Morphological characters of immature stages of Palaearctic species of Cleopomiarus and Miarus and their systematic value in Mecinini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Curculioninae) Author Skuhrovec, Jiri Author Gosik, Rafal Author Caldara, Roberto Author Tosevski, Ivo Author Letowski, Jacek Author Szwaj, Ewelina text ZooKeys 2018 808 23 92 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.808.28172 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.808.28172 1313-2970-808-23 6121F4634D7E42ECA10B27E8140B2B78 Miarus ajugae (Herbst, 1795) Figures 61, 62, 63-64, 65-66, 67, 68-70 Material examined. 26 L3 larvae: 9 exx., 12.07.2009, Bychawa ad Lublin, CE Poland, leg. E. Szwaj, det. J. Letowski ; 12 exx, ex galls on capsules of Adenophora liliifolia , 30.06.2017, Kaludjerske Bare, Mt. Tara, Central Serbia, leg. I. Tosevski , det. R. Caldara; 5 exx, ex galls on capsules of Campanula bononiensis L., 14.07.2017, Zavojsko jezero, Pirot, east Serbia, leg. I. Tosevski , all collected in association with adults, det. R. Caldara. Accession numbers of sequenced specimens: MH558548. Description. Measurements (in mm). Body length: 4.50-8.39 (mean 5.70). Body width (metathorax or abdominal segments I-II ) up to 2.04. Head width: 0.68-0.83 (mean 0.70). General. Body slender, C-curved, rounded in cross section (Fig. 61). Figure 61. Miarus ajugae mature larva habitus. Colouration. Head dark brown to black (Fig. 61). All thoracic and abdominal segments yellowish with fine speculation, with clearly separated dark pigmented pedal areas (Fig. 61). Vestiture. Setae on body very thin, piliform, distinctly different in length (minute to very short or long to very long). Head capsule (Fig. 62). Head almost rounded. Frontal sutures narrow and loosened, but distinct. One stemma (st), in the form of a large pigmented spot. Des1-3 and des5 long; des4 very short (Fig. 62). Fs1 long; fs2 absent; fs3 short; fs4 and fs5 long (Fig. 62). Les1 and les2 as long as des5; both ves very short. Epicranial area with three very short pes and also three sensilla. Figure 62. Miarus ajugae mature larva head, frontal view. Abbreviations: des - dorsal epicranial s., fs - frontal epicranial s., les - lateral epicranial s., pes - postepicranial s., ves - ventral s., at - antenna, st - stemmata. Antennae bearing one very long conical sensorium, and basal membranous article with three sensilla and one pore (Fig. 63). Figures 63-64. Miarus ajugae mature larva. 63 Antenna 64 Right mandible. Abbreviation: mds - mandible dorsal s. Clypeus (Fig. 65) approximately 3.5 times as wide as long with two short, almost equal in length cls, and one sensillum between them; anterior margin sinuate. Figures 65-66. Miarus ajugae mature larva, mouthparts. 65 Labrum and clypeus 66 Epipharynx. Abbreviations: als - anteriolateral s., ams - anteromedial s., cls - clypeal s., lms - labral s., mes - median s., clss - clypeal sensillum, lr - labral rods. Mouthparts. Labrum (Fig. 65) 1.6 times as wide as long, with three piliform lms, rather equal in length; lms1 located medially, lms2 located anteromedially, and lms3 located anterolaterally; all of them reaches labral margin. Epipharynx (Fig. 66) with three long finger-like als, all of identical in length; with two medium size ams; and two mes, first finger-like, second sharp and more slender; labral rods (lr) elongated, broad, slightly convergent posteriorly. Mandibles (Fig. 64) bifid; cutting edge with small blunt tooth; bearing with two setae in medium to long size, piliform, located apically and aligned longitudinally. Maxilla (Fig. 67) stipes with long stps and both pfs, very short to minute mbs, and one sensillum close to mbs; mala with six finger-like dms, different in length: first and second very long, forth to sixth medium size; five vms, different in length, three setae medium size, and two setae very short. Maxillary palpi: basal palpomere with one short mxps and two sensilla; distal palpomere with cuticular apical processes; length ratio of basal and distal palpomeres 1:0.9. Prelabium (Fig. 67) with one medium prms; ligula with two minute ligs; premental sclerite narrow, ring-shaped. Labial palpi with two palpomeres; length ratio of basal and distal palpomeres 1:0.7; each of the palpomeres with one sensillum, distal palpomere with cuticular apical processes. Postlabium (Fig. 67) with short pms1 located basally, long pms2 located medially and short pms3 located apically; membranous area without any asperities. Figure 67. Miarus ajugae larval mouthparts, maxillolabial complex, ventral view right maxilla. Abbreviations: dms - dorsal malar s., vms - ventral malar s., mpxs - maxillary palps s., mbs - basioventral s., pfs - palpiferal s., stps - stipital s., prms - premental s., pms - postmental s., ligs - ligular s. Thorax. Prothorax (Fig. 68) with ten prns (nine very long and one minute), small pigmented dorsal sclerite present with five long prns, this sclerite subdivided in two triangular plates medially; two long ps; and one short eus. Meso- and metathorax (Fig. 68) with one medium prs, three long pds; one very long as; two long and one minute ss; one long eps; one long ps; and one short eus. Chaetotaxy of metathorax (Fig. 68) almost identical to that of mesothorax. Each pedal area of the thoracic segments with six very long pda. Figures 68-70. Miarus ajugae mature larva, habitus. 68 Lateral view of thoracic segments 69 Lateral view of abdominal segment I 70 Lateral view of abdominal segments VII-X . Abbreviations: as - alar s., ds - dorsal s., eps - epipleural s., eus - eusternal s., lsts - laterosternal s., pda - pedal s., pds - postdorsal s., prns - pronotal s., prs - prodorsal s., ss - spiracular s., ps - pleural s., sts - sternal s., ts - terminal s., Th1-3 - number of thoracic segments, Ab1-10 - number of abdominal seg. Abdomen. Abdominal segments I-VII (Figs 69-70) with one medium prs; two medium and one long to very long pds (order: medium, very long, medium); one very long and one minute ss; two long eps; one medium ps; one medium lsts; and two short eus . Abdominal segment VIII (Fig. 70) with one short prs; two short and one long pds (order: short, long, short); one long and one minute ss; two medium eps; one medium ps; one medium lsts; and two short eus. Abdominal segment IX (Fig. 70) with two relatively long and two short ds; two different in length ps; and two short sts. Abdominal segment X (Fig. 70) with one very short seta (ts). Biology. Miarus ajugae was collected on various species of the genus Campanula ( C. carpathica Jacq., C. glomerata L., C. latifolia L., C. macrorrhiza Gay ex DC, C. media L., C. patula L., C. persicifolia L., C. rapunculoides L., C. rapunculus L., C. rhomboidalis L., C. rotundifolia L., C. trachelium L.) and Phyteuma ( P. orbiculare L., P. spicatum L.) ( Caldara 2007 ). However, it was never reported previously to feed on Campanula bononiensis L. and Adenophora liliifolia (L.) A. DC. (see also Biology of C. graminis ). Remarks. This species with large Palaearctic distribution (from France and north-western Africa along all Europe to the Far East) is very closely related to M. campanulae , from which it differs mainly by the shape of the apex of the body of the penis ( Caldara 2007 ). Unfortunately, molecular studies on the fragment COI revealed poor differences between these two species ( Vahtera and Muona 2006 ; Hendrich et al. 2015 , I. Tosevski , unpublished data). Therefore, the consistent differences which we found in larval morphology between C. ajugae and C. campanulae are very important in order to confirm the validity of these two taxa at species level. Larvae of M. ajugae differ from all other species mainly by an epipharynx with two mes, first finger-like, second sharp and slender.