Xyloperthella picea (A.G. Olivier, 1790)

Nardi, Gianluca & Mifsud, David, 2015, The Bostrichidae of the Maltese Islands (Coleoptera), ZooKeys 481, pp. 69-108 : 82-83

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Bostrichidae

Xyloperthella picea (A.G. Olivier, 1790)

Material examined.

Malta: Qormi, Ħal-Farrug, 5.V.2003, DM [under bark of Ceratonia siliqua in an agricultural environment], 1 ♀ (CMM); Rabat, 4.VI.1989, PS, attracted to light [on the roof of private residence], 1 ex (CMM); 18.VI.1992, PS, [attracted to light, in an agricultural environment], 2 ex (CMM); 4.VI.1999, PS, attracted to light [in an agricultural environment], 1 ♂, (CMM); 28.VI.2001, PS, [attracted to light, in an agricultural environment], 1 ♀ (CMM); 21.VI.2002, PS, [ditto], 2 ♂♂ (CNI); 23.VI.2002, PS, [ditto], 2 ♀♀ (CMM; CNI); 1.VII.2002, PS, [ditto], 1 ♂ 1 ♀ (CMM); 3.VI.2003, PS, [ditto] 1 ♀ (CNI); Rabat, Ta Koronja, 21.VI.2002, PS, [attracted to light], 1 ♀ (CMM).

Other material examined.

Italy: Apulia region, Lecce prov., S. Cataldo, Ris. [= Riserva = Reserve] WWF Le Cesine, 11-21.VI.1995, F. Angelini, 2 ex (MCSVA). Sardinia region, Sassari prov., Berehidda, 15.VII.1985, M. Daccordi leg., 1 ex (MCSV). Sicily region, Siracusa prov., Noto, Oasi di Vendicari, Cala Mosche, 10 m, N° 36 49,066' E15°5,834', 3.VII.2011, D. Birtele & P. Birtele leg., 1 ♀ (CCI).

Chorotype.

Afrotropical-Mediterranean species which was also intercepted in Germany, Great Britain and The Netherlands (cf. Lesne 1924, 1938, in both cases as Xylopertha picea , Aitken 1975, Akşit et al. 2005, Borowski 2007, in both cases as Xyloperthella picea picea, Bahillo de la Puebla et al. 2007, Borowski and Węgrzynowicz 2007, Baena and Zuzarte 2013). According to several authors (cf. Lesne 1901a, 1924, 1938, Gridelli 1939, 1940, Blackwelder 1945, Da Costa Lima 1953, in all cases as Xylopertha picea , Vrydagh 1958, 1960a, 1960b, 1961, 1962, Geis 2002, Ivie 2002, Borowski 2007, Peres Filho et al. 2007, Barriga and Cepeda 2009, Baena and Zuzarte 2013), it became established in parts of the Neotropical region (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, French Guyana, Jamaica, Paraguay, Perù) since a long time but its presence in this region was recently reported as doubtful ( Borowski and Węgrzynowicz 2007).

Notes.

First record for Malta and the Apulia region; the species is not known from neighbouring Sicilian Islands (Tab. 1) but is widespread in Africa. Whether this species is autochthonous or has been introduced into Malta might be therefore open to debate. It is known from Tunisia and from all other mainland countries of North Africa ( Lesne 1901b, Normand 1936, in both cases as Xylopertha picea , Vrydagh 1956, Borowski 2007), while from southern Europe it is recorded only from Portugal (cf. Serrano 1981, as Xylopertha picea , Baena and Zuzarte 2013), Greece (Samos Island) ( Vrydagh 1962, Nardi 2004b, as Xyloperthella picea picea), southern mainland Italy (Basilicata region), Sardinia, Sicily, Spain and the Balearic Islands (cf. Lesne 1901a, 1901b, 1905, Winkler 1927, Luigioni 1929, Porta 1929, in all cases as Xylopertha picea , Cobos 1950, as Xyloperthe [sic!] picea , Español 1955, 1974, Angelini and Montemurro 1986, Audisio et al. 1995, Sparacio 1997, Angelini 1998, Nardi 2004b, Bahillo de la Puebla et al. 2007, Borowski 2007).

According to some authors (cf. Lesne 1924, Español 1955), the Mediterranean populations may belong to a distinct subspecies, Xyloperthella picea heydeni (Schilsky, 1899), nevertheless the species is currently monotypic since this subspecies and also Xyloperthella picea plumbeipennis Lesne, 1924 from Gabon and Democratic Republic of Congo ( Lesne 1924), were recently listed as a synonym of Xyloperthella picea ( Borowski and Węgrzynowicz 2007). The species was described from Cape Verde Islands ( Olivier 1790, as Bostrichus piceus ) and not from Senegal as indicated by some authors ( López-Colón 2000, López-Colón et al. 2001, Bahillo de la Puebla et al. 2007); in this African archipelago it is probably autochthonous ( Oromí et al. 2005).