the species differs substantially from any other member of Tecutinus; Germann & Colonnelli 2015). Interestingly, regarding the general habitus of O. charleshuberi sp. nov., there is a superficial similarity with members of the subgenus Phalanthorrhynchus REITTER, 1912 such as O. arcticus FABRIcIus, 1780, O. johannis STIERLIN, 1881 and especially O. praecellens STIERLIN, 1886. Where the last shows the same chagrinated elytral surface and a shiny pronotum. However, the following characters typical for Tecutinus allow an unambiguous differentiation: the very wide head, the apically conical narrowed rostral dorsum, the small, button-like protruding eyes surrounded by furrows and – especially characteristic in the present new species – the very strong antennae with transverse funicular segments.

Derivation of name: The new species is named after Dr. Charles Huber, curator of the insect collection at the NMBE from 1987 to 2015, esteemed colleague and renowned Carabidologist. Among other projects, he initiated the hopefully ongoing revision and digital registration of currently more than one million invertebrates at the NMBE, where the author had the opportunity of being involved from 2003 to 2016 with at present 20.000 databased Curculionoidea.

Ecology: The new species was collected together with similarly black and shiny Carabidae using an exhaustor under stones on Alpine meadows above 2300 m a.s.l. altitude.