Hycleus belli (Borchman, 1940)

Bologna, Marco A., B, Ladislav Černý & B, Ahmed Zubair, 2018, Meloidae (Coleoptera) of Pakistan and Kashmir with the description of three new species, new faunistic and taxonomic records, and a zoogeographic analysis, Turkish Journal of Zoology 42 (6), pp. 637-660 : 648-649

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.3906/zoo-1712-36
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/33408557-FFFC-FF8E-FCB4-FA2FFE60470F
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Hycleus belli (Borchman, 1940)
status

Treatment

Hycleus belli (Borchman, 1940) ( Figure 7a View Figure 7 )

New records. Pakistan: 2 paratypes labeled “ T.R. Bell, Karachi; Myl. Belli n. sp. ” (handwritten by F. Borchmann) ( NHMUK) ; 1 paratype, idem ( HNHM, NMNHB) ; 1 paratype, idem ( MNHN) ; 1 paratype, idem ( HNHM) ; 2 exx., Sindh ( NMNHB) .

Distribution. Recorded only from Pakistan ( Borchmann, 1940; Pardo Alcaide, 1958; Saha, 1972; Bologna, 2008).

Remarks. Pardo Alcaide (1958) tentatively referred this species to the group of H. pallipes (Olivier) , subgroup of H. nigriplantis (Klug, 1845) (see below), which has a mesosternum of the Mesoscutatus-type. The elytral pattern is similar to that of species belonging to that group, such as H. nigriplantis , H. dorhni (Marseul, 1872) [to which it was compared by Borchmann (1940)], and H. pakistanus sp. nov. However, the examination of H. belli types shows this species to be distinct from the H. pallipes group. The mandibles are neither curved at the apex nor acutely pointed, and they are ca. as long as the labrum; moreover, the external metatibial spur is stick-like and not spatulate, and the pro- and mesotibial spurs are small and slender.

The elytral pattern of this species ( Figure 7a View Figure 7 ) is very similar to that of some species of the group of H. brunnipes (Klug, 1845) , which has the Mesogorbatus-type mesosternum.

Hycleus pallipes Group (sensu Pardo Alcaide, 1958)

Hycleus dohrni (Marseul, 1872)

Distribution. N India; recorded from Pakistan as Mylabris by Saha (1972: Murree Subdiv., nr. Gharial) and Hashmi and Tashfeen (1992), but not reported by Bologna (2008). We studied specimens from Indian northern Punjab, close to Kashmir [3 exx., Kangra valley-Yol, 1300 m, iv–vii.1944 C. Lomi (CB)].