Clytra (Clytraria) novempunctata Olivier, 1808

Bezdċk, Jan & Regalin, Renato, 2015, Identity of species-group taxa of the Western Palaearctic Clytrini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) described by Maurice Pic and Louis Kocher, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 55, pp. 1-114 : 9-10

Clytra (Clytraria) novempunctata Olivier, 1808

Clytra novempunctata Olivier, 1808: 852 (original description).

Clytra 9-punctata var. juncta Pic, 1920a: 7 (unavailable infrasubspeciħc name).

Clytra persica Pic, 1920a: 7 (original description).

Type localities. Clytra novempunctata : ‘ile de Naxos’ [ Greece]. Clytra novempunctata var. juncta : ‘ Angora; Tokat’ [= Ankara and Tokat, Turkey]. Clytra persica : ‘Perse’.

Type material examined. Clytra novempunctata : not examined.

Clytra persica : SYNTYPE: 1 ♂, ‘ persica Pic [w, h] // type [w, h] // Perse [w, h] // TYPE [r, p] // MUSEUM PARIS / COLL M. PIC [w, p] // Clytra (Clytrella) / novempunctata Ol. [h] / M. Rapilly dét. 19 [p] 81 [w, h]’ ( MNHN – coll. generale).

Original material of infrasubspeciħc entity. Clytra novempunctata var. juncta : 1 ♀, ‘ Tokat [w, h] // type [w, h] // Museum Paris [p] / Pic [w, h] // TYPE [r, p] // v. juncta / Pic [w, h]’ ( MNHN – coll. generale) ; 2♀♀, ‘ Angora [w, h] // type [w, h] // Museum Paris [p] / Pic [w, h] // TYPE [r, p] // v. juncta Pic [grey-blue label, h]’ ( MNHN – coll.generale) .

Distribution. South Europe, Caucasus, Turkey, Near East, Egypt, south of Central Asia (for details see REGALIN & MEDVEDEV 2010b).

Comments. One specimen of Clytra novempunctata in Olivier ̓ s collection in MNHN bears green round label ‘COLLECTION / OLIVIER / TYPE’ which was added by Olivier ̓ s son (Mantilleri, pers. comm. 2014). Because this specimen was collected in Scio [= Chios Is.] and not in Naxos Is. as published in the original description ( OLIVIER 1808), we treat it as a non-type specimen.

Clytra novempunctata var. juncta was described in a paper containing also a description of a subspecies ( PIC 1920a), thus it became infrasubspeciħc according to Article 45.6.4 of the Code ( ICZN 1999). The original specimens of C. novempunctata var. juncta , as well as the syntype of C. persica , are conspeciħc with C. novempunctata .

Clytra novempunctata is a very variable species forming different populations particularly in the eastern part of its range, which were often described as varieties or even species. Several characters should be commented on: i) the ventral keel on the aedeagus is sharp in western populations while in eastern ones it is often rounded or nearly missing, ii) colouration – black pattern on both pronotum and elytra is often increased towards the eastern part of the range, iii) body shape – usually subtubular, towards the east often distinctly Ħattened dorsally, iv) body shine – western populations are shiny dorsally while towards the east the specimens are often subopaque or dull, and, v) most of populations throughout the range are glabrous dorsally, however we identiħed also specimens with very ħnely but densely pubescent dorsum ( Iran: East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan provinces, specimens deposited in JBCB).