Hycleus tenuepictus ( Fairmaire, 1892 )

Serri, Sayeh, Bologna, Marco A. & Riccieri, Alessandra, 2020, Revision of the Hycleus sexmaculatus species group (Coleoptera: Meloidae Mylabrini), Zootaxa 4790 (1), pp. 1-42 : 29

Hycleus tenuepictus ( Fairmaire, 1892)

Figs 11, 23, 98–104

Mylabris tenuepicta Fairmaire, 1892: 154 .

Zonabris tenuepicta ab. marsabensis Pic, 1898: 3.

Hycleus tenuepictus, Bologna & Turco, 2007: 17 .

Type material. Lectotype, Syrie, Akbès, C.D. 1891/ Mylabris tenuepicta n.sp. Fairm. Syria ( MNHN; Fairmaire, 1892, type loc.); 1 paralectotype, idem ( MNHN). We also examined ( MNHN) three syntypes of the ab. marsabensis Pic.

Type locality: “Syrie, Akbès” ( Fairmaire, 1892). Actually , this locality is now in the Hatay province of Turkey .

Additional material examined. Egypt. 1 ex. Fayum ( MNHN) . Israel. 1 ex. Mt. Hermon ( JPC) ; 1 ♂ Syrien, Kaifa (Haifa), coll. Reitter ( HNHM) ; 1 ex. Jerusalem-Jericho rd. km 32 ( MUH) ; 1 ♂ Jerusalem, Jericho road km 22, 18. IV.1942, leg. Bytinski & Salz ( MABC) ; 1 ex. Jerusalem-Jericho rd. km 18 ( MUH) ; 1 ex., idem without information on km ( MUH) ; 1 ♂ Israel , Jerusalem ( MABC) ; 3 exx. Mar Saba ( MNHN) syntypes of var. marsabensis Pic ; Pic, 1898); 1 ex. Arad-Mezada rd. ( MUH) ; 4 exx. Bor Mushah ( MUH) ; 1 ex. Mizp e Shalem Palms , East ( MUH) ; 1 ex. Ejn Gedi ( MUH) ; 1 ex. Boker ( MUH) ; 1 ex. Judean desert, Mitape Jericho ( ALC) ; 1 ex. Dead Sea area and northern Arabe valley (Bytinsky-Salz, unpubl.) ; 1 ♂ ( MABC) , 3 exx. ( NHMW) Dead Sea Area , Sea level ; 1 ex. Jeri- cho, Midbaryahuda ( MHNG) ; 1 ♂ Ein Ovdat, Negev , 5.VIII.1975, leg. Fedeschi ( MABC) ; 1♂ Israel, Nahal Qrdron , 7. VI.1996, leg. Freidberg ( MABC) ; 1 ♂ Aradmejada road, 2.VII.71, leg. Bytinski & Salz ( HMIM) . Turkey. 2 exx. Akbès ( MNHN det. as sexmaculatus ); 43 exx. Akbès ( MNHN) .

Records from literature. Israel-Palestine. Palestine ( Mader 1927a; Koçak & Kemal 2015); Dead Sea area, northern Negev, central Negev ( Chikatunov 1999, 2003); Judean desert ( Chikatunov 2003); Syro-Palaestinian region ( Bologna 1979). Jordan. Jordan ( Koçak & Kemal 2015). Syria. Syria ( Fairmaire, 1892 type locality, which actually is in Turkey; Mader 1927a; Chikatunov 1999, 2003; Koçak & Kemal 2015). Turkey. Turkey ( Koçak & Kemal 2010, 2015).

Description. Body length about 15 mm. Body black, but elytra yellowish red, with soft black pattern. Head subquadrate; antennomere III half longer than IV, V–VIII transverse and progressively widened, IX–X narrower or with same width of VIII, male ( Fig. 98 ) XI slightly elongate, spindle shaped and half longer than X; in female ( Fig. 99 ) last antennomere spindle shape but shorter. Pronotum ( Fig. 23 ) as long as wide, transversely depressed anteriorly, with deep middle longitudinal furrow and depression; mesosternun as in Fig. 103 . Each elytron sometimes with two black small spot or without spot, and one narrow fascia on apical part ( Fig. 104 ). Last male ventrite convex, except one narrow fore depression posterior margin with deep narrow middle emargination; aedeagus ( Fig. 102 ) with endophallic hook narrow, distal aedeagal hook relatively curved, far from proximal one and close to apex, proximal hook slightly curved and nearly as long as distal; gonoforceps ( Figs 100–101 ) narrow in both ventral and lateral view; in lateral view scarcely sinuate in apical third but not turned posteriad.

Taxonomic remarks. Different from other species of this group, H. tenuepictus shows less variation among populations.At MNHN we examined several topotypic specimens belonging to the nominate form, to one form with two fore spots and nothing posteriorly, and to another form with one spot in the middle. We examined also the ab. marsabensis. Additional variation concerns differences of the elytral spots size.

Distribution. This species is distributed in the southeastern Turkish Hatay province, Syria, Israel-Palestine and Jordan, with an isolated record from northern Egypt (Fayum), which needs confirmation.

Figures

FIGURES 98–104. Hycleus tenuepictus (Fairmaire): 98. male antenna; 99. female antenna; 100. tegmen, ventral view; 101. tegmen, lateral view; 102. aedeagus, lateral view; 103. mesosternum; 104. elytral pattern. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURES 13–24. Head and pronotum of: 13. Hycleus apicipennis; 14. H. balteatus; 15 H. bipunctatus; 16. H. cingulatus; 17. H. colligatus; 18. H. hayki; 19. H. lindbergi; 20. H. pirata; 21. H. schauffelei; 22. H. sexmaculatus; 23. H. tenuepictus; 24. H. trianguliferus.