Argoptochus (Argoptochus) quadrisignatus (Bach, 1856)

Argoptochus (Argoptochus) quadrisignatus (Bach, 1856) View in CoL

( Fig. 4 D View Fig )

Ukraine: Ivano-Frankivsk Province: “Kasowa Ga. / 19.VII.1924 ” [= Kasova Hora near Burshtyn], 1 ♂ 1 ♀, SMNHL; “KASOWA Ga /. k. Bursztyna / 15.VI.1923 ” [printed label], 1 ♂, SMNHL; “KASOWA Ga. k. Bursztyna 25.V.1923 ” [printed label], 1♂, SMNHL; “Kasowa Ga k. Bursztyna 5.VIII.1923 ”, 1 ♀, SMNHL; Ivano-Frankivsk Distr., 4.5 km ESE Burshtyn, Kasova Hora , 49.23125N, 24.687056E, 295 m, 15 Jun 2020, steppe, sweeping, D. Khrapov leg., 6 ♀ 2 ♂, KhDC; Ivano-Frankivsk Distr. , 5.5 km ESE Burshtyn, Kasova Hora , 49.22564N, 24.697782E, 295 m, 3 May-15 Jun 2020, steppe, pitfall trap, D. Khrapov GoogleMaps &

R. Panin leg., 3 ♀ , KhDC; Ivano-Frankivsk Distr., 4 km ESE Rohatyn, Mt. Chortova ( Devil’s Mountain ), 49.402028N, 24.664503E, 330 m, 8 May 2020, steppe, sweeping, D. Khrapov leg., 1 ♀ GoogleMaps , KhDC; ibidem, 14 Jun 2020, 1 ♀ 1 ♂, KhDC; Halych Distr. , 1.4 km SE Mezhyhirtsi, 49.120509N, 24.802935E, 300 m, 22 May-19 Jun 2021, steppe, pitfall trap, D. Khrapov leg., 1 ♀ 1 ♂ GoogleMaps , KhDC. Khmelnytskyi Province: Kamianets-Podilskyi Distr., 2 km W Krushanivka, Sovyi Yar Landscape Reserve , 48.675053N, 26.906114E, 270 m, 7 Jun 2015, steppe, sweeping, D. Khrapov leg., 10 ♀ 9 ♂ GoogleMaps , KhDC. Lviv Province: “ Makutra / ad Brody [= Mt. Makitra near Brody ] / 16. VI.1930 ” [handwritten by Roman Kuntze], 1♂ , SMNHL; Brody Distr., 2.8 km NW Buchyna, SW slope Mt. Makitra , 50.036259N, 25.263337E, 20 May 2020, steppe, sweeping, D. Khrapov leg., 7 ♀ 5 ♂ GoogleMaps , KhDC; Zolochiv Distr., Lysa Hora , 49.788442N, 24.721698E, 333 m, 22 May 2020, steppe, sweeping, D. Khrapov leg, 8 ♀ 9 ♂ GoogleMaps , NYC; Zolochiv Distr. , 0.8 km E Holohirky, 49.762699N, 24.723155E, 360 m, 11 Jun 2021, steppe, sweeping, D. Khrapov leg., 65 ♀ 24 ♂ GoogleMaps , KhDC; ibidem, 11 Jun-10 Jul 2021, pitfall trap, 1 ♂, KhDC. Ternopil Province: “Sze- rszeniowce / ad Tłuste [= Shershenivka, Chortkiv Distr. ]/ 4. VI.1932 ” handwritten by Roman Kuntze], 1♀ , SMNHL; “Obieżowa / k. Zaleszczyk / 21. V.1924 ” [= Chortkiv Distr. , Obizheva botanical reserve, near Zalishchyky], 1 ♂ 1 ♀ , SMNHL.

The prosperity of grasslands in the postglacial period led to the formation of common assemblages of weevils associated with grass vegetation in Central Europe. The wide distribution of these preferred habitats most probably allowed the expansion of Argoptochus species from the Balkans, where the genus is most diverse, northwestward to the Thuringian grassland, northward to the Podolian Upland, and northeastward to the steppes of the Central Russian Upland (small remnants of those are now persist in the Central Black Soil Reserve, Kursk Province of Russia).

Argoptochus quadrisignatus is a Central European species ( Fig. 3 C View Fig ), distributed from Thuringia, Germany ( Dieckmann 1980) through Czechia ( Krátký 2011) and Poland, eastward to the Podolian Upland and southward to Hungary ( Szénási et al. 2019). Smreczyński (1956) with reference to Kuntze & Noskievich (1938) delimited its easternmost occurrence near Balta, Odessa Province. In fact, Kuntze and Noskievich were actually referring to research by Vera L. Pjatakowa who collected the specimens in the vicinity of Hrushka, Kirovogradska Province ( Pjatakowa 1930). This record by Pjatakowa is somewhat doubtful ( Fig. 3 C View Fig , see the dot with a question mark) because a recent study of the specimens from Podilsk (a township near Balta) indicated the occurrence of Argoptochus (Neohenschia) periteloides (Fuss, 1861) ( Yunakov et al. 2018) . Thus, we suggest that Pjatakowa’s record, whose vouchers are unknown and have not yet been veri- fied, may refer to Argoptochus periteloides or indicate the co-occurrence of both species along the South Buh River. All old records of A. quadrisignatus from Bulgaria ( Angelov 1976) and those represented in GBIF are misiden- tifications of other local species, as was already noted by Angelov (1987).

Podolian populations indicate the northeasternmost limit of the geographic range of A. quadrisignatus . Frag- mentation and decline of relict grassland habitats along with the aptery of A. quadrisignatus have contributed to its extinction from some locations in Central Europe, such as Upper Silesia ( Kuśka 2006).

Remarkably, the local distribution of A. quadrisignatus in the Podolian Upland is mostly constrained to the western rim of the upland. It prefers xerothermic slopes and meadows with low grass vegetation, and is less abundant in meadows with tall vegetation ( Fig. 4 E, F View Fig ).