Macrosiagon cf. bequaerti Pic, 1913

Batelka, Jan, 2011, Contribution to the synonymies, distributions, and bionomics of the Old World species of Macrosiagon (Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 51 (2), pp. 587-626 : 594

Macrosiagon cf. bequaerti Pic, 1913

( Fig. 12 )

Material examined. INDIA: TAMIL NADU: 1 J ( ZMHB), ‘South India / Madras state / Coimbatore / 1400 F [p]’.

Remarks. This specimen differs from the African M. bequaerti only by the non-transparent elytra without lighter whitish coloration in their posterior half.

Distribution. Three Macrosiagon species ( M. bipunctata , M. ferruginea and M. terminata ) are widespread in the Afrotropical Region and go through the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula to the Indian subcontinent or even further to the east and west. All three species show slight morphological or color variability in different areas (probably because of different ecological conditions). One can conclude that the Afrotropical M. bequaerti may have the same type of distribution, but there is no record of this species from the Arabian Peninsula so far. Such a disjunct distribution may indicate that the Indian specimen belongs possibly to a new species sister to M. bequaerti . More material is necessary to make a sound decision.

Figures

Figs 8–15. 8–11 – Macrosiagon bequaerti Pic, 1913. (8 – male from Zambia; 9 – male from Guinea; 10–11 – holotype with labels). 12 – Macrosiagon cf. bequaerti Pic, 1913, India. 13–15 – Macrosiagon biguttata (Blanchard, 1846) (13 – syntype label; 14 – male, Australia, Cairns; 15 – female, Australia, Cairns).