Clanoptilus sp.

Švihla, Vladimír & Mifsud, David, 2006, Annotated review of the Cantharidae and Malachiidae (Coleoptera) of the Maltese Islands, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 46, pp. 89-105 : 100

Clanoptilus sp.

Malachius bellieri Peyron, 1877: 53 . Malachius dissimilis: CAMERON & CARUANA GATTO (1907) : 397, misidentification.

Material examined. None.

Comments. PEYRON (1877) described M. bellieri from specimens originating from Sicily and Malta. ABEILLE DE PERRIN (1883) synonymized this species with M. dissimilis Baudi di Selve, 1873 described from Caucasus and known to occur only in this region. Later, he examined the type specimen from Malta and synonymized it with Malachius geniculatus Germar, 1824 ( ABEILLE DE PERRIN 1891). The southernmost limit of the distribution of Clanoptilus geniculatus is southern peninsular Italy, and it has never been recorded from Sicily ( AUDISIO et al. 1995). No material of this species was available for CAMERON & CARUANA GATTO (1907) and they recorded this species based on the above-mentioned earlier record. Karel Majer (pers. comm. to D. Mifsud, 1998) examined specimens from Malta which he identified as Clanoptilus dissimilis . The identity of this species cannot be resolved until additional specimens become available for study.