Pygopleurus viridisuturatus ( Reitter, 1903 ), 2019

Bollino, Maurizio, Uliana, Marco & Sabatinelli, Guido, 2019, The Pygopleurus Motschulsky (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Glaphyridae) of mainland Greece: taxonomy, faunistics and ecological notes, Zootaxa 4674 (2), pp. 151-202 : 176-179

Pygopleurus viridisuturatus ( Reitter, 1903) valid species ( Figs. 68–85 , 130 , 135 )

Amphicoma (Pygopleurus) vulpes v. viridisuturata Reitter, 1903: 138 .

= Amphicoma vulpes ab. elegans Balthasar, 1931: 24 [infrasubspecific, unavailable].

= Amphicoma (Pygopleurus) vulpes аb. obscurithorax Mikšić, 1955: 176 [infrasubspecific, unavailable].

= Amphicoma (Pygopleurus) vulpes аb. Bogoevskii Mikšić, 1955: 176 [infrasubspecific, unavailable].

= Amphicoma (Pygopleurus) humeralis f. uniformis Petrovitz, 1958: 49 [infrasubspecific, unavailable].

= Amphicoma (Pygopleurus) humeralis f. violacea Petrovitz, 1958: 50 [infrasubspecific, unavailable].

= Amphicoma (Pygopleurus) petrowitzi Mikšić, 1959: 40 .

= Amphicoma apicale Waltl, 1838: 459 [invalid junior primary homonym of Amphicoma apicalis Brullé, 1832 , as the original wrong spelling apicale should be mandatory corrected in apicalis according to Article 34 of ICZN]. [misidentifications] Amphicoma (Pygopleurus) humeralis auctorum , nec Brullé.

Type series. Five syntypes of Amphicoma (Pygopleurus) vulpes v. viridisuturata are housed at the HNHM (one labeled as “ holotype ” and 4 as “ paratypes ”), these designation being however unwarrantedly added by previous curators (O. Merkl, personal communication, and see Merkl et al. 2015: 34–35). We presently designate one of these specimens, a male, as lectoype ( Fig. 130 ). It is labeled: Parnass // coll. Reitter // v. viridisuturata m. // Holotypus 1902 / Amphicoma vulpes / v. viridisuturata / Reitter // Amphicoma humeralis Brull. / G. Dahlgreen det. // Pygopleurus / humeralis / (Brul.) J. Baraud det. 1988.

Type locality. Greece, Parnass (place of capture of the name-bearing type, see ICZN Article 76.1) .

Material examined. 136 ♂♂, 198 ♀♀, detailed in supplementary material.

Type specimens examined. Lectotype of Amphicoma (Pygopleurus) vulpes v. viridisuturata: Parnass // coll. Reitter // v. viridisuturata m. // Holotypus 1902 Amphicoma vulpes v. viridisuturata / Reitter // Amphicoma humeralis Brull. G. Dahlgreen det // Pygopleurus humeralis (Brul.) J. Baraud det. 1988 (♂, HNHM); 4 paralectotypes, all HNHM: Euboea Reitter // coll. Reitter // Amphicoma vulpes v. viridisuturata Reitter 1902 Paratype // Pygopleurus humeralis det. J. Baraud 88 (1 ♂); Griechenland Reitter // coll. Reitter // Amphicoma vulpes v. viridisuturata Reitter 1902 Paratype // Pygopleurus humeralis det. J. Baraud ‘88 (1 ♀); Parnass // Amphicoma vulpes v. viridisuturata Reitter 1902 Paratype // Pygopleurus humeralis det. J. Baraud ‘88 (1 ♀); Euboea Reitter ♀ // coll. Reitter // Amphicoma vulpes v. viridisuturata Reitter 1902 Paratype / Amphicoma humeralis G. Dahlgren det // Pygopleurus humeralis det. J. Baraud ‘88 (1 ♀).

Verified distribution.

Bulgaria. Blagoevgrad: Damjanica; Kresna; Kressna Gorge; Petrichke; Roupite (Strouma Valley); Sandanski; Sandanski-Lebnica; Strumyani.

Republic of Macedonia. Skopje: Matka; Mt. Ivanje (also cited by Rozner & Rozner 2009a) . Veles: 5 km NW of Viničani ( Rozner & Rozner 2009a). Kruševo: Mt. Crn Vrv, Kruševo (also cited by Rozner & Rozner 2009a). Ohrid: Pesočani ( Rozner & Rozner 2009a). Southeastern region : Radovish ; Bogdanci near Gevgelija ( Minkova 1959). Macedonia, unknown placement: Keretschol.

Greece.

Attica. South Athens: Mt. Parnis; Athens; Ag. Trianda ( Mt. Parnitha ) .

Central Greece. Euboea: between Steni and Stroponas (Mt. Dirfis). Phtiothis: Mt. Oeta [=Mt. Iti]; 7 km SE of Kastania; 3 km Se Kastania.

Western Macedonia. Grevena: Anixi (near Grevena). Florina: Pisoderion ; above Pisoderion; Pissoderi; road Pissoderi-Florina; Prespe (Mt. Devas).

Central Macedonia. Thessaloniki: Askos; Mavrouda, Nea Petrici (Mt. Kerkini); Sohos; Vertiskos vill. (Mt. Vertiskos); Géfira. Chalkidiki: Gera Platana [Geroplatanos].

Thessaly. Larissa: EOS Larisis Refuge (Mt. Ossa); Spilia (Mt. Ossa); 4 km S of Spilia; 4 km SW of Stomio; Anatoli (Mt. Ossa); 1 km E of Kryovrysi (M. Olympos); 3 km E of Kryovrysi (M. Olympos); 6 km E of Livadi (Mt. Olympus). Karditsa: near Neraida. Trikala: 3.5 km NE of Kalampaka; 2 km SE of Skepari; between Skepari and Vlahava; near Vlahava (Mt. Antihassia); between Meteora and Vlahava; Kalambaka; Vlahava; near Panagia;

Central Greece. Evrytania: Karpenision; Veluchi. Phocis: Mount Giona; Karakolithos (10 km E of Distomo); Mt. Parnass. Arcadia: near Dirrachi; Prosilion.

Epirus. Metsovo: Katara Pass.

Peloponnese. Corinthia: Mt. Killini; Stilia.

Diagnosis. Characters of the P. viridisuturatus species group described above, plus the following characters. Elytra bicolored, brown and metallic green to blue (rarely golden-green), exceptionally entirely metallic (observed only in females). The metallic sutural stripe is broad, the combined width of the two stripes being at least as broad as the scutellum, usually broader. Paramera not diagnostic of species. Very close in appearance to P. bulgaricus , from which it can be distinguished only by the different shape of the dorsal diverticulum of the everted endophallus ( Fig. 73 ).

Distribution ( Fig. 85 ). The species is distributed from Macedonia and Southwestern Bulgaria to the Peloponnese, across the mountain ranges of central Greek mainland. The presence in Albania is highly probable. It appears to be parapatric to its sister species P. bulgaricus . We examined the specimens recorded as P. humeralis in Petrova et al. (2019) , they should be referred to P. viridisuturatus .

Eco-ethological notes ( Fig. 85 ). The period of adult activity spans from 18-20 th April (SW Bulgaria, Damjanica, 100–300 m) to 19 th June ( Macedonia, Géfira, altitude not recorded). P. viridisuturatus has a clear preference for high altitudes and it is the most montane of all Greek Pygopleurus . On most of its range it is found above 1000 m, reaching 1700 m on Katara Pass (Pindo range). Records below 600 m are rare and mostly scattered in the northeastern part of its range, where it is recorded at 500 m at Geroplatanos (Chalkidiki), at 100–300 m at Damjanica ( Bulgaria), and at 115 m at Nea Petrici (Central Macedonia). Adults have a strong preference for yellow flowers like Ranunculus , Potentilla and Asteraceae (mostly yellow Tubuliflorae). We have never observed, nor do we know, of any observation of adults on Papaver , while the sibling species P. bulgaricus was occasionally observed on them.

Taxonomic remarks. Pygopleurus viridisuturatus was previously considered a synonym of P. humeralis (cf. Baraud 1989: 357) and it is here treated as valid species following the recognition of P. humeralis as a synonym of P. apicalis (see taxonomic remarks under that species).

The misidentification of P. humeralis may have started with Kiesenwetter (1858: 235), who described the species as “Sie ist nämlich viel kleiner, sparsamer behaart, feiner sculpirt, und hat gelbe an der Spitze und bisweilen um das Schildchen in grösserer oder geringerer Ausdehnung grün gefärbte Flügeldecken. Sie findet sich auf höhern Gebirgen, z. B. auf dem Parnes bei Athen auf Blumen.” [= It is much smaller [than P. vulpes ], less hairy, sculpture fine, and has yellow at the top and sometimes to the edge in greater or less extent green colored elytra. It is found on higher mountains such as on the Parnes in Athens on flowers]. We can assume that the species, to which Kiesenwetter refers, both as habitus and as chorology, is P. viridisuturatus . In fact, P. viridisuturatus is present on Mt. Parnis, where P. apicalis is not recorded.

Subsequently Reitter (1890, 1903) entrenches the confusion by describing and identifying P. humeralis this way “Oberseite grün, die Gegend der Schultern auf den Flügeldecken braun. FIügeldecken mit abgerundetem Suturalwinkel” [= Surface green, with brown humeral area. Elytra with rounded sutural angle]. From then on all authors erroneously identified the specimens of Greek Pygopleurus with those characters as P. humeralis , which actually belong to P. viridisuturatus .

Figures

FIGURES 68–74. Pygopleurus viridisuturatus (Reitter, 1903), habitus (see also Figs. 75–77, 130) and genitalia. 68, male (Larissa, Kryovrysi); 69, male (Phtiothis, Kastania); 70, female (Larissa, Kryovrysi); 71, female (Larissa, Spilia); 72, left paramere in lateral and dorsal view (Bulgaria, Drenovo); 73, everted endophallus in left lateral view (Thessaly, Skepari); 74, left genital sclerites of female (Larissa, Mt. Ossa).

FIGURES 75–77. Pygopleurus viridisuturatus (Reitter, 1903), habitus (see also Figs. 68–71, 130). 75, male (Phthiotis, Mt. Tymfristos, Veluchi); 76, male (Larissa, Mt. Ossa); 77, female (Thessaly, Kalambaka).

FIGURES 78–85. Pygopleurus bulgaricus (Nedelkov, 1905), habitus (see also Fig. 129) and genitalia. 78, male (Bulgaria, between Mladinovo and Kostur); 79, male (Eastern Macedone and Thrace, Nea Santa); 80, female (Bulgaria, Glavan); 81, female (Bulgaria, between Mladinovo and Kostur); 82, left paramere in lateral and dorsal view (Eastern Macedone and Thrace, Nea Santa); 83, everted endophallus in left lateral view (Eastern Macedone and Thrace, Nea Santa); 84, left genital sclerites of female (Eastern Macedone and Thrace, Nea Santa).

FIGURES 128–130. Habitus of type specimens. 128, Pygopleurus chrysonotus (Brullé, 1832), neotype; 129, Pygopleurus bulgaricus (Nedelkov, 1905), neotype; 130, Pygopleurus viridisuturatus (Reitter, 1903), holotype.

FIGURES 131–136. Variability in the shape of elytra. Apex of right elytron. 131, Pygopleurus apicalis (Brullé, 1832), male; 132, Pygopleurus apicalis, female; 133, Pygopleurus hirsutus (Brullé, 1832), male; 134, Pygopleurus hirsutus, female; 135, Pygopleurus viridisuturatus (Reitter, 1903), female; 136, Pygopleurus chrysonotus (Brullé, 1832), male.