Curculio dissimilis Herbst, 1795: 290 (= Curculio borealis Paykull, 1792: 57).

Body 2.5–4.6 mm; entire body densely covered with appressed scales of different shapes, from scales divided into two lobes to base up to entire scales. Eyes elliptical to oval. Rostrum long to very long, narrow; in dorsal view distinctly longer than its base width (ratio more than 3.00); enlarged anteriorly, tapered to basal third part and afterward almost parallel-sided; in side view slightly curved; as long as pronotum (ratio = 0.95–1.10). Antenna with 6 or 7 desmomeres. Pronotum distinctly wider than long, widest at middle. Elytra with very distinct prominent humeri. Apex of penis enlarged, sometimes partially to the tip, and always without projecting setae. Apodeme of sternite VIII in females relatively long, with distinct long lateral arms; plate wide, not very well sclerotized, upper part not connected and bearing apically many distinct setae.

These weevils occur in warm and dry habitats (calcareous hillsides, vineland, steppe, sandy habitats, meadows, clearings), and in mesophilic or moderately damp habitats of floodplains and hillsides (natural meadows) (Skuhrovec 2009). Limobius species develop on plants of two genera: Geranium and Erodium (all Geraniaceae) (Koch 1992; Skuhrovec 2009). The larvae do not develop on leaves as it is typical for Hyperini Marseul, 1863, but in the inner parts of the floral stalk. The main reason in this different strategy of Hyperini larvae is probably the size of the larva and is probably shared by other small species of Hyperini as it is known for Hypera nigrirostris (Fabricius, 1775).

The genus Limobius is mostly distributed in the western part of Europe and North Africa. Two taxa are known only from southern France. The only widespread taxon is L. borealis borealis, distributed in the whole western Palaearctic region, from Portugal to North Africa and eastwards to Iran (Skuhrovec 2013b).

Altos de San Juan near El Escorial (Spain, limit between the provinces of Madrid and Ávila, 40°37'33.92"N 4°8'29.45"W).

Holotype ♂: ‘Escorial / Puerto [printed label] // Altos de / San Juan [handwritten label] // Altos de S. Juan / debajo de pequeñas / piedras con terreno / de esta composición [translation: Altos de S[an] Juan (S. = San), under small stones with a ground of this composition. i.e., a stony or gravelly ground] [handwritten label]’ (MNCN). Paratypes: 5 ♂♂, 12 ♀♀, ‘Escorial / Lauffer [printed label]’ (all MNCN; 1 ♂, 1 ♀ JSKC; 1 ♂, 1 ♀ HWIC); ‘ESPAÑA / P.M. de Moncayo / 02.04.2006 / leg. T. Gazurek [printed label]’ (1 ♂ TGAC). Specimens of the newly described species are provided with one red printed label: Holotype [or Paratype] / Limobius / winkelmanni sp. nov. / J. Skuhrovec & / M. Alonso-Zarazaga design. 2017.

(Figs 1–6, 8). Colour of body integument vestiture reddish, light brown to brown, head, rostrum, all tarsomeres, distal parts of scape and desmomeres and the whole club black. Head, rostrum and antennae with sparse, very short, erect pale setae (distinctly shorter than claws). Frons covered with pale setae and elongated scales divided in two lobes apically. Vertex covered with green scales divided in two lobes to basal third of their length. Rostrum without distinct punctation, pale setae sparser than on frons. Pronotal vestiture dark reddish to brown, covered with pale setae and pale, green, reddish and light brown scales, all scales divided into two lobes to basal third of their length, and forming following colour pattern (Fig. 1): pale setae and scales in lateral lines and also two pale spots on disc of pronotum, first at apical margin and second at basal part; apical pronotal margin between pale lines and pale spot reddish to brown; green scales forming an H in middle part; two spots of black scales on the pale lines in the apical pronotal margin. Elytral vestiture reddish to brown, covered with scales divided in two lobes reaching their base, elytral intervals with pairs of pale and black; long, erect setae; scale colour pattern (Fig. 1): majority of dorsum with white setae and scales; black scales forming dark spots on basal part and afterwards white scales form white spots; green scales in the middle part in forming a T-shaped spot, lateral lines and a U-shaped spot in apical part (for detail see Fig. 1). Scutellum covered with white scales. Femora light brown to brown with pale and reddish to black long setae. Tibiae light brown to brown, bearing stout pale bristles apically. Tarsi dark reddish to black, with pale long setae, dark reddish parts with black spot in the middle, underside of first three segments on all tarsi with sparse small projecting scales (“soles”). Claws reddish to dark brown. Abdomen reddish to brown with long pale setae and a few scales divided in two lobes reaching their base.

Head (Fig. 1). Eyes elliptical to oval; upper margin higher than base of rostrum in lateral view, distinctly convex and bulging, distinctly wider than base of rostrum, ventral apex narrower than dorsal. Narrowest forehead distance slightly narrower as width of rostrum base. Head (occiput, vertex and forehead) without distinct punctation. Rostrum long, narrow; distinctly longer than its base width (ratio = 4.00); enlarged anteriorly to basal third part and afterward almost parallel-sided; in side view slightly curved; as long as pronotum (ratio = 0.95–1.10); scrobe distinct and deep; in dorsal view poorly visible, and only at antennal insertion; in lateral view distinct, slightly enlarged towards eyes, directed towards lower part of eye and not reaching them, near base of rostrum hardly noticeable; in front of antennal insertion broad, short and well visible. Occiput distinct.

Antennae (Figs 1, 6) connected to rostrum in apical quarter, long, slender. Scape narrow and elongate, slightly shorter than funicle (ratio to funicle = 0.8; ratio to funicle and club together = 1.2), almost reaching margin of eyes, slightly sinuous and abruptly widened apically. Funicle 7-segmented; desmomere 1 triangular, almost twice as long as 2; desmomere 2 also triangular; desmomeres 3–6 oval, slender, slightly widened at the apex; desmomere 2 twices longer than funicle segments 3–6, only slightly longer than 5 to 7 together, desmomeres 3 to 7 distinctly wider than long. Club elongate, 3-segmented, basal segment triangular, central segment rectangular, and apical segment also triangular, slightly longer than wide.

Pronotum (Fig. 1) distinctly wider than long (ratio = 1.20–1.35), widest at middle; anterior margin nearly straight in dorsal view; sides distinctly rounded; posterior margin 1.4 times longer than anterior margin; basal constriction noticeable, lacking distinct protuberances, slightly curved, distinctly visible from side and also dorsal view; without punctures.

Elytra (Fig. 1) almost rectangular, distinctly longer than wide (ratio = 1.35–1.47, see Sexual dimorphism), with base distinctly wider than the widest part of pronotum, with distinct and prominent humeral angles; basal margin distinctly curved; sides slightly convex, apically rounded. Elytral striae form 10 distinct rows, not visible because whole elytral surface covered by scales. Elytral intervals slightly prominent, and distinctly wider than striae.

Figure 1. 

Limobius winkelmanni sp. n., habitus, male, Holotype, dorsal view. Scale bar 1 mm.

Mesoventer. Mesoventral process narrow, not visible in lateral view.

Legs. Femora slightly inflated at middle; profemora almost as wide as rostrum; mesofemora and metafemora slightly slenderer. Tibiae apically widened. Meso- and metatibia straight, protibia slightly curved outwards. All tarsi similar; tarsomere 1 elongated, almost two times longer than tarsomere 2; tarsomere 2 almost squared, slightly widened at apex; tarsomere 3 triangular, distinctly bilobed almost to base; tarsomere 5 distinctly longer than tarsomere 1, slightly widened in apex. Claws free (not connate at base).

Abdomen. Abdominal ventrites 1–2 approximately of the same length, but twice the length of each abdominal ventrite 3 or 4; abdominal ventrite 5 almost of the same length as abdominal ventrites 1–2. Suture between abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 distinctly sinuous medially and shallow; other sutures straight, wide and deep.

Sexual dimorphism. Females slightly larger with more rectangular elytra (ratio length to wide of elytra = 1.4) than males (ratio = 1.35). Protibiae incurved in males and nearly straight in females. Abdominal ventrite 1 with a distinct depression in males but not in females. Apical abdominal ventrite with shallow medial impression in males. No differences in ratios of rostral length, pronotal length and width.

Male genitalia. Penis (Fig. 2) with tube in dorsal view sharply narrowed from base to basal 1/5, basal 2/5 tapered to previous width, then 1/5 almost parallel-sided; last 1/5 distinctly and triangularly narrowed towards rounded apex, in lateral view strongly curved in basal third, then parallel-sided and in apical third again strongly curved (Fig. 2). Temones more than one and a half as long as tube of penis. Spiculum gastrale (Fig. 3) stick-shaped, distinctly curved and subequal in length to half-length of penis; basal plate divided and triangular.

Female genitalia. Apodeme of sternite VIII relatively long, with distinct long lateral arms; plate starting near apical fifth of apodeme, at apex Y-shaped (Fig. 4); plate wide, not very well sclerotized, apical part not connected and bearing many distinct setae. Spermatheca (Fig. 5) C-shaped, with relatively elongated and curved cornu; ramus and nodulus short and strong.

Figures 2–5. 

Limobius winkelmanni sp. n., male genitalia: 2 Aedeagus, dorsal, and lateral view 3 Spiculum gastrale; and female genitalia: 4 Spiculum ventrale 5 Spermatheca. Scale bars 0.5 mm (2, 3) and 0.2 mm (4, 5).

Limobius winkelmanni sp. n. is variable in body length: 4.2–4.6 mm (length of the holotype 4.4 mm). Colouration of pronotal and elytral vestiture may vary partially (see Description). No genitalic variations were observed.

This species is absolute unique not only in this genus, but also in whole tribe Hyperini. The species is characterized by the antenna with seven desmomeres (Fig. 6), a specific unusual colouration of vestiture (Fig. 1), the elytral scales divided in two lobes reaching their base (Fig. 8), and the body size more than 4 mm.

Figures 6–10. 

Morphological detail of Limobius species. 6 Antenna of L. winkelmanni sp. n. 7 Antenna of L. borealis borealis (Paykull, 1792) 8 Elytral scales of L. winkelmanni sp. n. 9 Elytral scales of L. mixtus 10 Elytral scales of L. borealis borealis (Paykull, 1792).

The new species is named after a close friend of the authors, Herbert Winkelmann (Berlin, Germany), who mentored the first author in Hyperini taxonomy and biology.

Unfortunately, the host plant or any other biological data is not known. Weevils were collected probably at the beginning of the 20th century. We know only an exact locality of this weevil: Alto San Juan near Escorial – ca 35 km NW from Madrid, which is located in the mountains, 1734 m a.s.l. All known Limobius species develop on plants of the family Geraniaceae, but we cannot be sure if this will also be true with this new species. Additionally, its larval strategy could be different (see Introduction). Limobius borealis develops in the unripe flower heads of Geranium species instead as typical ectophagous Hyperini larva on the leaves or flowerhead. The main reason in this different strategy of Hyperini larvae is the size of larva, and Limobius winkelmanni sp. n. is distinctly larger than all Limobius species. However, its body length is still similar in size to some small Hypera species (e.g., H. nigrirostris), whose development is also in the unripe flower heads.

Central Spain (provinces Madrid and Zaragoza).