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Dichotrachelus sabaudus Fairmaire, 1861 Fairmaire (1861) based D. sabaudus on specimens found by Marseul on Mt. Mirantin, near Albertville (France, Savoie) and described it as being extremely similar to D. rudeni. Marseul (1871) identified specimens from Mt. Cenis as D. sabaudus and placed the name in synonymy with D. stierlini Gredler, 1856. His opinion was supported by Stierlin (1878) and accepted by Heyden et al. (1906), Schenkling & Marshall (1929) and Winkler (1932). It should be noted that the populations of D. stierlini from the western Alps belong to the subspecies D. stierlini knechti Stierlin 1875: if this synonymy were confirmed, D. sabaudus would have priority over D. stierlini knechti; however, Hustache (1929) rejected Stierlin's synonymy and referred D. sabaudus to D. rudeni. His opinion was accepted by Osella (1968, 1971). As no holotype specimen was designated, it is necessary to fix the identity of D. sabaudus since five species of Dichotrachelus are potentially present in the surroundings of Albertville: D. rudeni, D. stierlini knechti, D. meregallii, D. augusti Solari, 1946 and D. maculosus. Specimens from Albertville in the Hoffmann collection belong to D. rudeni, and the four other species were recorded from relatively close localities. The name sabaudus has priority over the last four names. Several specimens are preserved in the Fairmaire collection, identified as " sabaudus Fairm = Stierlini ": a) 4 ex. labeled: 1. Rudeni; 2. Savoie; 3. Dichotrachelus Rudeni Stierlin / sabaudus Fairm / Alp. Gall. These specimens belong to D. stierlini knechti. b) 2 ex. labeled: sabaudus Fairm. (without further indications, and not in Fairmaire's handwriting). These specimens belong to D. rudeni. c) 6 ex. from Tyrol or Bayern, not referable to the type series of D. sabaudus. Fairmaire did not unequivocally label the types of the species that he described, so these can be recognized only by indirect evidence (such as autograph identification labels in specimens of his collection, the same collecting locality as reported in the description, etc.). In this case, in the absence of any identifiable handwriting or more precise indication it is impossible to ascertain whether any of the specimens under a) and b) belongs to the type series, even though this is not impossible. However, no specimen clearly referable to the type series of D. sabaudus could be recognized, either in Fairmaire's (as discussed above) or in other historical collections of the MNHN. There is also no indication that any type of this species was ever distributed by Fairmaire to other collections presently conserved in different institutions, thus, according to art. 75.1 ICZN (1999), a neotype should be selected. Fairmaire (1861) indicated that D. sabaudus was extremely similar to D. rudeni (" D. rudeni simillimus", Fairmaire, 1861: 586) and the original description corresponds much more to the characters shown by D. rudeni (and the specimens listed above under b) than to those of D. stierlini knechti. Furthermore, D. rudeni is surely present on the mountains near Albertville, the type locality of D. sabaudus, as demonstrated by the specimens there found and conserved in the Hoffmann collection. For these reasons we select as the neotype of D. sabaudus Fairmaire, 1861 one of the two specimens conserved in the Fairmaire collection, belonging to D. rudeni and listed above under b). Neotype of Dichotrachelus sabaudus Fairmaire, 1861 (here designated): male specimen labeled: 1. sabaudus [hw]; 2. Dichotrachelus sabaudus / Fairmaire, 1861 / NEOTYPUS / 2011 Meregalli & Perrin des. [red, hw] 3. Museum Paris / collection Fairmaire / 1906 [pr]. Conserved at the Mus��um national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris. Figs 5���8. The synonymy Dichotrachelus rudeni Stierlin, 1853 [= Dichotrachelus sabaudus Fairmaire, 1861] is confirmed., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo & Perrin, H��l��ne, 2012, On the identity of Dichotrachelus maculosus Fairmaire and D. sabaudus Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cyclominae), pp. 65-68 in Zootaxa 3183 on page 67, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.279985, {"references":["Fairmaire, L. (1861) Miscellanea entomologica. Quatrieme partie. Annales de la Societe entomologique de France. Quatrieme serie, 1, 577 - 596.","Marseul, S. A. de (1871) Description de nouvelles especes de Coleopteres. Annales de la Societe entomologique de France, 5: 79 - 82.","Stierlin, G. (1878) Revision der Dichotrachelus - Arten. Mittheilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft, 5 (7), 392 - 425.","Schenkling, S. & Marshall G. A. K. (1929) Coleopterorum Catalogus auspiciis et auxilio W. Junk. Pars 106. Curculionidae: Byrsopinae, Rhytirrhininae, Thecesterninae, Hipporrhininae, Rhyparosominae. Junk, Berlin, 62 pp.","Winkler, A. (1932) Catalogus Coleopterorum regionis Palaearcticae. Pars 12. Winkler, Wien, 1393 - 1520.","Hustache A. (1929) Curculionides Gallo-Rhenans. Sixieme partie. Annales de la Societe entomologique de France, 98: 1 - 96.","Osella, G. (1968) Revisione delle specie italiane del genere Dichotrachelus Stierlin (Coleoptera Curculionidae). Memorie del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Verona, 15 [1967], 349 - 445.","Osella, G. (1971) Revisione del genere Dichotrachelus Stierlin (Coleoptera Curculionidae). Memorie del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Verona, 18 [1970], 449 - 569."]}

Dichotrachelus maculosus Fairmaire, 1869 Fairmaire (1869) vaguely localized this species in "Alp. Gall." (French Alps). Stierlin (1878) studied the type and cited the collecting locality (Faillefeu, in the French southwestern Alps) from the specimen label. He also said that it was a 3 (sex inferred from a minute impression in the fifth ventrite, an unreliable trait for sexing Dichotrachelus) and gave a more complete diagnosis, in which the third tarsal segment was described as bilobed. Based on this trait, Stierlin included D. maculosus in his second group, together with D. imhoffi Stierlin, 1857, D. rudeni Stierlin, 1853, D. angusticollis Chevrolat, 1863, D. stierlini Gredler, 1856, and D. knechti Stierlin, 1875 (now D. stierlini knechti). Heyden et al. (1906), Schenkling & Marshall (1929) and Winkler (1932) included D. maculosus among the synonyms of D. rudeni. In contrast Hustache (1929), after examination of several specimens from Faillefeu, placed D. maculosus into synonymy with D. alpestris Stierlin, 1878, regardless of the indication of bilobed third tarsal segment of the former, contrasting with the simple third tarsal segment of the latter. Hustache failed to note the reversal of priority required to maintain the usage of the younger name, D. alpestris. Osella (1968) did not think it plausible that Stierlin (1878) was in error in his description of the tarsal lobes and rejected Hustache's opinion. Without excluding the possibility of D. maculosus being a valid species, Osella doubtfully referred it to D. stierlini knechti (again without mentioning the required reversal of precedence) rather than to D. rudeni. The type was not examined and no formal synonymy was proposed. Later, Osella (1971) suggested the further possibility that Fairmaire's species could be the senior synonym of D. meregallii Osella, 1971; however, in the catalogue of the species and synonyms of Dichotrachelus (Osella 1971: 553��� 562) D. maculosus was not listed, either as a good species or as a synonym. Since its description and depending on the author, D. maculosus has thus been considered: a valid species, a junior synonym of D. rudeni, a junior synonym of D. alpestris (reversed precedence), a possible junior synonym of D. stierlini knechti (reversed precedence), and the possible senior synonym of D. meregallii. The type of D. maculosus is conserved at the MNHN, Paris, in the S��dillot collection; it is a �� specimen (Stierlin's observation was incorrect) and belongs to the species currently named D. alpestris Stierlin, 1878. No information on the number of specimens examined was given by Fairmaire (1869), thus this is considered to be a syntype and is here selected as the lectotype. Lectotype of Dichotrachelus maculosus Fairmaire, 1869 (here designated): female specimen labeled: 1. F.feu [handwritten, abbreviated form for Faillefeu]; 2. Dichotrach. / maculosus / fairm [hw]; 3. 191 [or 161] [green, printed]; 4. 7 [pink, hw]; 5. Dichotrachelus / maculosus / Fairmaire 1869 / LECTOTYPUS / 2011 Meregalli & Perrin des. [hw, red]; 5. Museum Paris / 1935 / coll. M. Sedillot [pr]. Conserved at the Mus��um national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris. Figs 1���4. The following new synonymy is here established: Dichotrachelus maculosus Fairmaire, 1869 [= Dichotrachelus alpestris Stierlin, 1878] syn. nov. The conditions required by art. 23.9. 1. ICZN (1999) are not met and D. alpestris cannot be declared nomen protectum. Dichotrachelus maculosus Fairmaire, 1869 must be used as the valid name., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo & Perrin, H��l��ne, 2012, On the identity of Dichotrachelus maculosus Fairmaire and D. sabaudus Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cyclominae), pp. 65-68 in Zootaxa 3183 on pages 65-67, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.279985, {"references":["Fairmaire, L. (1869) Coleoptera Europae nova. Stettiner Entomologische Zeitung, 30, 231 - 233. Heyden, L., Reitter, E. & Weise, J. (1906) Catalogus Coleopterorum Europae Caucasi et Armeniae Rossicae. Paskau, 775 pp.","Stierlin, G. (1878) Revision der Dichotrachelus - Arten. Mittheilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft, 5 (7), 392 - 425.","Schenkling, S. & Marshall G. A. K. (1929) Coleopterorum Catalogus auspiciis et auxilio W. Junk. Pars 106. Curculionidae: Byrsopinae, Rhytirrhininae, Thecesterninae, Hipporrhininae, Rhyparosominae. Junk, Berlin, 62 pp.","Winkler, A. (1932) Catalogus Coleopterorum regionis Palaearcticae. Pars 12. Winkler, Wien, 1393 - 1520.","Hustache A. (1929) Curculionides Gallo-Rhenans. Sixieme partie. Annales de la Societe entomologique de France, 98: 1 - 96.","Osella, G. (1968) Revisione delle specie italiane del genere Dichotrachelus Stierlin (Coleoptera Curculionidae). Memorie del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Verona, 15 [1967], 349 - 445.","Osella, G. (1971) Revisione del genere Dichotrachelus Stierlin (Coleoptera Curculionidae). Memorie del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale Verona, 18 [1970], 449 - 569."]}

Meregalli, Massimo, Borovec, Roman (2011): Radiation in the halophytic coenoses of the Peri-Tethys: taxonomy and biogeography of the genus Ita (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Journal of Natural History 45 (21-22): 1331-1401, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2011.557550, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2011.557550

Epexochus Reitter Epexochus Reitter, 1913: 40; Alonso-Zarazaga & Lyal, 1999: 191. Cleonus (Epexochus): Csiki, 1934: 39. Type species: Cleonus lehmanni M��n��tries, 1849, by monotypy. Redescription. Habitus. Size large, body elliptical. Integument smooth, lacking granules or tubercles, hind wings vestigial. Vestiture. Integument densely covered with whitish and brown, aciculate to lanceolate, acuminate, glossy scales forming various patterns on pronotum and elytra; scales simple or with short basal lateral projections, with large median and minute lateral teeth; underside of rostrum with usually simple, whitish or yellowish, aciculate scales; underside of head with minutely digitate, white, oval scales; underside of thorax with white elliptical scales, usually finely digitate, bifid or trifid, in part simple, aciculate; ventrites with long, aciculate scales, usually simple or with short basal projections, whitish on the whole surface and brown in a basal stripe, sometimes reduced to two broad patches; hair-like setae present, whitish, hyaline or yellowish, relatively dense, inserted in larger punctures of integument, seldom very short and barely distinct, usually relatively long, suberect on sides of pronotum and sides and declivity of elytra; on dorsum of elytra setae disposed in several series on whole surface; on legs setae often very dense, nearly half as long as tibial width; on ventrites setae usually dense, obliquely inserted, long. Rostrum robust, straight, dorso-lateral margins not keeled, rounded or very slightly raised; median line distinct, not sharply elevated nor acutely keeled, with a triangular plate broadened anteriorly at its side; dorsum laterally of median line and triangular plate moderately impressed, forming two longitudinal, usually curved, shallow grooves; epistoma subtriangular, moderately prominent, apex straight; rostrum in lateral view straight, thick, about three times as long as high; dorsum moderately curved downwards behind antennal insertion, underside straight basally and curved downwards before mouthparts, keels on postmentum linearly converging basally; scrobes narrow, subsinuate, glossy, posterior part, seen from below, broadened, rounded; upper margin directed towards, and interrupted before, lower margin of eye; lower margin reaching underside near base of rostrum. Mouthparts. Maxilla (Figs. 19���20) with curved cardo, stipes as long as wide, more strongly sclerotised externally, with one long and several short setae; palpifer subquadrate, densely setose on outer side and on apex; mala semicircular, with six lateral teeth, the four lower ones extremely strong, the two upper ones thinner; three secondary teeth on lower face; basal setae long, curved upwards; maxillary palps threesegmented, segment 1 broader than long, widened laterally, setose; segment 2 conical, moderately transverse, with one apical seta; segment 3 shortly conical, lacking setae. Labium subquadrate, with three primary and a few smaller lateral setae; ligula distinct, rounded at apex; in lateral view labium thickened, with a distinct median projection; labial palps undifferentiated. Antenna slender. Scape subsinuate, thin, moderately thickened at apex. Funicle 7 -segmented, segment 1 short, globose, segment 2 slightly longer than 1; segments 3���6 globose, segment 7 larger, partly fused to club. Club long elliptical, segment 3 as long as 1 and 2 together. Head broad, transverse, vertex evenly convex, eyes large, flat, ovate-elliptical, nearly symmetrical, lower margin narrowly rounded. Pronotum as long as wide or weakly transverse, faintly convex, sometimes sub-campanulate; base truncate or weakly curved or lobed towards scutellum, sides sublinear or weakly broadened towards middle of length, maximum width at base or in basal half; apex straight, indistinctly prominent above head; postocular lobes rounded, moderately or barely developed, with a fringe of dense, orange postocular setae; surface uniformly and minutely punctulate, with few slightly larger, isolated punctures, granules absent on dorsum and sides, median line not or barely differentiated. Scutellum visible but small, triangular. Elytra ovate-elliptical, humeri not expanded laterally, sides moderately broadened, evenly converging at apex; in lateral view dorsum barely convex, declivity oblique, even, not sharp. Striae 10 in number, narrow, shallow, with barely delimited or nearly indistinct punctures; at apex stria 1 joined to stria 10, stria 2 to 9 and stria 3 to 8; on declivity stria 4 joined to 5 and stria 6 to 7. Intervals broader than striae, odd intervals as wide as or barely wider than even ones, usually very slightly convex, higher near base, or completely flat; base of intervals 7���9 fused, striae 7 and 8 not reaching base. Surface minutely punctulate, lacking any granules. Legs slender. Trochanters triangular, barely longer than wide. Femora thin, hardly thickened in middle. Tibiae a little longer than femora; fore tibia with outer margin rectilinear or slightly curved outwards near apex; inner margin weakly sinuate; apex sinuate, barely expanded, with a fringe of apical setae; uncus strong; internal subapical tooth absent in both sexes; middle tibia slightly shorter and narrower; hind tibia longer, slightly to moderately curved behind, widened towards apex. Tarsi well developed, segments broad, triangular, sides with more or less well developed tuft of downward-directed setae; segment 3 moderately bilobed; underside densely setose but lacking a complete pad, which is limited to a small setose area on centre of segment 3, more distinct on fore tarsi; onychium long, often slightly broadened in middle; claws narrowed from base to apex, long, separate nearly from base, divaricated from basal third (Fig. 26). Venter. Prosternum at apex with a broad emargination, weakly protruded towards fore coxae; space in front of coxae half as long as diameter of coxae, strongly oblique, smooth; intercoxal process relatively well developed, protruding between coxae; these round, separated by prosternal process, subcompressed and emarginate on anterior side. Mesothorax with middle coxa round, mesepisternum broad, triangular, extending towards median part of mesothorax; mesepimeron slightly broadened dorsally, intercoxal process subquadrate, large. Metathorax narrow, as wide as diameter of mesocoxa; metepisternum broad, subrectangular; metacoxae transverse, widely separated. Ventrite I with broad, subtruncate intercoxal process, sinuate at apex, concave in �� and nearly flat in ��; ventrite II slightly narrower, 1.5 x as long as III, flat or barely concave in central part on �� and convex on ��; ventrites III and IV of equal size, V slightly longer than IV, evenly curved at apex in �� and truncate in ��. Genitalia. Aedeagus slender, tubular, curved; lamella short, subacute or rounded. Sternite VIII of �� Vshaped, arms connate at base, narrow, nearly linearly widened; lamina delimited laterally by the arms, sclerotised only near apex. Spermatheca small, with narrow and curved cornu, thickened nodulus and short lateral ramus. Hemisternites short, moderately broadened basally, styli apical, short; symbiont pouches relatively short, as long as hemisternites, annuli not sclerotised. Remarks. Epexochus is closely related to Eurycleonus Bedel, 1907 from northern Africa and Sinai and to the sympatric, monotypic genus Leucochromus Motschulsky, 1860, these three genera forming a monophyletic group (Meregalli & Silvestro in press). The last genus differs from Epexochus as follows: rostrum with a broad median ridge; pronotal disc with a median furrow and two broad, glossy, bare lateral ridges, a wide squamose, longitudinal stripe along ridges, another glossy ridge on dorso-lateral margin and some round, smooth, glossy patches on sides; even elytral intervals with raised glossy margins forming longitudinal black keels; basal tarsal segment as long as wide and barely longer than segment 2; claws narrow, widely divergent from base; sternite VIII of �� with plate sclerotised along entire length of arms; scales white, aciculate or elliptical, always simple. Eurycleonus is more similar to Epexochus and appears to be its sister taxon; apart from its distinctly larger size it differs in its scales being bifid on the whole body, with strongly elongate teeth, its tarsal segment 1 short, as long as wide, and the claws connate up to middle of their length, and in the sternite VIII of the �� having the plate sclerotised on both sides along the arms., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo & Talamelli, Fabio, 2009, Revision of the genus Epexochus Reitter, with description of three new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae: Cleonini), pp. 47-68 in Zootaxa 2011 on pages 48-50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.274687, {"references":["Reitter, E. (1913) Bestimmungs-Schlussel der mir bekannten europaischen Gattungen der Curculionidae, mit Einschluss der mir bekannten Gattungen aus dem palaearctischen Gebiete. Verhandlungen des naturforschenden Vereines in Brunn, 52: 129 - 242.","Alonso-Zarazaga, M. A & Lyal, C. H. C. (1999) A World Catalogue of Families and Genera of Curculionoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) (Excepting Scolytidae and Platypodidae). Entomopraxis, Barcelona, 315 pp.","Csiki, E. (1934). Curculionidae. Subfam. Cleoninae. In: Schenkling S. (Ed.). Coleopterorum Catalogus auspiciis et auxilio W. Junk, 134: pp. 152.","Menetries, M. (1849) Catalogue des insectes recueillis par feu M. Lehmann avec les descriptions des nouvelles especes. Seconde et derniere partie. Tetramere. Curculionites. Memoires de l'Academie Imperiale des Sciences de Saint- Petersbourg. Sixieme Serie. Sciences Naturelles, VI: 249 - 263.","Motschulsky, V. de (1860) Coleopteres rapportes par M. Severtsef des Steppes meridionales des Kirghises, et enumeres par V. de Motschulsky. Bulletin Physico-Mathematique de l'Academie Imperiale des Sciences de St. Petersburg, 2 (8): cols. 513 - 544."]}

Key to the species of Epexochus 1. Base of pronotum distinctly curved towards scutellum (Fig. 42); elytral scales very slender, lanceolate (Fig. 37); southern Tajikistan.......................................................................................................................... E. korotyaevi sp. n. ��� Base of pronotum nearly straight or weakly, very evenly arched (Fig. 18); elytral scales oval or oval-elliptical, aciculate (Fig. 36)............................................................................................................................................................... 2 2. All elytral intervals flat, also at base, elytra convex, sides broadened; apical lamella of aedeagus expanded, broadly rounded (Fig. 80); western Mongolia: Kobdo Aimak ................................................................... E. mongolicus sp. n. ��� Elytral intervals 3, 5, 7 and 9 moderately but distinctly raised, at least at base; apical lamella of aedeagus short, acute or nearly so.................................................................................................................................................................. 3 3. Size> 15 mm; elytra convex, odd intervals only raised at base; elytral setae stiff, of variable length, sometimes relatively long but never longer than an interval width; apical lamella of aedeagus subacute (Figs. 32���35); Kazakhstan, China (Xinjiang).................................................................................................................... E. lehmanni (M��n��tries) ��� Size ..................................................................... E. voriseki sp. n., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo & Talamelli, Fabio, 2009, Revision of the genus Epexochus Reitter, with description of three new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae: Cleonini), pp. 47-68 in Zootaxa 2011 on page 50, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.274687

Epexochus mongolicus Meregalli & Talamelli, sp. n. Leucochromus consobrinus sensu Ter Minasyan, 1972: 543 (non Faust, 1904). Diagnosis. An Epexochus species of large size, convex body, bell-shaped pronotum with straight base, large elytra with curved sides and flat intervals also at base, slightly curved hind tibiae and aedeagus with short, round apex. Description. Dimensions. Body length excluding rostrum: 21.20 mm. Rostrum: length 3.89 mm, width 1.98 mm (ratio 1.96). Pronotum: length 5.64 mm, width 6.60 mm (ratio 0.85). Elytra: length 14.48 mm, width 9.48 mm (ratio 1.53). Ratio of elytral to pronotal length 2.57 (holotype). Habitus. Body black, integument smooth, glossy, covered with simple sub-acuminate scales and with short setae (Figs. 69���71). Rostrum robust, relatively short, with sides subparallel, dorso-lateral margins completely rounded; median triangular plate developed, raised, broadening from base to antennal insertion; median keel hardly distinct, obtuse, extending towards apex beyond antennal insertion; longitudinal-oblique furrows deep, shortly interrupted at antennal insertion and extending beyond antennae towards apex; upper margin of scrobes sinuate, reaching underside of eye; lower margin parallel to upper margin, not diverging at base on underside; scrobes narrow, glossy, deep; rostrum in lateral view straight, median keel visible, evenly and moderately convex, maximum height at antennal insertion; keels on underside linearly divergent from base to apex. Vestiture consisting of yellowish, aciculate, simple, glossy scales, progressively more slender and lanceolate towards apex (Figs. 72 ���73, 75, 77). Antennae not studied (lost in both specimens examined). Head transverse, interocular distance as long as rostral width at base, forehead flattened laterally and slightly convex in middle; interocular pit very small. Vestiture consisting of scales similar to those of rostrum, simple, directed towards middle. Eyes large, upper part broadened, lower margin rounded. Pronotum bell-shaped, base rectilinear, medially not lobed towards scutellum, sides slightly sinuate from base to apex, maximum width at base, postocular lobes small, slightly angulate, upper part weakly expanded above head; dorsum flat, lacking median glossy line, densely punctulate on entire surface except for two small, round, glossy dorso-lateral patches; isolated, glossy, slightly larger punctures barely distinct, more numerous on sides. Vestiture consisting of lanceolate, glossy, ivory and brownish scales, brown scales mainly present on dorsum, sides with usually trifid light scales; setae extremely short, barely visible (Fig. 74). Scutellum small, triangular. Elytra broad, distinctly wider than pronotum, base nearly straight, sides curvilinear, maximum width in middle of length, evenly rounded to apex; in lateral view convex, evenly and progressively curved on declivity. Intervals completely flat, also at base, odd ones as wide as even ones. Striae narrow, deep, with distinct small punctures. Vestiture consisting of whitish and brown oval or elliptical scales, faintly acuminate, about three times as long as wide, brown scales usually more abundant along striae, forming scattered and FIGURES 69���81. Epexochus mongolicus, structural details (69, 71���72, 74, 76���81: holotype; 70, 73, 75: paratype). 69���70: habitus, dorsal view; 71: habitus, lateral view; 72���73: rostrum, dorsal view; 74: pronotum; 75, 77: rostrum, lateral view; 76: aedeagus, lateral view; 78: aedeagus, dorsal view; 79���81: apex of aedeagus, ventral, dorsal and lateral views. Scale bars: 69���71: 10 mm; 72 ���75, 77: 2 mm; 76, 78: 1 mm; 79���81: 500 ��m. irregular patches and short stripes; pale scales predominant along intervals, forming an irregularly oval, nearly white patch on interval 6 in middle of its length; setae short, semi-erect, stiff, relatively abundant on entire surface (Fig. 39). Legs slender. Femora very slightly thickened in middle, with dense vestiture of lanceolate scales and raised whitish setae. Tibiae with fore tibia slightly sinuate on inner side, middle tibia short, robust, hind tibia slightly but distinctly curved; all tibiae with thick coating of pale, slender, acuminate scales, at least 5 times as long as wide, and dense erect, whitish, stiff setae. Tarsi with segments slightly widened, segment 2 at least as long as wide, lobes of 3 slightly broadened; all densely scaly, lateral tuft of setae short. Ventrites. Ventrite II slightly narrower than I, III and IV 2 / 3 as long as II, V transverse, apex sinuate; scales on all ventrites dense, very long, bifid or, rarely, simple, whitish with very narrow basal brown stripes. Genitalia. Aedeagus evenly, moderately curved; apical lamella broad, well developed, rounded at apex, slightly sinuate in lateral view (Figs. 76, 78��� 81). Female genitalia unknown (abdomen in only female examined empty). Variation. The two available specimens are very similar to each other, although the collecting localities are about 150 km apart; the elytra are slightly more curved in the paratype but this may also be due to the sex of the specimen. Material examined. Holotype ��: MONGOLIA: ��� Mongolia, 10 km S Uzitsh-Somona, Kobdoskij Ajmak [48 ��01'N 91 �� 38 'E], Arnoldi, 2��� 3 VIII.[1] 968 (ZIN). Paratype ����: " Mongolia, Gobi Altaj aimak, zwischen Biž gol und Bodončijn gol, cca 50 km NW von Biž gol [45 �� 46 'N 92 �� 10 'E], 1600 m, Exp. Dr. Kaszab 1966 " (HNHM) (specimen incomplete). Distribution (Fig. 82). Both known specimens were collected in the Mongolian Altai mountains. Etymology. The species named is formed after the country of the species��� origin. Remarks. Epexochus mongolicus is morphologically more similar to E. lehmanni than to the other two species and differs from it principally in the intervals being flat for their entire length, including at the base, the pronotum less transverse, with slightly sinuate base, curved backwards near the lateral margin, the rostrum shorter and more robust, the hind tibiae curved and more densely squamose and the apex of the aedeagus larger and rounded (Figs. 79���80 vs. 32���35). The paucity of available material of E. mongolicus does not allow assessment of other seemingly differential characters from E. lehmanni, such as the larger size and the apparently typical whitish spot on elytral interval 6. The other two species, occurring at the opposite limits of the range of the genus, are more differentiated from E. mongolicus, in that E. korotyaevi has the base of the pronotum medially lobed towards the scutellum (Fig. 74 vs. 42) and E. voriseki is smaller, with flat elytra, slightly convex intervals and hair-like, flexible setae on the entire body (Figs. 69���71 vs. 54���55)., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo & Talamelli, Fabio, 2009, Revision of the genus Epexochus Reitter, with description of three new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae: Cleonini), pp. 47-68 in Zootaxa 2011 on pages 64-66, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.274687, {"references":["Ter-Minasyan, M. E. (1972) Zhuki-dolgonosiki podsemeystva Cleoninae (Curculionidae, Coleoptera) sobrannye sovetsko - mongolskimi zoologichelskimi ekspeditsiyami v 1967 - 1969 gg. Nasekomye Mongolii. 1. L.: Nauka: 539 - 556.","Faust, J. (1904) Revision der Gruppe Cleonides vrais. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 1904 (1): 177 - 284."]}

Epexochus korotyaevi Meregalli & Talamelli, sp. n. Diagnosis. An Epexochus species characterised by: base of pronotum medially distinctly lobed towards scutellum; scales narrow, lanceolate, ivory-greyish, with vague, slightly darker stripes on odd intervals; median triangular plate of rostrum slightly raised, barely visible; median part of the pronotum convex; elytra with slightly broadened sides; aedeagus with faintly sinuate apex. Description. Dimensions. Body length excluding rostrum: 16.72 mm. Rostrum: length 3.45 mm, width 1.84 mm (ratio 1.87). Pronotum: length 4.58 mm, width 4.95 mm (ratio 0.93). Elytra: length 11.90 mm, width 7.36 mm (ratio 1.62). Ratio of elytral to pronotal length 2.60 (holotype). Habitus. Body black, shortly elliptical, completely covered with usually simple scales but often imbricate, lanceolate, acuminate at apex (Figs. 40���41). Rostrum straight, less than twice as long as wide, weakly conical, dorso-lateral sides rounded, median part with a triangular, slightly raised and barely distinct plate; median line narrow, not sharply keeled, extending from vertex to antennal insertions, lowered in its anterior part; apex flat; epistoma prominent, straight; dorsal furrows very shallow, barely distinct; upper margin of scrobes weakly curved downwards in basal third, straight anteriorly, interrupted before lower margin of eye; lower and upper margins parallel; scrobes narrow, shallow, distinctly broadened at base; rostrum in lateral view nearly straight, nearly as thick at base as at apex, median line very weakly and evenly curved, subsinuate at base beyond head; underside with U-shaped keels, moderately converging from apex to base. Vestiture very thick, consisting of yellowish, oval, finely trifid scales directed towards median part in basal half and progressively turned anteriad in apical half, median tooth progressively more developed and lateral teeth reduced, scales at apex simple, elongate to lanceolate, seta-like on apical plate; on sides above scrobes short, sparse, mainly trifid, below scrobes lanceolate, acutely pointed; setae moderately distinct, yellow-orange, not raised (Figs. 44���45). Antenna slender. Scape straight, slightly thickened towards apex, with digitate scales. Funicle segment 1 globose, slightly bigger than 2, this twice as long as 1, cylindrical and slightly widened to apex; 3���5 moderately transverse; 6 larger than previous; 7 fused to club; all segments with elongate grey scales and hairlike setae. Club elliptical, finely setose, as long as previous 4 funicle segments combined (Fig. 47). Head transverse, flattened anteriorly between eyes, with a narrow, interocular, short, glossy median keel, densely coated with short, bifid and trifid yellowish scales; distance between eyes slightly broader than rostrum at base; vertex slightly convex. Eyes big, flat, broadly elliptical, lower margin rounded. Pronotum nearly as long as wide, base oblique, medially distinctly lobed towards scutellum, sides moderately and very evenly convergent from base to apex; dorsum medially weakly but distinctly convex from centre to apex, with barely visible median line, flat and lacking any raised sculpture from centre to base; in lateral view faintly convex, maximum height in middle; sculpture consisting of minute, dense punctures and sparse, scattered, barely larger, isolated punctures becoming denser towards sides, completely hidden by dense vestiture of ivory-greyish and very pale brownish, simple or trifid short scales, directed towards centre, with median tooth more developed and lateral teeth small, acute, sometimes indistinct; sides with very thick, in part imbricate, more distinctly trifid, usually paler yellow-whitish scales; setae short, hair-like, inserted in isolated larger punctures, hardly distinct (Fig. 42). Scutellum microscopic. Elytra broad, oval-elliptical, sides slightly broadened, maximum width behind middle of length, evenly rounded towards apex; in lateral view convex, declivity sharply sloping. Intervals 3, 5, 7 and 9 slightly but clearly convex, more raised and forming a distinct low hump near base; 6 reaching base of elytra, 7 and 9 fused at base; even intervals usually as wide as odd ones. Striae very narrow, shallow and generally indistinct. Vestiture consisting of dense, imbricate, simple, lanceolate, pale ivory scales, acutely pointed at one edge and rounded on other side, finely digitate only on interval 11 (lateral margin); scales on odd intervals slightly darker, very light brownish, particularly at base; setae distinct, stiff, hair-like, light brownish, semi-erect, inserted in two irregular rows on even and odd intervals (Fig. 37). FIGURES 40���53. Epexochus korotyaevi, structural details (40 ���42, 44���45, 48, 50���52: holotype; 43, 46���47, 49, 53: paratype). 40���41: habitus, dorsal and lateral views; 42: pronotum; 43, ventrites; 44���45, rostrum, lateral and dorsal views; 46: hemisternites; 47: antenna; 48: aedeagus, lateral view; 49: spermatheca; 50: aedeagus, dorsal view; 51���52: apex of aedeagus, dorsal and ventral views; 53: sternum VIII. Scale bars: 40���41: 5 mm; 42���45: 2 mm; 46 ���48, 50, 53: 1 mm; 51���52: 500 ��m; 49: 400 ��m. Legs slender. Femora slightly thickened medially, with generally trifid, lanceolate scales and erect, stiff, white setae. Tibiae rectilinear, densely coated with whitish scales and long sparse setae. Tarsi as typical of genus, with lateral setae directed downwards, segment 3 with lobes elongate, slightly widened; claws narrow, divergent, connate at base. Venter. Ventrite I curved at apex, II narrower, III half as long as II, IV longer than III, V shortly transverse; all very densely coated with whitish, imbricate, finely digitate scales and erect, stiff, whitish setae; base of II, III and IV with two very narrow stripes of dark brownish scales forming a narrow, barely distinct median basal stripe on V (Fig. 43). Genitalia. Aedeagus similar to that of E. lehmanni, slightly less curved and with a slightly conical median lobe; lamella longer and with weakly sinuate sides (Figs. 48, 50��� 52). Sternite VIII of �� with arms not fully connate at base, lamina conformed as in E. lehmanni (Fig. 53). Spermatheca with basal ramus (Fig. 49). Variation. The specimens examined are very uniform, in particular regarding the most significant discriminative traits, such as the base of the pronotum prominently extended towards the scutellum and the shape of the elytral scales; the ivory-greyish scales are always predominant but in some specimens the pale brown scales are more frequent, usually on the disc of the pronotum and the odd intervals, particularly on the basal low hump. The size is uniform, varying between 16.5 and 18.2 mm. Material examined. Holotype ����: TAJIKISTAN: "Beshkentskaja dol., Tadzh., r-i Shaar-tuza [37 �� 18 'N 67 �� 58 'E], Lopatin, 5.IV. [19] 58 (ZIN). Paratypes: same data, 1 �� 1 �� (1 �� MER; 1 �� ZIN) " Tadzhikistan, Tschilitschor, Tshesherin, 30.III. 1982 ", 1 �� 2 �� (1 �� 1 �� CSNV; 1 �� MER); "Tschilitshor-Tschashta W, Shaartuza, Tadzh. 22.IV. [1] 962, Krizhakovskij, 1 �� (ZIN); "Beshkentskaja dol., Tschilu sor Sashta, Tschukajukov, 13.III. [19]64, 1 �� (ZIN); same data, 23.VI. [19] 63, Soboleva, 2 �� i �� (ZIN); " Tadzhikistan distr., Shaartuz vil, Beshkent. dol, 24.IV. [19] 63 ", 1 �� 1 �� (ZIN); same data, 14.III. [19]62, 2 �� (ZIN); "r. Vakhsh, okr. Kyzyl-Kala [37 �� 53 'N 68 �� 39 'E], 4.IV. [19] 58 ", 1 �� (ZIN). Distribution (Fig. 82). The type locality, Beshkentskaja dolina, is in southern Tajikistan, and the species is apparently restricted to the southernmost part of Tajikistan. Etymology. With great pleasure we name this species after our friend Boris Korotyaev, acknowledging his help and contribution to this paper and to our studies of Russian weevils. Remarks. This species is closely related to E. lehmanni, from which it is consistently differentiated in the shape of the pronotum, with the base distinctly curved towards the elytra and the median part weakly but distinctly convex in the anterior half, in the lanceolate elytral scales, about 5 times as long as wide (2���3 times as long as wide in E. lehmanni) (Figs. 37 vs. 36), in the rostrum being moderately conical, broader at the base than between the antennae (Figs. 45 vs. 12), and in the very narrow stripe of brown scales at the base of the ventrites (Figs. 43 vs. 11)., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo & Talamelli, Fabio, 2009, Revision of the genus Epexochus Reitter, with description of three new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae: Cleonini), pp. 47-68 in Zootaxa 2011 on pages 58-61, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.274687

Epexochus voriseki Meregalli & Talamelli, sp. n. Diagnosis. An Epexochus species of relatively small size, characterised by its flat body, the elytra covered with predominantly brown scales and slender, long, hair-like setae, and the tarsi having very thick lateral tufts of setae. Description. Dimensions. Body length excluding rostrum: 13.10 mm. Rostrum: length 2.63 mm, width 1.63 mm (ratio 1.61). Pronotum: length 3.45 mm, width 3.97 mm (ratio 0.86). Elytra: length 9.04 mm, width 5.96 mm (ratio 1.52). Ratio of elytral to pronotal length 2.62 (holotype). Habitus. Body oval. Integument dark reddish to nearly black, densely coated with lanceolate, usually simple scales and long, hair-like setae; antennae ferruginous (Figs. 54���55). Rostrum straight, robust, dorso-lateral margins rounded, with very slight trace of a keel; median keel relatively sharp, high, distinct from base of rostrum to base of epistoma, slightly broadened at antennal insertion; convex triangular plate reduced, barely visible; longitudinal furrows moderately impressed, interrupted at antennal insertion and also visible, although shallower, on subapical plate, behind epistoma; rostrum in lateral view straight, median keel visible, straight from base to antennal insertion and curved towards apex; upper margin of scrobes glossy, keeled and slightly prominent, sinuate and reaching lower margin of eye; lower margin subparallel, shortly reaching underside; scrobes narrow, glossy, barely broadened basad when viewed from underside. Vestiture consisting of digitate whitish scales, densely disposed into dorsal furrows; scales smaller, trifid, whitish and brown, relatively sparse and not completely concealing integument on sides above upper margin of scrobes; scales on pregenae glossy, lanceolate, trifid, with very short lateral teeth or simple (Figs. 57���58). Antenna slender. Scape straight, narrow, slightly thickening towards apex, with dense silvery scales. Funicle with segment 1 globose, 2 as long as wide, 3���6 transverse, 7 larger, appressed to club, all densely coated with silvery scales and long setae. Club elliptical, segments 1 and 2 together as long as 3 (Fig. 59). Head transverse, broad, forehead between eyes as wide as rostrum at base, flat, with short median keel behind small interocular pit; vertex weakly convex. Vestiture consisting of dense, short, trifid, brownish scales. Eyes oval-triangular, nearly flat, upper part broadened, subangular at lower margin. Pronotum transverse, base weakly and evenly arched, not lobed towards scutellum, slightly sinuate towards external margins; sides subrectilinear up to anterior quarter, then shortly constricted to apex; apex distinctly prominent above head, on sides straight, postocular lobes hardly developed; dorsum flat, smooth, densely punctulate and with sparse, round, larger punctures; median line barely visible only on disc. Vestiture consisting of acuminate scales, usually trifid with very short lateral teeth, on disc forming a dark brown pattern narrowed anteriorly and broadening basad, delimited by a dorsal whitish stripe widening apicad, followed dorso-laterally by another brownish stripe; upper part of sides mainly white, median part brown, prosternum white; setae long, erect, mainly distinct on sides, clearly visible in dorsal view, particularly on sides and forming a distinct fringe behind base (Fig. 56). Scutellum minute. Elytra oval, sides hardly rounded, maximum width in middle of length, dorsum flattened, in lateral view very slightly convex, declivity feeble (Fig. 55). Odd intervals weakly but distinctly convex, particularly in basal half, even intervals not completely flat; interval 6 reaching base, 7 joined to 9 but not broadened at base, 8 nearly reaching base. Striae narrow but distinctly impressed. Vestiture consisting of acuminate to lanceolate scales, usually simple, finely digitate only on basal half of interval 11, brown on suture and intervals 3, 5, 7, white alternating with brown in short longitudinal stripes on odd intervals, mainly white on intervals 8���11; setae erect, hair-like, longer than an interval width, irregularly and relatively densely inserted on whole surface, longer on sides and declivity (Fig. 38). Legs robust. Femora moderately thickened in middle, with dense, aciculate, white scales and erect setae. Tibiae cylindrical, densely scaly and with dense and long erect white setae. Tarsi with segment 1 shortly triangular, 2 triangular, widened, 3 with broad lobes, all with strongly developed lateral tuft of setae, particularly thickened on hind tarsus, and with very dense white scales and very long hair-like setae (Fig. 62); onychium slender and setose, claws narrow, divergent, connate near base. Ventrites. Ventrites I and II relatively narrow, of similar length, III and IV slightly narrower, V transverse, evenly rounded; all with extremely thick vestiture of slender, imbricate digitate scales, teeth very long and fine, white with a brown basal stripe on segments II���V (Fig. 61). Genitalia. Aedeagus weakly curved; lamella short, apex subacute (Figs. 63 ���64, 66, 68). Sternite VIII of �� with arms connate at base, apical sclerotisation dense and expanded (Fig. 60). Spermatheca with cornu thick, sharply curved at 90 �� above nodulus, ramus basal (Fig. 65). Hemisternites slightly and evenly broadened (Fig. 67). Variation. The specimens examined are relatively uniform; the peculiar structure of the tarsi is present in all. Also the pattern of the vestiture shows limited variability, with the brown scales always predominant, sometimes covering the entire dorsum of the elytra, but some specimens have a narrow median longitudinal white line on the pronotum. All specimens are smaller than 15 mm. Material examined. Holotype ��: UZBEKISTAN: ��� Uzbekistan, Gazli [40 ��08'N 67 �� 27 '], 13.IV. (19) 89, M. Janata leg.��� (MER). Paratypes: same data, 10 ex (3 �� 1 �� MER; 2 �� CSNV; 4 ex VOR). TURKMENISTAN: "Ozera Turkmen kel' [indication non precisely located], 28.IV. [19] 54, Luppova A. N.", 2 �� (ZIN). FIGURES 54���68. Epexochus voriseki, structural details (54 ���59, 62���64, 66, 68: holotype; 60 ���61, 65, 67: paratype). 54���55: habitus, dorsal and lateral views; 56: pronotum; 57���58: rostrum, dorsal and lateral views; 59: antenna; 60: sternum VIII; 61: ventrites; 62: tarsus; 63: aedeagus, detail of apex, dorsal view; 64: aedeagus, lateral view; 65: spermatheca; 66: aedeagus, detail of apex, ventral view; 67: hemisternite; 68: aedeagus, dorsal view. Scale bars: 54���55: 5 mm; 56 ���57, 61: 2 mm; 58, 64, 68: 1 mm; 59 ���60, 62���63, 67: 500 ��m. Distribution (Fig. 82). All specimens examined were collected in central Uzbekistan and in Turkmenistan. The Turkmenian record is not indicated on the map (Fig. 82) since it was impossible to precisely locate it. Etymology. We name this species in memory of the Czech entomologist J. O. Voř����ek (1921���2008), with whom the senior author shared a personal friendship for more than 30 years and whose kindness, warm hospitality and help with specimens and information was always inspirational. Remarks. This species is easily recognisable by its comparatively smaller size, the barely convex elytra with faintly oblique declivity and vestiture of predominating brown scales with narrow stripes of whitish scales, the very long, flexible setae sparsely distributed over the entire dorsum, the long tufts of setae behind the base of the pronotum and the slightly shorter tarsal segments with long lateral setae., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo & Talamelli, Fabio, 2009, Revision of the genus Epexochus Reitter, with description of three new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae: Cleonini), pp. 47-68 in Zootaxa 2011 on pages 61-64, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.274687

Epexochus lehmanni (M��n��tries) Cleonus Lehmanni M��n��tries, 1849: 251. Leucochromus Lehmanni (M��n��tries): Chevrolat 1873: 2 [as Lhemanni], 99; Faust 1904: 191. Epilectus Lehmanni (M��n��tries): Faust 1904: 208. Epexochus lehmanni (M��n��tries): Reitter 1913: 40; Ter-Minasyan 1968: 516; 1988: 46. Cleonus (Epexochus) Lehmanni (M��n��tries): Csiki 1934: 39. Exochus latus Chevrolat, 1873: 3; 99 (syn. n.). Epilectus Lehmanni ? latus (Chevrolat): Faust 1904: 208. Cleonus (Epexochus) Lehmanni ? latus (Chevrolat): Csiki 1934: 39. Leucochromus Lehmanni var. consobrinus Faust, 1904: 191, 192. Epilectus Lehmanni var. consobrinus (Faust): Faust 1904: 208. Cleonus (Epexochus) Lehmanni ab. consobrinus (Faust): Csiki 1934: 39. Leucochromus consobrinus (Faust): Ter-Minasyan 1972: 543; 1988: 43. Epexochus consobrinus (Faust): Arzanov 2005: 150. Redescription. Dimensions: Body length excluding rostrum: 18.10 mm. Rostrum: length 3.89 mm, width 1.99 mm (ratio 1.95). Pronotum: length 5.10 mm, width 5.90 mm (ratio 0.86). Elytra: length 13.06 mm, width 8.19 mm (ratio 1.59). Ratio of elytral to pronotal length 2.56 (holotype). Habitus. Body oval, broad, moderately convex (Figs. 1, 10). Integument dark ferruginous to blackish, densely covered on dorsum with small, simple, acuminate scales and on underside with bifid to multifid scales. Rostrum straight, more than twice as long as wide, dorso-lateral margins rounded, not keeled, nearly straight from base to apex; epistoma prominent anteriorly, apex straight; dorsum with narrow glossy median keel extending to apex before epistoma, flanked by a broad triangular convex plate, whose sides are broadened anteriad, extending from base, where sides of convexity closely approach median keel, to antennal insertion, where sides nearly reach dorso-lateral margins; dorsal convexity delimiting narrow, relatively shallow dorsal furrows; upper margin of scrobes glossy, evenly curved, sinuate posteriorly, directed towards, and interrupted before, lower margin of eye; lower margin of scrobes parallel to upper margin, reaching underside near base, interrupted on underside at lateral margins of rostrum; underside with keels linearly converging, strongly so towards base and there confluent; surface weakly concave between keels; in lateral view rostrum straight, of equal thickness from base to apex, dorso-lateral margins slightly sinuate basally, median convexity distinctly higher than sides, median keel very weakly curved, sinuate basally, angle between forehead and rostrum strongly obtuse. Surface of rostrum glossy, minutely punctulate and with sparse, moderately larger, isolated punctures, more distinct basally and on sides before eyes. Vestiture consisting of dense, white, glossy, acuminate, simple scales, directed towards middle near base and progressively forward towards apex, progressively more elongate towards apical part, often with two minute and acute lateral basal projections, which towards sides are longer and transform part of the scales into a digitate form with three teeth; sides in front of eyes with sparse, brown trifid scales not hiding integument; pregenae and underside with elliptical, acuminate, glossy white scales; setae sparse, relatively thick, on dorsum short, appressed to integument and limited to basal part, on pregenae and underside longer and thinner, semi-erect, clearly distinct; epistoma punctulate, with microscopic golden setae (Figs. 12 ���13, 16). Antenna slender. Scape narrow, very weakly thickened at apex, slightly curved anteriad. Funicle with segment 1 subquadrate, 2 cylindrical, as wide as and 1.5 times as long as 1; 3���6 similar to each other, transverse; 7 subquadrate, slightly larger and twice as long as 6, fused to club. Club elliptical, as long as funicle segments 4���7 together, club segment 3 as long as previous two segments together, annulus clearly distinct; scape with sparse, ovate or digitate scales and narrow setae, funicle with dense white scales, club with very dense, golden, hair-like scales, lacking setae (Fig. 17). Head broad, nearly as long as wide, not sharply differentiated from base of rostrum, interocular distance wider than rostrum at base, forehead nearly flat, with small interocular pit and narrow median glossy line extending to vertex; this moderately convex in middle. Vestiture consisting of dense, white scales and short, barely distinct, orange setae reclined on integument, inserted in small, spaced punctures. Eyes flat, large, moderately narrowed below, lower margin broadly rounded. FIGURES 10���20. Epexochus lehmanni, structural details (10, 12���13, 16��� 18: holotype; 11, 14���15, 19��� 20: specimen from Borokhoro). 10, habitus, lateral view; 11, habitus, ventral view; 12���13, rostrum, dorsal and ventral views; 14���15, tarsus, ventral and dorsal views; 16, rostrum, lateral view; 17, antenna; 18, pronotum; 19���20, maxilla, dorsal and ventral views. Scale bars: 10���11: 10 mm; 12 ���15, 18: 2 mm; 16���17: 1 mm; 19���20: 500 ��m. Pronotum broad, nearly flat, base subrectilinear, moderately and evenly arched, posteriorly not medially protruding towards elytra, sides nearly parallel or feebly diverging towards apical quarter, then moderately, evenly curved to apex; anterior margin very weakly sinuate; surface smooth, minutely punctulate and with sparse, slightly larger, round punctures, often with a small, glossy, round bare patch near lateral margin; median line glossy, very narrow, barely distinct at the extremes, usually slightly more evident and broadened on disc; pronotum in lateral view faintly convex, maximum height near base. Vestiture consisting of oval, acutely pointed scales inserted in minute punctures, usually white-yellowish on dorso-lateral part and on sides, dark brown on disc forming an irregular pattern, narrowed anteriorly and widened posteriorly, with some whitish spots inside, and also brown on part of sides, mainly forming an anterior patch; scales on sides progressively more slender, setae orange or light brown, short and completely appressed against integument, inserted in larger sparse punctures (Fig. 18). Scutellum very small, triangular, setose. Elytra oval���elliptical, in lateral view moderately convex, maximum height behind middle of length, declivity oblique; base weakly arched, humeri not prominent, sides weakly curvilinear, with maximum width behind middle of length, evenly rounded at apex. Intervals wide, even ones narrower than odd ones, 3 and 5 clearly higher than others, particularly in basal half, 6 and 8 not reaching base, 7 and 9 fused basally into a broad, weakly convex hump, separated by a narrow furrow from base of interval 5. Striae very narrow and shallow, with barely distinct punctures. Vestiture consisting of very dense, oval, acutely pointed, whitish alternating with brown scales in very variable patterns; the latter frequent on dorsum in a more or less continuous layer, where white scales form irregularly scattered patches; intervals 7���11 usually with whitish scales and seldom with brown patches; interval 11 with digitate scales; setae golden coloured, semi-erect, shorter than an interval width, more distinct on declivity and sides (Fig. 36). Legs slender. Femora slightly thickened medially. Tibiae narrow, fore tibia weakly sinuate, middle and hind tibiae straight, apex not expanded; vestiture consisting of dense, whitish scales, often replaced with brown scales near apex of femora, and dense long, semi-erect, white setae inserted in distinct, small punctures. Tarsi with segments 1 and 2 of fore and middle tarsi triangular, 2 broader than 1, 3 lobed, lobes very shortly expanded; segment 1 of hind tarsus longer, nearly three times as long as wide, 2 slightly longer than wide, 3 very short; all segments with white scales and setae expanded side- and downwards (Fig. 15); onychium elongated, slightly thickened in apical half; underside lacking adhesive pad, replaced by downward-directed, thick, orange setae (Fig. 14); claws slender, divergent, connate at base (Fig. 26). Venter. Prosternum with low hump before fore coxae. Ventrite I relatively narrow, width between hind coxae and margin narrower than space between coxae; II slightly narrower than I; III and IV moderately narrower than II; V short, clearly impressed before apex; vestiture consisting of very dense coating of elongate, slender, bifid or multifid scales, white with a narrow brown basal patch, slightly expanded towards sides, on ventrites II���IV; ventrite V with a broader brown triangular patch, narrowed apically and nearly reaching apex; setae whitish, long, very narrow and relatively dense, inserted in barely visible, small punctures (Fig. 11). Genitalia. Aedeagus slender, tubular, curved, lamella shortly sub-triangular, apex subacute or narrowly rounded (Figs. 27���35). Sternite VIII of �� with narrow arms, connate at base, lamina sclerotised only at apex of arms (Fig. 21). Spermatheca with ramus usually sub-basal (Figs. 22, 25). Hemisternites as typical of genus (Fig. 23). Material examined. Type series. Cleonus lehmanni M��n��tries, holotype ��: KAZAKHSTAN, AKTOBE PROV.: "Emba-Steppe [approximately 48 ��N 57 ��E], ��� [illegible], 1840 / Cleonus lehmanni m. / M��n��tries det. [pr.] / Lehmanni M��n��tr. / Cleonus lehmanni, M��n��tries 1849, Holotypus, 2008 Meregalli vid. (red). Leucochromus lehmanni var. consobrinus Faust, 3 syntypes: KAZAKHSTAN, ZHAMBYL PROV.: "Syr Daria, Aulie Ata" [= Taraz, 42 �� 53 'N 71 �� 22 'E] (SMTD). Exochus latus Chevrolat, holotype �� (see Perrin & Meregalli, 2008): "Kirghis or." (MNHN). Non-type specimens. RUSSIA, VOLGOGRAD PROV.: "Elton ok., ozera na doroge [49 ��07'N 46 �� 34 'E], 4.VI. [19] 52, Buriascheva", 1 �� (ZIN). KAZAKHSTAN: " 200 km ot [from] Atbasara [Atbasar: 51 �� 17 'N 68 �� 19 'E], Akmol. obl., A. Emeljanov, 3.VI. [19] 57 ", 1 �� (ZIN). "Turg. obl., Myn-sai [approximately 49 ��N 65 ��E], 3.V. [19] 14 ", 1 �� (ZIN); "Betpak-Dala, Sary-Kamys [46 ��02'N 70 �� 12 'E], 7.V. [19] 55, L. Serkova", 1 �� (ZIN); " 40 km O st. Kzyl-Dzhar [48 �� 18 'N 69 �� 38 'E], Karagand. obl., L. Arnoldi, 23.V. [1] 962 ", 1 �� (ZIN); " 10 km S���V [N-E] g. Balkhasha, Z. Matis, 23.V. 1966 ", 1 �� (ZIN); "Syr Daria, Aulie Ata" [= Taraz, 42 �� 53 'N 71 �� 22 'E], 102 ex (100 exx SMTD, 2 ex MER); id, under C. lehmanni var. consobrinus Faust, 55 exx (SMTD); "Turkest.: Aulie-ata, E. Wilberg", 2 �� (MER); "Aulie Ata", 2 exx (MER); "Semirechye [approximately 43���46 ��N 74���79 ��E], step k Balkhashy, Makhonin, 1909 " 1 �� (ZIN); "Okr. oz. Balkhasha, V. 1907, Mamisson", 1 �� (ZIN); "Koibun, Semirjetschensk, coll. Winkler, 3 �� 1 ��. (MER); "Balchasch, Matthiessen", 1 �� (POD); "Yu-V [S-E] Kazakhstan, Taldy - Kurgan. obl., pustynya Ak-Tau, V. N. Plasolov, 10.V. 1994 ", 1 �� (ZIN); "Okr. Kopala [45 ��08'N 79 ��01'E], 18.IV. 1910, Lukjanovitsch", 1 �� (ZIN); "Kazakhst. m.-or., Saryesik-Atyrau des., Enbek [45 �� 15 'N 75 �� 29 'E], 1.5. 1990, Bene�� + Voř����ek leg.", 2 �� (1 �� MER, 1 �� VOR); " Kazakhstan SE, Bakanas vill. [44 �� 48 'N 76 �� 16 'E], 04/ 1993, leg. Saldaitiz" 1 �� (CSNV); "S.E. Kazakhstan, Ili riv., Bakanas vill, 2.5.1996 ", 1 �� (CSNV); " Kazakhstan, Ily desert, S fr. Bakanas, 2 / 4.V. 1997, Klimenko A., 2 �� (1 �� MER, 1 �� CSNV); " Kazakhstan, Prov. Almaty, 5 km NE Burundisu, 550 m, 78 �� 38 'E 43 �� 43 'N, 17.V. 1994, leg. Gy. F��bi��n & I. Retez��r", 2 �� 2 �� (2 �� 1 �� POD, 1 �� MER); "Mzhd. Tshilikom i Tsharynom, 13.V. [18] 89, Gr. Grzhimailo", 1 �� (ZIN); " Kazakhstan, 1965, r. Tsharyn, ur. Sartogai [43 �� 31 'N 79 �� 14 'E], 3.VI. 1964, Kostin Badenko", 1 �� 1 �� (ZIN); "Dzharkentsk. utz., r. Ili [43 �� 50 'N 80 ��00'E], 1 / 2.V. 1909 ", 1 �� (ZIN); "Zailiskii Ala Tau, sklon Moyun-saz (?), 20.06.[19] 23, Pashina" 1 �� (ZIN). CHINA, XINJIANG: "Dzhungaria, Borokhoro Geb. [43 �� 55 'N 82 ��06'], Coll. Hauser, 6.05 ", 59 ex (18 exx: MER; 2 ex: POD; 4 ex: ZMHB; 35 NMW); "Kuldsha [= Yining, 43 �� 53 'N 81 �� 16 '], A. Regel", 1 �� (ZIN); "Mzhd. Suidunom i Khorgossom, 28.V. [18] 89, Gr. Grzhimailo", 1 �� (ZIN); "Dzhinkho [= Jinghe, 44 �� 36 'N 82 �� 53 '], 13.VI. [18] 89, Gr. Grzhimailo", 3 exx (ZIN); "Dzhungar, Urumtschi"[43 �� 55 'N 87 �� 34 '], 1 �� (MER). UNDETERMINED COUNTRY: "Kirghiz, Eversm.", 1 �� 1 ��. (SMTD);"R.m., Kirg. stepp." (red, pr.), 1 �� (ZIN); no data, " 93 " 1 �� (MER). Distribution (Fig. 82). Epexochus lehmanni has a broad range, which stretches more than 3000 km between its extremes. The holotype is from the northernmost limit, but most of the known specimens were found in south-eastern Kazakhstan and in Chinese Kazakhstan, in present-day north-western Xinjiang, on the Dzhungar Alatau mountains. Biology. Nothing is known about the host plants of the species, a single record existing of a specimen found "on Artemisia ". This plant is associated with steppe habitats, growing at altitudes from sea level in northern and central Kazakhstan to at least 1500 m on the Alatau ridge. Remarks. The description of the E. lehmanni was based on a single specimen, found "in springtime in the steppe near the Emba [river]" ("D'apres un seul individu pris au primtemps dans les steppes pr��s de l'Emba", M��n��tries 1849: 252). This type specimen, housed in the ZIN, is thus the holotype. Two more names are applicable to this species. Chevrolat (1873) described E. latus, based on a specimen ex Gebler's collection, but since this type specimen was not located again, the name has always been considered as of doubtful status. Faust (1904) included it with a question mark under Epilectus lehmanni, and since then it was never cited again in taxonomic works; in the Coleopterorum Catalogus Csiki (1934) simply followed Faust in doubtfully referring it to E. lehmanni. A part of Gebler's collection was recently rediscovered in the MNHN (Perrin & Meregalli 2008); it includes the type of latus and its pertinence to Epexochus was confirmed. The type locality of latus was cited as " Deserto Kirghisorum ", but this unfortunately is a very vague indication since the Kirghiz desert embraces a very large area of central Asia, including most of central and southern Kazakhstan. Two specimens housed in the SMTD, extremely similar to the type of latus, are labelled, in Fausts' handwriting, "Kirghiz, Eversmann" and " lehmanni, cum typo comp.". They look somewhat intermediate between the central and southern Kazakhstan populations of E. lehmanni, being quite similar to the forms from Aulie-ata except for having shorter elytral setae. The status to be afforded to Epexochus latus is discussed below. The second species name associated with E. lehmanni was proposed by Faust (1904: 192) as Leucochromus lehmanni var. consobrinus, for specimens from Aulie-ata [= Djambul, now Taraz, in southern Kazakhstan] characterised by the elytral vestiture consisting of predominantly greyish-white scales and occurring sympatrically with the typically brownish-coloured specimens. Later in the same work, Faust (1904: 208) referred lehmanni and its variety consobrinus to the new genus Epilectus Faust. According to Art. 45.6. 4 of the ICZN (1999), lehmanni var. consobrinus Faust has infrasubspecific rank, since the content of Faust���s work reveals that he used the name for a sympatric colour variety, i.e. the consequence of intrapopulational variability defined as an infrasubspecific entity in the glossary of the ICZN. Faust's name was not again considered until Ter-Minasyan (1972) raised it to species level (as " Leucochromus consobrinus Faust, stat. nov. "), applying the name to a specimen from Mongolia. This generic attribution is surprising, because a) apart from its ambiguous original description, consobrinus had always been referred to Epexochus, which is clearly distinct from Leucochromus, b) the Mongolian entity belongs to Epexochus and not to Leucochromus, and c) it is also a species different from Faust's consobrinus from Aulie-ata. However, despite this misapplication to another taxon, according to Art. 45.6. 4.1 Ter-Minasyan's adoption of Faust's name for a species makes consobrinus an available name at subspecific rank, with its original authorship. Ter-Minasyan equipped the Mongolian specimen with a red label reading " Leucochromus consobrinus Faust, holotypus ", but that is an erroneous designation since the type series is from Aulie-ata, as in Faust's collection. The species erroneously attributed by Ter-Minasyan to Leucochromus consobrinus Faust is described below as Epexochus mongolicus sp. n. Finally, Arzanov (2005), based on some differences between consobrinus and L. imperialis in the structure of the internal sac of the aedeagus, considered the former as a valid species in the genus Epexochus and formally established this combination. The evaluation of the status to be given to consobrinus and latus (species, subspecies or synonym of E. lehmanni) requires an analysis of the intra- and interpopulation variation of E. lehmanni. Only few specimens could be examined from central and northern Kazakhstan, where the type locality of lehmanni lies. These are characterised by the dorsum being mainly covered with dark brown scales, with the white scales forming a few roundish spots on the disc and the top of the declivity. The declivity itself and the lateral parts of the elytra are generally whitish. The elytral setae vary from whitish, short and sparse (holotype, Fig. 1; Elton lake, Fig. 2) to dense, golden, erect (particularly on the declivity), more than half as long as an interval width (Myn-Sai, Fig. 3; Atbasa, Kzyl-Dzhar). The rostrum is usually short, narrower at the base and has a prominent median keel, with the anterior triangular plate usually clearly distinct, the dorso-lateral margins low and in lateral view more concave in their basal part. The base of the pronotum is usually medially slightly lobed, and the elytra are widest behind the middle and broader towards the apex. The aedeagus of the specimen from Elton lake has a short, acute lamella and is strongly curved in lateral view (Figs. 28 ���29, 32), but that of the specimens from Kzyl-Dzhar and Betpak-Dala has a better developed lamella and is less strongly curved (Fig. 33). A specimen from the steppes north of the Balkhash lake and a few others generically labelled "Balkhash lake" have quite a similar pattern of el, Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo & Talamelli, Fabio, 2009, Revision of the genus Epexochus Reitter, with description of three new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae: Cleonini), pp. 47-68 in Zootaxa 2011 on pages 50-57, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.274687, {"references":["Menetries, M. (1849) Catalogue des insectes recueillis par feu M. Lehmann avec les descriptions des nouvelles especes. Seconde et derniere partie. Tetramere. Curculionites. Memoires de l'Academie Imperiale des Sciences de Saint- Petersbourg. Sixieme Serie. Sciences Naturelles, VI: 249 - 263.","Chevrolat, A. (1873) Memoire sur les Cleonides. Memoires de la Societe Royale des Sciences de Liege, 2 (5): I - VIII + 1 - 118.","Faust, J. (1904) Revision der Gruppe Cleonides vrais. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 1904 (1): 177 - 284.","Reitter, E. (1913) Bestimmungs-Schlussel der mir bekannten europaischen Gattungen der Curculionidae, mit Einschluss der mir bekannten Gattungen aus dem palaearctischen Gebiete. Verhandlungen des naturforschenden Vereines in Brunn, 52: 129 - 242.","Ter-Minasyan, M. E .. (1968) Obzor zhukov-dolgonosikov triby Cleonini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) fauny Srediey Azii i Kazakhstana. Entomologicheskoe Obozrennie 47 (3): 512 - 522.","Csiki, E. (1934). Curculionidae. Subfam. Cleoninae. In: Schenkling S. (Ed.). Coleopterorum Catalogus auspiciis et auxilio W. Junk, 134: pp. 152.","Ter-Minasyan, M. E. (1972) Zhuki-dolgonosiki podsemeystva Cleoninae (Curculionidae, Coleoptera) sobrannye sovetsko - mongolskimi zoologichelskimi ekspeditsiyami v 1967 - 1969 gg. Nasekomye Mongolii. 1. L.: Nauka: 539 - 556.","Arzanov, Ju. G. (2005) Taxonomic notes on weevils of the tribe Cleonini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Lixinae). Caucasian Entomological Bulletin 1 (2): 150.","Perrin, H. & Meregalli, M. (2008) Designation de lectotypes de Cleonini decrits par Gebler et Chevrolat, dans les collections Entomologiques du Museum national d'Histoire naturelle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae). Nouvelle revue d'Entomologie, 29: 129 - 148."]}

PACHYCERUS EFFLATOUNI (TEWFIK, 1942) Cleonus (Pachycerus) Efflatouni Tewfik, 1942: 171. Holotype (not found): Yemen, Wadi Sharis [15°41′N, 43°35′E]. Type: This species was based on a single specimen labelled ‘ Wadi Sharis (Yemen), 16– 21.7.1936 ’ (Tewfik, 1942: 174). Tewfik was the Curator of the Entomological Collections of the Faculty of Science, Fuad I University, Cairo, Egypt, and in the original description it was stated that the holotype was deposited in this collection. However, notwithstanding a long search in all of the collections of the institute, my colleague Mahmoud Abdel-Dayem (Fouad I University, Cairo, Egypt) was not able to find it. Discussion: No other specimen referable to this species was cited after the description, and the only other Pachycerus examined from the Arabian Peninsula belongs to P. hippali sp. nov., a completely different taxon. Hence, the true identity of P. efflatouni remains uncertain. The original description is relatively good, although it particularizes nonspecific traits, which are sometimes even typical of the entire family or subfamily, and are thus devoid of any significant value in the characterization of this species. The text and the schematic drawings of the body suggest that this species belongs to the P. badeni group. It is 12-mm long (probably including the rostrum), and is characterized by four black round spots on the elytra, two on the base and two on the declivity, behind the apex of interval 5, forming a distinctive pattern; it should have simple scales on the elytra and have bifid to multifid scales on the rostrum. Refer to Tewfik (1942) for the complete description: a detailed comparative discussion between the original description of P. efflatouni and the characters of P. sahelicus sp. nov. is given in the description of the latter species. The original drawings are reproduced here in Figure 70., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo, 2009, Revision of the Indo-African Pachycerus Schoenherr, 1823, with a description of four new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae), pp. 295-325 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 157 (2) on page 312, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00506.x, http://zenodo.org/record/5443527, {"references":["Tewfik M. 1942. A new weevil from Southern Arabia: Cleonus (Pachycerus) Efflatouni nov. spec. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae-Cleoninae). Bulletin de la Societe Fouad 1 er d'Entomologie 26: 171 - 174."]}

Meregalli, Massimo (2009): Revision of the Indo-African Pachycerus Schoenherr, 1823, with a description of four new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 157 (2): 295-325, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00506.x, URL: https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00506.x

PACHYCERUS HIPPALI SP. NOV. Type locality: Saudi Arabia, Jeddah, Taif, 20°17′N, 40°23′E. Holotype male: Saudi Arabia: ‘ Jeddah – Taif [20°17′N, 40°23′E], 200–600 m, 1.V.1979 / KAU-NHMB 1979, Exp. N. Hedjaz’, 1 ♂ (NHMB). Paratypes: Egypt: ‘Egypte, Gabal Elba, W. Cansisrob [Wadi Kansisrob, 22°15′N, 36°32′W], 25.I.1933 ’, 1 ex. (NHMB); Sudan: ‘Kordofan, Grahm./34837/138/ opimus Ghl. ’, 1 ♀ (ZMHB). Diagnosis: A Pachycerus sister species to P. opimus, characterized by the aedeagus acutely pointed at the apex, the narrow, S-shaped hemisternites, the spermatheca with slender, acuminate cornu, the pronotum with subparallel sides, and the ratio length/ width of the elytra less than 1.40. Measurements: Body length excluding rostrum: 12.45 mm. Rostrum: length, 1.97 mm; width, 1.38 mm; ratio, 1.43. Pronotum: length, 3.25 mm; width, 3.97 mm; ratio, 0.82. Elytra: length, 7.45 mm; width, 5.37 mm; ratio, 1.38. Ratio of elytral to pronotal length: 2.29 (holotype). Description (with characters of P. opimus in parenthesis): General aspect of P. opimus; ratio of elytral to pronotal length usually slightly lower (Figs 3, 11 vs. 1, 10). Rostrum with a narrow sharp median keel, and glossy raised dorsolateral keels, almost lacking punctures (median keel scarcely sharp, slightly obtuse; dorsolateral keels with several punctures) (Fig. 9 vs. 5). Antennae very similar, segment I of funicle slightly narrower at base (Fig. 17 vs. 16). Eyes nearly symmetrical, moderately broadened on upper part, and regularly rounded on superior margin (eyes relatively asymmetrical, slightly angular in the point of maximum width) (Fig. 7 vs. 6). Pronotum robust, with maximum width at middle of length, sides subparallel, with relatively dense convex glossy granules, base at centre with a slight indentation, dorsum with interspaces of granules narrow, high, dorsolateral impression shallow, with several granules (pronotum with maximum width near base, lateral granules sparse, scarcely raised, flattened on top, base more acutely prominent, dorsum with scarcely differentiated punctures, interspaces scarcely raised) (Fig. 4 vs. 2). Elytra with narrow, barely defined striae, much smaller than intervals, punctures nearly indistinct, transformed in short, relatively deep furrows; integument deeply wrinkled; sides at apex shortly convergent behind weak subapical impression (striae smaller than intervals but clearly differentiated, with irregular but usually distinct round or elongate punctures, integument shallowly wrinkled, glossy; apex more elongated behind subapical impression). Vestiture with scales usually connate at basal third, and with long teeth (scales usually with very short teeth) (Fig. 14 vs. 13). Aedeagus with lamella broad, triangular, sides shortly convergent, apex subacute (aedeagus with regularly narrowed lamella, apex subtruncate) (Figs 21, 26–27 vs. 22, 25, 28). Hemisternites S-shaped, narrow, with cylindrical styli (hemisternites broad, oblong, not evidently S-shaped, styli longer) (Fig. 19 vs. 18); spermatheca with curved, slender cornu, subacute at apex (spermatheca with cornu short, scarcely curved, not acute at apex) (Fig. 23 vs. 24); sternum VIII not significantly differentiated (Fig. 20 vs. 15). Variation: The two specimens from both sides of the Red Sea, Gabal Elba and Jeddah, are nearly identical. The specimen from Sudan has slightly shallower sculpture and deeper dorsolateral impressions of the pronotum. The ratio of elytral to pronotal length is constant in the three specimens examined (2.27– 2.29). Etymology: This species, diffused along the coasts of the Red Sea, is named after Hippalus. He was a Greek navigator and merchant who probably lived in the 1st century BCE, and was credited with discovering the direct route from the Red Sea to India over the Indian Ocean (Wikipedia contributors, 2008). Distribution (Fig. 108): Pachycerus hippali sp. nov. is present all along the coasts of the Red Sea, and reaches Kurdufan, in central Sudan., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo, 2009, Revision of the Indo-African Pachycerus Schoenherr, 1823, with a description of four new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae), pp. 295-325 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 157 (2) on page 303, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00506.x, http://zenodo.org/record/5443527

PACHYCERUS VESTITUS (FÅHRAEUS, 1842) Cleonus vestitus Fåhraeus, 1842: 49. Pachycerus vestitus: Chevrolat, 1873: 110. Pachycerus vestitus: Faust, 1904: 223. Cleonus (Pachycerus) vestitus: Csiki, 1934: 54. Cleonus (Pachycerus) vestitus: Alfieri, 1976: 255. Lectotype (designated here), probably male (not dissected): 1. W. Abiad [?] 1837 (hw); 2. Bahr el Abiad (pr); 3. ‘85’ (pr); 4. ‘3.’ (pr); 5. Hdb (pr); 6. Type (red, pr); 7. Cleonus vestitus Fåhraeus, 1842, Lectotypus, 2007 Meregalli des. (NHRS, coll. Schoenherr, drawer #187). Other specimens: Sudan: ‘ Kordofan, Bedel’, 1 ♀ (SMTD); Senegal: ‘ Senegal, Richter’, 1 ♂ (SMTD); ‘ Seneg’, 1 ♀ (BMNH); Guinea: ‘ Guinea’, 1 ♂ (BMNH). Type: The name vestitus probably comes from Schoenherr, whose acronym ‘Schh.’ is cited by side of the epithet, before the diagnosis; the description is signed by Fåhraeus. The description (Fåhraeus, in Schoenherr, 1842: 49) reads ‘ Patria: Bahr el Abiad Aegypti. Dom. Hedenborg. Mus. Reg. Ac. Scient. Holm.’ One specimen is preserved in NHRS, and is labelled Bahr el Abiad. The original description gives no hint of the number of specimens seen by Fåhraeus, thus the specimen preserved in NHRS is designated here as the lectotype of C. vestitus. Measurements: Body length excluding rostrum: 10.29 mm. Rostrum: length, 2.05 mm; width, 1.03 mm; ratio, 2.00. Pronotum: length, 2.48 mm; width, 3.14 mm; ratio, 0.79. Elytra: length, 6.60 mm; width, 4.36 mm; ratio, 1.51. Ratio of elytral to pronotal length: 2.66 (♂; Guinea). Redescription (Figs 43–56): Body oblong-elliptical, of medium size, integument dark reddish, thickly covered with bifid scales and long setae (Figs 43–44). Rostrum strong, subquadrate in transverse section, dorsolateral margins moderately raised, straight, parallel from base to apex, median line raised, obtusely convex, widened forwards, epistoma angularly convex at middle, apex prominent; dorsum weakly impressed between central and dorsolateral margins; in lateral view rostrum nearly straight from base to antennal insertion, curved downwards apically, distinctly thickened from base to apex; upper margin of scrobes straight, not keeled, reaching base of eyes; lower margin shortly directed to underside of rostrum; scrobes wide, broadened from antennal insertion to base, and glossy; vestiture extremely thick, completely hiding surface, composed of long, light-yellowish scales, bifid from base, very dense, moderately erect, imbricate, centripetal to forward-directed on dorsum, also very dense on dorsal keel, where they are often simple, relatively broad, long acuminate; beyond antennal insertion scales simple, long, acuminate, outward-directed, and semi-erect; dorsolateral margins with a row of hair-like setae, erect, and slightly longer than the scales; epistoma with some very long, erect, forwarddirected setae; sides in front of eyes with few setae, upward oriented and very scarce simple scales, not hiding the glossy, punctured integument; underside with long, slender setae moderately raised (Figs 45– 46). Antennae short, densely scaly; scape distinctly curved forwards, moderately thickened from base; funicle thick, compact, of uniform thickness, segment I subcylindrical, as long as wide; segments II–VII progressively more transverse; club long elliptical, acuminate, segment I subcylindrical, thick also at base, densely scaly in its basal half, finely hairy as the rest of club in apical half (Fig. 47). Head moderately larger than rostrum, strongly delimited from base of rostrum, vertex distinctly raised laterally above eyes, flattened on centre, base behind eyes impressed; vestiture extremely dense, on vertex with narrow acuminate simple scales, directed backwards, above eyes with tufts of dense raised short lightbrownish setae. Eyes elongate, oblique, weakly convex, dorsal margins parallel. Pronotum small, transverse, base weakly oblique, centre not sharply protruded towards elytra, sides straight, nearly parallel from base to apical quarter, shortly converging at apex; apex weakly rounded above head, postocular lobes distinct; dorsum on disc with a shallow longitudinal broad impression; surface densely punctured, with deep round punctures delimited by narrow raised interspaces, sculpture hidden by vestiture; sides lacking distinctly raised glossy granules; vestiture composed of generally bifid, rarely simple, light- and dark-brown scales, forming a sharp pattern: light-brown scales disposed in a broad stripe in the central longitudinal impression, in two narrow curved dorsal lines, starting near centre at apex, outwards curved up to behind middle of length, rectilinearly narrowed at base, and in a broad dorsolateral stripe, sharply delimited and straight in its lower margin, corresponding with the maximum width of pronotum, and angularly expanded towards dorsum, joined to dorsal narrow lines in their external point; dark-brown scales cover integument on remaining places; setae narrow, semi-erect, with the same colour as adjacent scales, and relatively densely inserted over the whole pronotum (Fig. 48). Scutellum very narrow, and scarcely distinct. Elytra long and oval, at base slightly broader than base of pronotum; weakly broadened at humeri, sides subrectilinear up to near apex, and shortly convergent at apex; in lateral view regularly curved from base to apex, with declivity not sharp but distinct; odd intervals moderately convex, wider than even intervals and wider than striae, intervals 3 and 5 higher and curved at base; even intervals narrow, flat; striae broad, composed of dense seriate round punctures, larger in basal half and progressively narrowed towards apex; integument smooth, lacking granules or deep wrinkles; vestiture composed of bifid light- and dark-brown scales (Fig. 56), and long, erect setae, light- and dark-brown in distinctive patterns: dark-brown scales dense and uniform on interval 3 from base to declivity, dense on intervals 5 and 7 from base to apex, but interrupted by light transverse stripes, and on suture at base; light-brown scales in patches on declivity and interval 2 from near base to apex, on intervals 9 and 10 forming a lateral stripe from base to apex; on basal half forming a broad transverse curved stripe, broadened laterally, starting from suture, interrupted on interval 3, and joined to the lateral stripe; on declivity forming a broad transverse stripe; base on intervals 4–8, and median part of elytra between the two transverse light stripes, excepting on intervals 3 and 5, nearly devoid of scales, with a few scattered darkbrown scales and a few round spots of white scales; setae semi-erect and of same colour as neighbouring scales, on intervals 3, 5, and 7 longer than interval width, dense, arranged in two or three rows, on even intervals shorter, usually arranged in a single row. Legs strong, very densely scaly and with very long setae, scales usually simple, slender, and light brownish; femora scarcely thickened at middle; fore tibiae strong, moderately widened from base to apex, apex not broadened, with strong denticles; middle and hind tibiae stronger; fore tarsi short, segment I not longer than wide, shortly triangular, segment II triangular, as long as wide, segment III short, lobes scarcely developed, onychium nearly as long as segments I–III together; claws strong, connate at midlength, and widely separate; hind tarsi only moderately longer than fore tarsi; underside lacking an adhesive pad, replaced by a few whitish simple scales, with some spiny setae on sides. Ventrites with segment I as long as segment II, together longer than segments III–V combined, segment III as long as segment IV, segment V slightly longer than segment IV, transverse, flat; vestiture composed of extremely dense bifid light-brownish scales and frequent long, semi-erect setae (Fig. 51). Aedeagus tubular, slender, median lobe long, moderately curved, apical lamella shortly triangular (Figs 50, 53, 55). Sternite VIII of female with apodeme nearly as long as lamina, arms broadened, sclerotization limited to apical part of lamina (Fig. 52); spermatheca with curved, moderately narrowed cornu; nodulus shortly thickened, ramu short, lateral (Fig. 54). Hemisternites globose, apical shortening very close to neck; styli cylindrical, obliquely cut (Fig. 49). Variation: The few specimens examined are relatively uniform. Those with complete vestiture have a slightly variable distribution of light- and dark-brown scales; however, the two transverse broad light stripes delimiting a dark-brown patch are always distinct. The length of the setae on the elytra is variable; the specimens from West Africa have longer setae. The size ranges between 9.2 and 10.3 mm. Affinities: The very long, semi-erect setae on the elytra allow an immediate distinction of P. vestitus from all the other species of the genus. Based on the vestiture, the form of the scales, i.e. long, bifid, and with very divergent teeth, and the shape of the rostrum and the pronotum, this species seems to be more closely related to P. sellatus than to the other species of the genus. Distribution (Fig. 108): The type locality, Bahr el Abiad, indicates the river also known as the White Nile, one of the chief tributaries of the Nile, which extends upstream from Khartoum to the junction of the Bahr el Jebel and the Bahr el Ghazal at Lake No, c. 160 km above Malakal, in present-day Sudan. Pachycerus vestitus appears to have a disjunct range in the Sahel, and the specimens from West Africa appear to be moderately differentiated; however, the available material is too scant to allow any further discussion about a possible taxonomic vicariance of the West African population: one of the very few specimens seen originates from Kurdufan, in central Sudan, whereas the others are from Guinea and Senegal. Alfieri (1976) cited the species generically for Egypt (‘Recorded for Egypt’, Alfieri, 1976: 255), without further details, but so far it has not been recorded for the present-day territory of Egypt., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo, 2009, Revision of the Indo-African Pachycerus Schoenherr, 1823, with a description of four new species (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae), pp. 295-325 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 157 (2) on pages 306-309, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2008.00506.x, http://zenodo.org/record/5443527, {"references":["Fahraeus OI. 1842. In: Schoenherr CJ. Genera et species curculionidum, cum synonymia hujus familiae. Species novae aut hactenus minus cognitae, descriptionibus a Dom. Leonardo Gyllenhal, C. H. Boheman, et entomologis aliis illustratae. Tomus sextus. Pars secunda. Supplementum continens. iv + 495 pp. Pariis: Roret; Lipsiae: Fleischer.","Chevrolat A. 1873. Memoire sur les Cleonides. Memoires de la Societe royale des sciences de Liege 2: I - VIII + 1 - 118.","Faust J. 1904. Revision der Gruppe Cleonides vrais. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 1904: 177 - 284.","Csiki E. 1934. Curculionidae. Subfam. Cleoninae. In: Schenkling S, ed. Coleopterorum Catalogus auspiciis et auxilio W. Junk 134: 1 - 152.","Alfieri A. 1976. The coleoptera of Egypt. Memoires de la Societe Entomologique d'Egypte 5: i - xvi + 361 pp.","Schoenherr CJ. 1842. Genera et species curculionidum, cum synonymia hujus familiae. Species novae aut hactenus minus cognitae, descriptionibus a Dom. Leonardo Gyllenhal, C. H. Boheman, et entomologis aliis illustratae. Tomus sextus. Pars secunda. Supplementum continens. iv + 495 pp. Pariis: Roret; Lipsiae: Fleischer."]}

KEY TO THE INDO-AFRICAN SPECIES OF PACHYCERUS 1. Elytral scales simple, lanceolate, or aciculate......................................................................................... 2 – Elytral scales bifid, at least in apical half..............................................................................................5 2. Micropterous, scales round, very dense, whitish, completely covering integument. Length 10.6 mm. Somalia................................ Pachycerus somaliensis Meregalli, 2002 (see Meregalli, 2002 for the description and data) – Macropterous, scales elliptical, not hiding integument on the whole surface.................................................3 3. Sides of pronotum widened anteriorly before apex and with a large, sharply conical tubercle at mid-length. Length: 7.0– 8.9 mm. Madagascar....................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Pachycerus badeni (Faust, 1888) – Sides of pronotum not widened anteriorly before apex, and with a small, scarcely prominent hump at mid-length........................................................................................................................................................4 4. Elytra with four very distinct round black spots, two near humeri and two on declivity; pronotum devoid of vestiture on disc; underside of rostrum with pentafid scales. Length: 12.0 mm (probably with rostrum). Yemen....................................................................................................................... Pachycerus efflatouni (Tewfik, 1942) – Elytra lacking distinct bare round spots on humeri and declivity; pronotum with vestiture of whitish scales on disc; underside of rostrum with bifid scales. Length: 7.5–10.4 mm. Sahel regions of Africa.................................................................................................................................................. Pachycerus sahelicus sp. nov. 5. Elytra with dense, long, erect setae, as long as the intervals, in several series on odd intervals, and in one series on even intervals. Length: 9.2–10.3 mm. Sudan; West Africa....................... Pachycerus vestitus Fåhraeus, 1842 – Elytra without setae or with short, moderately distinct setae....................................................................6 6. Elytra with short but distinct semi-erect setae; scales bifid, nearly from base.............................................. 7 – Setae on elytra microscopic, indistinct or shorter than the scales; scales bifid, connected up to mid-length........8 7. Sides of vertex raised above eyes. Length: 5.9–8.7 mm. India, Pakistan, and Burma.................................................................................................................................................... Pachycerus sellatus Faust, 1904 – Sides of vertex not raised above eyes. Length: 10.4–14.3 mm. Southern Morocco......................................................................................................................................................... Pachycerus simonae sp. nov. 8. Head with raised tubercles above eyes; space between eyes smaller than rostrum at base..............................9 – Head smooth, lacking tubercles above eyes; space between eyes larger than rostrum at base. Length: 11.5 mm. Southern India................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ Pachycerus barclayi sp. nov. 9. Apex of aedeagus subtruncate, lamella oval (Fig. 28); cornu of spermatheca not acuminate; hemisternites broad (Fig. 18); sides of pronotum converging forwards, dorsolateral impressions sharp, granules low, scarcely convex; length/width of elytra> 1.5. Length: 10.7–13.9 mm. Senegal, Mauritania, southern Morocco................................................................................................................................... Pachycerus opimus (Gyllenhal, 1834) – Apex of aedeagus acute, lamella triangular (Fig. 27); cornu of spermatheca narrowed at apex; hemisternites S-shaped, narrow (Fig. 19); sides of pronotum parallel, dorsolateral impressions shallow; granules distinctly convex; length/width of elytra, 1.4. Length: 12.2–12.4 mm. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Sudan............................................................................................................................................ Pachycerus hippali sp. nov.

RHABDORRHYNCHUS SAUDITUS SP. NOV. Type locality: Saudi Arabia, As Shāqqah al Yamānīyah, 19��42���N, 40��48���E. Holotype ♀, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia, Shagi Yamani, 40 m [iles] south of Lith [= As Sh��qqah al Yam��n��yah, about 50 miles south of Lith, 19��42���N, 40��48���E], 28 March 1948, B. P. Uvarov (BMNH). Paratypes: same data as holotype, 3♂, 2♀ (1♂, 1♀, MER; 2♂, 1♀, BMNH). Diagnosis: A Rhabdorrhynchus of small size, characterized by the following features: pronotum convex, globose, granulose, at maximum width nearly as broad as elytra; rostrum flattened on dorsum, with distinct, roughly punctured dorsolateral keels, elytra elliptical, with dense vestiture of whitish scales; aedeagus slender, apex triangular; sternum VIII of female with arms joined at base; spermatheca with slender and curved cornu, thickened nodulus and distinct ramus. Measurements: Body length including rostrum, 8.40��� 9.79 mm. Rostrum: length 1.60���1.86 mm, width 0.90��� 0.94 mm. Pronotum: length 2.51���3.08 mm, width 3.05���3.37 mm (ratio 0.85���0.93). Elytra: length 5.72��� 6.09 mm, width 3.50���3.86 mm (ratio 1.55���1.63). Ratio of elytral to pronotal length, 1.98���2.28; ratio of elytral to pronotal width, 1.14���1.16. Description: Body elliptical, barely convex in lateral view, integument moderately glossy, reddish on elytra, dark reddish on head, pronotum and legs; vestiture composed of dense, white, elliptical, glossy, simple scales and narrow, hair-like, yellowish scales, with bifid scales only present on underside of head (Figs 1, 5). Rostrum subquadrate in cross section, in lateral view nearly straight from base to antennal insertion, slightly curved and thickened at apex. Surface roughly sculptured, with two dorsolateral, broad, glossy keels, higher and converging at their base on vertex, not touching eyes, irregularly delimited and slightly divergent anteriad, punctured on their inner side, joined to upper margin of scrobe above antennal insertion, and extended up to apex; in lateral view keels high, convex above eyes, slightly sinuate downwards at middle of rostrum length, raised again above antennal insertion, narrowed and sharpened towards apex, in some specimens only distinct and glossy in the basal part, between the eyes, shallower anteriad and forming densely punctured raised dorsolateral margins, not extending to apex. Dorsum of rostrum flat, densely and deeply sculptured, with wrinkles and punctures, median part forming an irregular subtriangular plate, broadened anteriad, separate from the dorsolateral keels by two narrow, moderately impressed furrows, flattened at antennal insertion, and directed laterally around epistoma at apex. Apex curved downwards, epistoma semicircular, well delimited, flat, broadly punctured, and nearly matt, concave at apex. Lateral sides, delimited by the expanded upper margin of scrobes and the dorsolateral keels, partly visible from above, triangular, broadened basad. Vestiture: sparse hair-like scales inserted in the wrinkles and punctures on the dorsolateral keels and sides; larger, denser, glossy, white scales on the median part, covering integument. Scrobes curved, deep; upper margin thickened, expanded outwards, fully visible from above, in lateral view distinctly convex and densely punctured above antennal insertion, smooth, more glossy behind, curved towards base of eyes; lower margin short, subparallel to upper margin, curved downwards (Figs 3, 8). Antennae inserted at three-quarters of rostrum length; scape slightly curved forwards, regularly thickened from basal third; funicle as thick as scape at apex, segment 1 subconical, 1.3 times longer than broad; segment 2 subquadrate, half as long as segment 1; segments 3���7 transverse, 3rd very short, 7th slightly broader; club large, elliptical; scape and funicle with dense white scales and some slightly longer white setae; club elliptical, basal part of segment 1 glossy and with some smaller white scales, simulating an eighth segment of funicle; remaining part of club silvery hairy (Figs 4, 38, 41). Head short, transverse; vertex flat, roughly punctured; interocular pit distinct; eyes large, moderately convex, reaching upper side of head, their upper half visible from above, interocular distance on head three-quarters as wide as rostrum at its maximum width between upper margins of scrobes; in lateral view eyes elongate, moderately narrowed in their lower part, lower margin rounded. Vestiture: white scales around eyes, mainly on upper part; hair-like scales on sides; short, bifid scales connate near base on underside. Pronotum large, as long as broad, dorsum slightly convex in lateral view, globose, base medially slightly expanded towards scutellum, not acutely prominent; sides moderately and regularly rounded from base to near apex, slightly more convergent apicad; apex curved on middle, prominent above head, nearly straight on sides, ocular lobes barely distinct, with a fringe of long and thick light-yellowish setae. Dorsum with a narrow, relatively deep median groove, narrowed on its middle and with a cleft granule or with a thin median carinula, which can be larger and more raised in the centre; surface with dense granules, irregularly placed, conically raised near base and sides, slightly flattened on top of disc; interspaces between the granules matt, microsculptured, forming short irregular rows; sides with conical granules prominent when seen from above. Vestiture: very short, barely distinct hair-like scales sparse on dorsum, longer and more dense on the posterior part of the upper half of sides; larger white scales on the anterior part of the median groove and the anterior part of sides, extended to base in the lower part of sides (Fig. 2). Scutellum narrow, triangular, bare. Elytra elongate-elliptical, at base as wide as base of pronotum, sides subparallel, slightly narrowed behind humeri, in lateral view depressed, gently declivous, barely sloping. Apex of each elytron with a short acute projection. Surface unevenly and deeply wrinkled, with sparse small glossy granules clearly visible above the white scales of the vestiture, denser on basal half, in some specimens extending for the whole length along suture and the odd intervals, sparse and smaller on the even intervals; intervals flat, base of intervals 3 and 5 slightly raised; odd intervals as wide as even ones, clearly delimited only in apical half of elytra; striae on basal half with shallow, irregularly impressed punctures, much wider than intervals at base, narrowing in posterior half to form grooves distinctly narrower than intervals towards apex. Vestiture: larger white scales forming a thick coating that covers surface, continuous and rather uniform on sutural interval, but arranged in several large patches on rest of elytra, except for small sparse uncoated spots and two larger irregular bare patches on intervals 2���5 behind middle of length; hair-like yellow scales scattered over whole surface, not covering integument, usually denser on even intervals and on the part of the surface devoid of larger scales, including part of the large bare patch on interval 4; short, white setae similar to the larger scales obliquely inserted on the granules; base lacking scales or setae (Fig. 7). Prosternum smooth, space between anterior margin of fore coxae and apex as long as diameter of fore coxae; metasternum longer than diameter of middle coxae. Ventrite I as long as ventrite II, weakly convex in middle in female, flattened and with a narrow median impression in male; ventrites III and IV less than half as long as II, slightly convex, ventrite V short, transverse. Vestiture: larger white scales forming a thick, uniform coating, delimiting round bare patches; on ventrites I and II, four lateral and two median, closely approached patches; on ventrite II, the two outer patches smaller; on ventrites III and IV, the two outer patches absent and the median ones merged; on ventrite V, a bare irregular median line on basal half (Fig. 6). Legs slender, femora scarcely thickened in middle; fore tibiae elongate, inner side weakly sinuate, inner preapical teeth moderately developed in female, barely distinct in male, apex moderately broadened, with about ten short yellowish apical denticles, uncus strong; middle and hind tibiae slender, cylindrical; tarsal segments as long as broad, segment 3 with scarcely widened lobes (Fig. 32); underside of each segment with fringe of orange setae limited to lateral margins; onychium nearly as long as segments 1���3, claws robust. Vestiture: thick coating of white scales on the whole surface, including tarsi; longer white semi-erect setae on inner side of tibiae, particularly middle and hind, and on tarsi. Aedeagus slender, median lobe weakly curved, apical lamella triangular, shortly acutely pointed (Figs 11, 13���15) Spiculum gastrale narrow, slender, weakly curved. Proventriculus with short blades, chaetae not extended towards pharynx (Fig. 46). Hemisternites broadened basad, gradually tapering towards apex; styli subquadrate, short, apical (Fig. 9); symbiont pouches short, compact, globose; spermatheca with long and narrow, acutely pointed curved cornu, subquadrate ramus, and thickened nodulus (Fig. 10). Sternum VIII with thin arms joined at base and broadly widened, sclerotized plate nearly absent, limited to a small area around apex of arms (Fig. 12). Variation: The holotype is the largest specimen; size varies from 8.40 to 9.79 mm, but most of the paratypes are only very slightly smaller than the holotype. Variation among the six specimens examined is mainly evident in the rostrum, which can have the dorsolateral keels, strongly developed, higher and glossy, as in the holotype, or only distinct and glossy in the basal part, between the eyes and shallower, less distinct anteriad, and forming densely punctured raised dorsolateral margins, not extending to apex; the granules on the pronotum are always very dense and conical, but sometimes more irregularly distributed; the narrow median groove of the pronotum can be nearly completely interrupted by a granule in the centre or can show a very thin median carinula, which can be larger and more raised in the centre. The elytral shape and vestiture are very uniform, but in some specimens the small glossy granules are nearly exclusively limited to the basal part; the ratio of elytral to pronotal width is very constant, whereas the ratio of elytral to pronotal length is more variable. The female genitalia are very constant, with the arms of the sternite VIII typically subangulate laterally. Etymology: Named after the country of origin, Saudi Arabia. Distribution: The type locality is south of Lith, in the central part of the Saudi Arabian coast of the Red Sea., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo, 2008, Taxonomic relationships between Pachycerus and Rhabdorrhynchus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae), with descriptions of two new species of Rhabdorrhynchus from the Arabian Peninsula, pp. 25-37 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 152 (1) on pages 27-31, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00335.x, http://zenodo.org/record/4634911

Meregalli, Massimo (2008): Taxonomic relationships between Pachycerus and Rhabdorrhynchus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae), with descriptions of two new species of Rhabdorrhynchus from the Arabian Peninsula. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 152 (1): 25-37, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00335.x, URL: https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-lookup/doi/10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00335.x

RHABDORRHYNCHUS EMIR SP. NOV. Type locality: United Arab Emirates, Jebel Ali, 24��59���N, 55��43���E. Holotype ♀, United Arab Emirates: United Arab Emirates, Umg [ebung] Jebel Ali, 24��59���N, 55��43���E; D��nen am Strand, 15 March 1990, H. J. Bremer legit (NHMB). Paratype ♂, United Arab Emirates: United Arab Emirates, Dubai Emirate, 55��40���18���E, 24��56���07���N, 16 April 1993, Barbara J. Tigar / Brit. Mus. 1994-180/262 (BMNH). Diagnosis: A Rhabdorrhynchus very similar to R. sauditus sp. nov., characterized by the short, flat rostrum, with scarcely developed dorsolateral keels; the pronotum scarcely convex, with flat, nonimpressed narrow median line, and convex, irregular granules flattened on top; the ventrite VIII of the female with moderately broadened arms and the hemisternites long tapering at apex. Measurements: Holotype ♀. Body length including rostrum, 7.56 mm. Rostrum: length, 1.40 mm; width, 0.74 mm. Pronotum: length, 2.23 mm; width, 2.46 mm; ratio, 0.91. Elytra: length, 4.95 mm; width, 3.07 mm; ratio, 1.61. Ratio of elytral to pronotal length, 2.22; ratio of elytral to pronotal width, 1.25. Paratype ♂. Body length including rostrum, 5.72 mm. Rostrum: length, 1.01 mm; width, 0.59 mm. Pronotum: length, 1.79 mm; width, 1.92 mm; ratio, 0.93. Elytra: length, 3.78 mm; width, 2.42 mm; ratio, 1.56. Ratio of elytral to pronotal length, 2.11; ratio of elytral to pronotal width, 1.26. Description: Body of small size, integument moderately glossy, dark reddish at base of elytra, progressively darkened, black on pronotum; vestiture composed of narrow, hair-like, yellowish scales and larger, elliptical, acuminate white scales, about five times longer than broad, glossy, generally covering integument where present (Figs 16, 17). Rostrum slightly longer than wide, nearly straight in lateral view, moderately thickened at apex. Dorsolateral keels broad but barely developed, densely and roughly punctured, slightly more raised and smoother only above eyes, sinuate and converging anteriad towards antennal insertion, in lateral view nearly straight from base to antennal insertion, barely curved downwards at middle of the rostrum length; dorsum flattened or subdepressed, lacking distinct furrows or keels, delimited by the dorsolateral keels and thus narrowed anteriad between antennae, roughly wrinkled and punctured, interspaces between wrinkles raised to form irregular small glossy granules; sides in front of eyes flat, densely wrinkled and punctured. Epistoma semicircular, well delimited, broadly punctured, and nearly matt, concave at apex. Vestiture: yellowish-white hair-like scales inserted in granules and punctures, relatively dense; larger white scales forming a stripe on median part, hiding integument. Scrobes short, deep; upper margin moderately convex and raised above antennal insertion, not expanded outwards, straight, reaching the lower margin of eyes; lower margin of scrobes not delimited by a glossy smooth keel, short, directed downwards (Figs 20, 25). Antennae with scape short, thick, conical, straight, and moderately broadened from base; funicle nearly as wide as scape at its apex, segment 1 subcylindrical, about 1.5 times longer than broad, segment 2 subquadrate, segments 3���7 transverse, seventh slightly larger; club long elliptical; vestiture of the antennae as in R. sauditus (Fig. 22). Head short, transverse, vertex convex, rough; interocular pit distinct; eyes moderately convex, their upper half visible from above, in lateral view subtriangular���elliptical, lower margin subacute. Vestiture: scattered hair-like scales and a patch of larger white scales on centre of vertex; underside with scales white, in part bifid, connate near apex. Pronotum large, in lateral view dorsally nearly flat, base medially moderately expanded towards scutellum; sides subparallel, from base barely widening up to apical quarter and shortly narrowing preapically in female holotype, very weakly convergent apicad in male paratype; apex prominent above head, ocular lobes weakly but distinctly developed, with some yellow setae; dorsum in holotype with irregularly shaped, sparse glossy granules, which are smaller, widely separate, and scarcely raised on disc, and larger and more glossy, in part fused, towards base, apex, and sides, where they are higher but similarly flattened in their upper part; in paratype male granules on dorsum scarcely raised, semicircular, delimiting the external margin of irregularly impressed punctures; disc with a narrow and flat median keel, continuous from base to apex, narrowed at middle, smooth, not impressed; sides with smaller, rounded, and slightly conical granules. Vestiture: hair-like scales relatively frequent on dorsum, thicker in the basal half of the median keel and on sides, progressively larger towards anterior part; large white scales forming a thick oblique stripe on the anterior part of the median line, two small elongate spots in dorsolateral position, and a scarcely defined line starting from the spots and directed towards apex (Fig. 21). Scutellum narrow, long triangular. Elytra barely wider than base of pronotum, sides subparallel, maximum width along middle of their length, declivity oblique, gently sloping. Apex of each elytron with an acute projection behind interval 3, and with a hint of a raised keel joining the junctions between intervals 2 and 10 and intervals 3 and 9. Surface nearly smooth, with very few granules on basal part; all intervals flat, odd undifferentiated from even, striae with shallow punctures, larger at base, and progressively narrower towards apex. Vestiture: yellow hair-like scale quite dense on odd intervals and sparsely scattered on even intervals; larger white scales forming dense, vaguely delimited patches covering integument over the whole surface, leaving out small irregular spaces usually covered by hair-like scales and a slightly better delimited bare patch on intervals 2 and 4 slightly beyond median of elytra (Fig. 19). Prosternum shape, sculpture, and vestiture as in R. sauditus. Ventrite I as long as ventrite II, ventrite I plus ventrite II as long as ventrite III plus ventrite IV; ventrites III and IV nearly half as long as ventrite II, ventrite V transverse. Vestiture very dense on all ventrites, composed of large glossy white scales, leaving out four lateral bare spots on ventrites I and II, the outer ones small and scarcely distinct, and two small median spots barely delimited and nearly completely merged; on ventrites III and IV, two lateral bare round spots and indications of a median patch, on ventrite V, indication of a bare patch at base (Fig. 18). Secondary sexual characters are similar to those of P. sauditus. Legs shape and vestiture as in R. sauditus. Aedeagus slender, moderately curved. Apical lamella, shortly triangular (Figs 28���30). Hemisternites broadened basad, narrowly attenuated at apex; styli subquadrate, short, apical (Fig. 26). Spermatheca with long narrow, curved and acuminate cornu, subquadrate ramus, and thickened nodulus (Fig. 24). Sternum VIII with arms thin, joined at base, moderately widened; sclerotized plate nearly indistinct, limited to a small area around apex of arms (Fig. 23). Variation: The paratype male is much smaller (5.72 mm), the pronotum has sides that are very weakly convergent apicad, and the granules on the dorsum are scarcely raised, semicircular, delimiting the external margin of irregularly impressed punctures. The other traits characterizing R. emir are constant in the two specimens examined. Etymology: The specific epithet is a noun in apposition. It is derived from ���emir���, also sometimes written as Amir or Ameer (arabic:, commander), a high title of nobility or office, historically used in Islamic nations of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Turkish world; in reference to the species��� provenance, the United Arab Emirates. Ecology: The type specimen was collected on sand dunes along the beach. Remarks: Rhabdorrhynchus emir differs from R. sauditus sp. nov. in the following traits: size smaller (5.72���7.56 mm vs. 8.40���9.79 mm), rostrum with dorsolateral keels scarcely raised throughout their entire length, densely punctured and barely distinct before antennal insertion; dorsum flat, lacking longitudinal grooves; scape shorter, straight, thickened from base (slightly curved forwards, relatively narrower, thickened from basal third in R. sauditus); pronotum with shallow and broader median groove, more densely covered with scales in its anterior half, and with granules less dense, scarcely distinct, scattered on surface and not conically raised, and elytra nearly completely without granules excepting a few near base, without short, semi-erect setae; larger white scales less dense, smaller yellow scales slightly broader and more frequent, forming a nearly uniform vestiture on sutural interval. Sternum VIII of female with arms weakly curved and moderately broadened, length/width ratio 2.30 (arms subangularly broadened, ratio 1.84���1.98 in R. sauditus); hemisternites long, more sharply attenuated at apex; spermatheca with cornu more slender, narrower and more strongly curved. Aedeagus slightly broader, sides subangularly constricted before apical lamella. All other species of Rhabdorrhynchus, none of which have ever been recorded for the Arabian Peninsula, are larger, and usually have a much sparser elytral vestiture, with larger white scales scattered in small patches and the rostrum more distinctly grooved basally, before the vertex. P. efflatouni (Tewfik, 1942), from Yemen, Wadi Sharis, according to its description, is apparently quite close to some species from sub-Saharan Africa and is characterized by the presence of bifid or digitate scales, the pronotum lacking isolate granules and with a broad median impression, and the elytra having glossy black spots., Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo, 2008, Taxonomic relationships between Pachycerus and Rhabdorrhynchus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae), with descriptions of two new species of Rhabdorrhynchus from the Arabian Peninsula, pp. 25-37 in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 152 (1) on pages 31-33, DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2007.00335.x, http://zenodo.org/record/4634911, {"references":["Tewfik M. 1942. A new weevil from Southern Arabia: Cleonus (Pachycerus) efflatouni nov. spec. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae-Cleoninae). Bulletin de la Societe Fouad 1 er d'Entomologie 26: 171 - 174."]}

Eurycleonus talamellii new species Figs 1���7 Type locality: Morocco, Tan Tan province, 2 km NW Tan Tan, 28 �� 27 ���N 11 ��07���W Type material. Holotype %. MOROCCO: ���SW Morocco, 28 �� 27 ���N 11 ��07���W, 2 km NW Tan Tan, 80 m, 16���18.xii. 2003, J. Kal��b legit��� (coll. Meregalli). Paratypes: same data, 5 % 22 �� (5 % 6 �� coll. Meregalli; 16 �� coll. Talamelli); ���SW Morocco, 28 �� 27 ���N 11 ��07���W, 2 km NW Tan Tan, 80 m, 28.xi / 2.xii. 2003, J. Kal��b legit���, 1 % 8 �� (3 �� coll. Meregalli; 1 % 5 �� coll. Talamelli); ���SW Morocco, 28 �� 27 ���N 11 ��07���W, 2 km NW Tan Tan, 80 m, 29.xii. 2004, Meregalli legit���, elytra of 5 specimens (coll. Meregalli); ���S Morocco, 30 km W Es Smara, 28. IV. 2004, Gianasso legit��� [26 �� 39 ���N 11 �� 57 ���W] 3 �� (found dead and partly incomplete) (coll. Meregalli); ���Tandalt, Bas Dra, Thami, 3.63 / Eurycleonus gigas, L. Kocher det.��� [= Tadalt, 28 �� 45 ���N 09�� 46 ���W] 1 % (Museo de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid). Specimens not examined: MOROCCO: ���Tizgui��el��Harratine��� [29 �� 13 ���N 08�� 32 ���W] (cited in Kocher 1961). Diagnosis. A species of Eurycleonus characterized by the rostrum with middle line straight in lateral view, with upper margin of the scrobe sinuate and nearly reaching the lower part of the eye, the elytra with whitish and brownish scales in irregular patches, the aedeagus with apex short, not acutely pointed. Measurements. Holotype: Body length including rostrum 24.10 mm. Rostrum: length 5.40 mm, width 2.21 mm. Pronotum: length 5.36 mm, width 6.00 mm (ratio 0.89). Elytra: length 13.70 mm, width 8.15 mm (ratio 1.68). Ratio of elytral to pronotal width 1.36. Description. Body very robust, broadly elliptical, integument black, with dense bifid scales, antennae and tarsi dark reddish (Fig. 1). Rostrum stout, sides slightly convergent from base to antennal insertion, apical part of upper margin of scrobe, above the antennal insertion, moderately and regularly constricted; median line distinct from base to antennal insertion, convex, moderately raised, not keeled, slightly broadened anteriorly, interrupted at antennal insertion, extended towards apex where it forms a broad central triangular plate extended beyond antennal insertion and joined apically to epistome; median line in lateral view nearly rectilinear, scarcely concave near base; dorsum with two paramedian shallow depressions, which are narrowed at antennal insertion and reach apex on either side of the broad triangular central plate; dorso��lateral margins usually rounded, seldom slightly more prominent; sides glossy, with a deep narrow furrow above upper margin of scrobe and elongate rough punctures in front of eyes; upper margin of scrobe slightly keeled, sinuate, directed basad under lower margin of eye (Fig. 7). Vestiture: bifid lanceolate glossy white scales, cleft up to near base, densely covering dorsum except on median line, anterior dorsal plate and epistome; scales on sides sparse above scrobes, only dense inside the furrow above scrobes, relatively dense on pregenae and sides below scrobes; scales on underside sparse, missing from the glossy, nearly completely glabrous triangular prementum; a few hyaline setae appressed to integument are present on sides and underside, mainly near apex. Scape of antennae dark reddish, lighter at base, weakly curved, slender and narrow, only shortly thickened at apex, with some bi�� or trifid scales and a few setae near apex, mainly on the front side; funicle of relatively uniform thickness; segment 1 short, subglobose, barely longer than broad; 2 nd conical, twice longer than wide and twice longer than the 1 st; 3 rd �� 5 th subconical, isodiametric, 5 th slightly smaller; 6 th longer than wide; 7 th conical, wider than the previous segments, appressed to, and apparently part of, club; club elongate��oboval, segments 1 and 2 together slightly shorter than the 3 rd, annulus of segment 3 distinct (Fig. 2); funicle segments 1 to 6 with few short scales not covering integument; 7 th and club with elliptical whitish bifid scales, cleft up to their mid length, covering integument. Head globose, eyes acutely oval, slightly convex, surrounded by dense white scales, shorter than those on rostrum. Pronotum with base very weakly arched at middle; sides subparallel up to mid��length, regularly and gently curving anteriorly, sub��sinuate apicad, apical margin widely rounded over head; surface smooth, finely micro��punctured and with few scattered barely larger punctures, hardly distinct, delimited by a semicircular, slightly raised glossy margin on their outer side; central line present, extremely narrow, not raised, glossy; curvature of dorsum in lateral view regular, with maximum height at middle. Vestiture: white glossy bifid scales, lanceolate on sides and shorter towards dorsum, densely covering integument on dorso��lateral and lateral parts; small bare spots are present in correspondence of the punctures; these bearing one narrow hyaline reclined seta as long as the scales; dorsum lacking scales, excepting towards the apical part. Elytra elliptical, base sinuate, as wide as pronotal base, gently broadened beyond humeri, subparallel up to apical quarter; maximum width slightly beyond mid length of elytra, with a scarcely distinct compression at basal third, very regularly curved at apex; dorsum moderately and very regularly convex; intervals nearly flat, with a low convexity in the central part of their width; striae very narrow, with small, seriate, shallowly impressed punctures. Vestiture composed of white, light brown and brown bifid glossy lanceolate scales cleft up to near base; scales on suture light brown, darker towards the external margin; even intervals with usually white or very light brown scales; odd intervals with whitish or light brown scales at centre and irregular darker spots toward the striae; brown scales usually present along the striae and on the marginal part of the intervals, often alternate with patches of whitish scales; a white dense round patch is present on base of intervals 3 and 4; another white round patch is present on declivity, at junction of intervals 4��5 �� 6; intervals 2, 4 and 6 with vague round whitish spots, alternate to less dense light brown scales. Legs. Femora regularly and moderately thickened at middle, with dense bifid scales covering integument, excepting some small scattered bare maculae, bearing a reclined seta; fore tibiae rectilinear, apex perpendicularly truncate, with a strong apical inner tooth and a small expansion directed outwards; middle tibiae straight; hind tibiae curved outwards; fore tibiae with dense bifid white scales and moderately erect hyaline setae, mainly present on the inner side; middle and hind tibiae with denser coating of lanceolate, mainly undivided glossy white scales and numerous setae moderately projecting above integument. Tarsi slender, scaly; segments 1 and 2 triangular, isodiametric; 3 bilobed, longer than wide; onychium very long, slender; claws connate at middle, weakly divaricated. Underside with dense coating of white to yellowish trifid scales, cleft up to near base and with very thin teeth; ventrites with dense coating of mainly bifid scales, white except for a narrow brown stripe at base of ventrites 3���5, with very small, inconspicuous bare dots bearing one hyaline seta. Aedeagus: see figs 3���4. Variation. Specimens examined of Eurycleonus talamellii are quite uniform for the majority of their morphologic traits. The females are larger and have broader elytra, with maximum width distinctly beyond mid length of elytra, as is typical of this genus; the size varies between 23.6 and 26.3 mm in males and between 26.8 and 30.7 mm in females, with a length/width ratio of elytra comprised between 1.60 and 1.75. In some specimens the rostrum is slightly more depressed longitudinally and with slightly raised dorso��lateral margins; although the distribution of white and brownish scales on the elytra is variable, the appearance is always irregularly maculate; the two more distinct white patches at the base of intervals 4���5 and at the apex of intervals 4���6 are always present. Female genitalia: see figs. 5���6. Remarks. Eurycleonus talamellii is a geographic and apparently taxonomic vicariant of E. gigas. The latter differs by several traits: body larger, elytra with more rounded sides, broadened towards apical third also in male, with a length/width ratio comprised between 1.4 and 1.5; rostrum with upper margin of scrobe curved inwards at antennal insertion; upper margin of scrobe, in dorsal view, often slightly expanded before antennal insertion; in lateral view dorsum more curved, particularly apicad, median line at base distinctly concave and upper margin of scrobe not sinuate, regularly curved and directed below lower margin of the eye (Figs 7���8); segments 1 and 2 of funicle shorter, segment 1 distinctly globose (cf. Meregalli 2000: 155, Fig. 13); sides of pronotum nearly subparallel, or very slightly convergent, from base to apical third, maximum width at base; scales on elytra nearly uniformly ivory��white, or grey��white, very light brown only on odd intervals but not forming a distinct, although irregular, pattern of alternate light and dark dots; lacking the white round patches on base of intervals 3���4 and on apex of intervals 4���6; aedeagus more regularly curved in lateral view and with narrower, slightly more acute apex (cf. Meregalli 2000: 155, Fig. 10). Eurycleonus amon differs by the smaller pronotum, with base sinuate, arched towards the elytra (cf. Meregalli 2000: 155, Fig. 4), and, in lateral view, with maximum height near base. The new species lives together with Ammocleonus hieroglyphicus (Olivier 1807) and with Conorhynchus relictus Meregalli 2001. Both species are smaller; the first differs by being winged, by the base of pronotum triangularly protruding towards elytra, by the longer rostrum, with high and sharp keel, and by the simple scales. Conorhynchus relictus is immediately recognized by its very short, conical rostrum. Etymology. This species is named after my friend Fabio Talamelli, with whom I share the pleasure of studying one of the most fascinating subfamilies of Curculionidae, the Lixinae. Distribution. The range so far known of E. talamellii includes the lower part of the Dr��a valley, and nearby regions, and extends to the south until at least the surroundings of Es Smara, that is, between 26 �� 39 ���N and 29 �� 13 ���N. It is apparently endemic to Morocco (Fig. 9), although a marginal presence in north��western Mauritania, in habitats similar to that of Es Smara, is probable. Ecology. The species of Eurycleonus are strictly associated with sandy desert habitats (Meregalli 2000), and E. talamellii is no exception. The type locality is a semi��desert, gently sloping sandy hill, very near to the town of Tan Tan. Vegetation is comparatively dense and rich, covering 30 %��� 40 % of the surface, and is mainly composed of Zygophyllum gaetulum Emb & Maire (Zygophyllaceae), Euphorbia echinus Hook. f. & Coiss. and E. regis��jubae Webb & Berth. (both Euphorbiaceae), with sporadic presence of several other plants, among which are Centaurea incana Desf. (Asteraceae) and Ver b en a supina L. (Verbenaceae) (Fig. 10). The climate is typical of a steppe��desert, with low rainfall (102 mm /year), exclusively distributed in late fall and winter (Fig. 11) (data from New et al. 2002, reported in DIVA��GIS 2004). No living specimens were seen in this area in late December 2004 and early January 2005. However, several fragments, mainly elytra, were found buried in the sand below the larger shrubs of Z. gaetulum. Some woody rootstocks of these shrubs showed signs of apparent larval feeding, but no larvae were found in the roots or at the base of the larger stalks. No fragments of Eurycleonus were found below other plants. Data on the biology of the species of Eurycleonus are scarce, and always refer to Chenopodiaceae. Specimens of Eurycleonus amon (as E. gigas) were found on Haloxylon schweinfurthii Ashers. and Anabasis articulata Moq. (Kneucker 1909) and on Hammada elegans (Bunge) Botsch (Alfieri 1976, sub Haloxylon salicornicum Boiss.) whilst E. gigas was collected in the Grand Erg, Gassi Touil, on Cornulaca monacantha Del. (Peyerimhoff 1931). However, the host plants of the pre��immaginal stages are not known. Chenopodiaceae have been recorded as the host plant of various species of Cleonini (Hoffmann 1950; Ter��Minasyan 1988; Meregalli 2000), usually at the immaginal stage. Zygophyllaceae have been reported by Kneucker (1909) as being the host plant, in Sinai, of the pre��immaginal stages of another Cleonine weevil, Porocleonus candidus (Olivier 1807), a species whose adults are often found below Chenopodiaceae (Meregalli, personal observations in Tunisia). Zygophyllaceae dominate at Tan Tan, where only few and small plants of goosefoot are present. The occurrence of several fragments of Eurycleonus in the sand below shrubs of Zygophyllum gaetulum and the detection of signs of larval feeding in the woody rootstocks may suggest that, at the type locality, this is the host plant of E. talamellii, at least at the larval stages. Furthermore, the association of adults of Eurycleonus with Chenopodiaceae may indicate that the genus is linked to both Zygophyllaceae and Chenopodiaceae, in analogy to the apparent biology of Porocleonus candidus. However, the possibility that E. talamellii usually develops in Chenopodiaceae and that at the type locality Z. gaetulum should be regarded as a refuge plant (defined as in Colonnelli & Osella 1998) cannot be ruled out. More field researches are required to detail biology of Eurycleonus. In particular, it should be determined whether pre��immaginal and immaginal stages are monophagous or if they can develop indifferently on Zygophyllaceae and Chenopodiaceae, and, also, if each species has a specialized biology and feeds upon different plant families. The site 30 km west of Es Smara is a broad wadi, with vegetation mainly composed of scattered trees of Acacia raddiana Savi (Fabaceae), shrubs of Pergularia tomentosa L. (Asclepiadaceae), several plants of Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. (Cucurbitaceae) and again Chenopodiaceae and Zygophyllaceae, covering not more than 5 % of the surface. This sparsely vegetated stripe interrupts a sandy desert area nearly completely devoid of vegetation. Soil between the shrubs and trees is bare whitish sand (Fig. 12). The three specimens collected in this area were found dead in the sand (Gianasso, personal communication). No living specimen or fragments were found in January 2005. The climate of Es Smara is typical of a desert, with an extremely scarce annual rainfall (26 mm /year), occurring in fall and winter (data from New et al. 2002, reported in DIVA��GIS 2004). All living specimens collected at the type locality were found walking on the sandy soil, after a period of uncommon heavy rainfalls (Kal��b, personal communication). As previously reported, no living adults, notwithstanding very accurate investigations, were found at the type locality in December 2004 and January 2005, when no rain had previously fallen. However, it is unlikely that the life cycle of E. talamellii depends entirely on rainfalls, which are too scarce and unpredictable in these areas. All the other specimens of Eurycleonus examined, including those of E. gigas and E. amon, were found between March and early May; the specimens collected in late April and early May have usually vestiture of scales very damaged or missing (Meregalli, personal observations and Peyerimhoff 1931). These data suggest that these weevils may complete their larval cycle and metamorphose by the beginning of winter; an occasional rainfall may then trigger emergence, particularly in the areas which receive comparatively more rain; however, adult activity may be normally determined by other biotic or abiotic parameters, such as temperature, day��length, phenology of the host plants; it mainly occurs in late winter and early spring, when temperature is not too hot and the plants start vegetation and flowering. The life span of the adults is probably quite short, and by the time that day temperature gets too high they die, and only fragments can be found in the sand or below the host plants. Discussion. The genus Eurycleonus has an apparently disjunct distribution, with one species in Sinai and two species in the central��western Sahara, between southern Tunisia and southern Morocco. Notwithstanding Peyerimhoff���s (1931) indication, for E. gigas, of ���Tout le Sahara, du Sinai �� l���Erg Iguidi, Cyr��na��que���, species of this genus seem to be absent from the central and eastern Sahara, in the Libyan and Egyptian deserts. Alfieri (1976) cited Eurycleonus only for Sinai, not for other territories of Egypt, and no specimens from Libya are reported in literature (Erg Iguidi is in central Algeria, not in Cyrenaica) or were found in several Museums personally visited. This apparent gap in distribution may, however, be due to scarcity of collections in the favourable habitats, and to the ephemeral appearance of the adult specimens, which renders their finding very difficult: excepting the exceptional record by Kneucker of about 300 exs of E. amon collected in two days in March 1902 in Sinai (Kneucker 1909: 122, as E. gigas), only a few tens of specimens belonging to this genus have been found since the description of E. gigas in 1868. The two species living in the western Sahara differ by relatively minor characters, and can be regarded as sister species, whereas the Sinaitic E. amon is more distinct; this suggests that two evolutionary lineages have developed, one in the eastern part of the deserts of north Africa and now probably restricted to Sinai, the second in the central��western Sahara. This second line may have undergone a speciation event by vicariance, giving rise to E. gigas and E. talamellii, when the habitats favourable to the persistence of populations of these weevils contracted and fragmented. Dryland vegetation communities developed and expanded in the middle��latitudes of the old world from mid Miocene to early Pliocene, and in early Pliocene the Sahara desert became fully established (Tallis 1991). Diversification and / or dispersal of taxa linked to arid habitats in northern Africa may date back to this age. During the Pliocene dry and moist, sometimes very humid, phases alternated. In the drier periods a very high percentage of pollen of steppe and desert plants was recorded (Dupont & Leroy 1994), whereas in the more humid phases the deserts contracted, and were at least in part replaced by a dense vegetation, even including rainforests (Adams 2004). This alternation of climatic pha, Published as part of Meregalli, Massimo, 2005, Eurycleonus talamellii n. sp. of Cleonine weevil from the Moroccan desert (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Lixinae: Cleonini), pp. 23-34 in Zootaxa 1053 on pages 24-32, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.170025, {"references":["DIVA-GIS (2004) Free GIS for biological research. Version 4. Available from http: // www. divagis. org / (accessed 4 February 2005).","Kocher, L. (1961) Catalogue Commente des Coleopteres du Maroc. Fascicule IX. Rhynchophores. Travaux Institut scientifique cherifien, Serie Zoologie, 24, 1 - 263.","Meregalli, M. (2000) The genus Eurycleonus Bedel 1907 with description of E. amon, sp. n. from Sinai (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Cleoninae). Elytron, 14, 149 - 158.","New, M., Lister, D., Hulme, M. & Makin, I. (2002) A high-resolution data set of surface climate over global land areas. Climate Research, 21, 1 - 25.","Kneucker, A. 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