Morphological characters of immature stages of Palaearctic species of and and their systematic value in Mecinini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Curculioninae).

The relationship between the genera and of Mecinini (Curculionidae, Curculioninae) was tested on the basis of morphological characters from the immature stages. The mature larvae of five species ( (Boheman, 1845), (Gyllenhal, 1813), (Gyllenhal, 1838), (Desbrochers des Loges, 1893), and (H. Brisout de Barneville, 1863)), three species ( Solari, 1947, (Herbst, 1795), and (Linnaeus, 1767)), and the pupae of four species (, , , and ) and two species ( and ) are described in detail for the first time. To confirm the taxonomic identification of some larvae, DNA COI barcode was obtained and compared with those of adults. The immature stages of the species herein studied were compared with those known from other genera in tribe Mecinini. It is suggested that and may be monophyletic based on several shared distinctive characters. Larvae of have a characteristic maxillary mala with six finger-like of two sizes (one or two very long and the rest of medium length), this feature being apparently unique among weevils. Other genus-specific character states are observed in the pupae, such as the length of setae on the head, rostrum and pronotum, including the number of on the rostrum, on pronotum, and finally the shape of the urogomphi. A key to the described larvae and pupae were respectively presented. New biological and distributional data on some species are reported.