Helops cyanipes Allard, 1877

Nabozhenko, Maxim V., Keskin, Bekir, Keskin, Nurşen Alpagut, Gagarina, Ludmila V. & Nabozhenko, Svetlana, 2021, Two new species and new records of lichen-feeding darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Helopini) from Turkey with notes on bionomics and trophic relations, Zootaxa 5057 (1), pp. 69-86 : 82

Helops cyanipes Allard, 1877

Material. 1♂, 2♀ ( PCMN) , 9♂, 7♀ ( ZDEU): Turkey, Kahramanmaraş Prov., Başkonuş Yaylası , 37°34ʹ12.47ʺN / 36°34ʹ58.79ʺE, 1300 m, 18.04.2021 (leg. B. Keskin, M. & S. Nabozhenko) ; 1♂ ( ZDEU): Turkey, Adana Prov., Tufanbeyli Distr., Doğanbeyli , 38°8ʹ2.75ʺN / 36°6ʹ37.24ʺE, 1447 m, 19.04.2021 (leg. B. Keskin, M. & S. Nabozhenko) ; 1♂, 2♀ ( ZDEU): Turkey, Gaziantep Prov., above Fevzipaşa , 37°06ʹ32.93ʺN / 37°37ʹ49.94ʺE, 712 m, 8.04.2021 (leg. B. Keskin, M. & S. Nabozhenko) ; 1♀ ( ZDEU): Turkey, Adıyaman Prov., Nemrut Dağı, Eskikahta , 37°56ʹ35.96ʺN / 38°41ʹ45.31ʺE, 1171 m, 10.04.2021 (leg. S. & M. Nabozhenko, B. Keskin) .

Distribution and bionomics. Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel. Turkish records of this species is originated from the central and eastern ridges of Taurus Mts. (from Mersin, Kahramanmaraş provinces) to Amanos Mts. (Gaziantep and Hatay provinces) ( Nabozhenko & Keskin 2017). We additionally collected Helops cyanipes from the north of Adana Province and Nemrut Dağı in Adıyaman Province. Nemrut is the most eastern locality in the range of the species. The species inhabits coniferous forests and woodlands throughout the entire range and it was collected on trunks of Abies cilicica (Antoine et Kotschy) Carrière , Cedrus libani and Pinus nigra ( Figs. 7E, F ) among fruticose lichens of the family Parmeliaceae . In Fevzipaşa we collected this species on trunks of Pinus brutia where it fed on two foliose species of lichens, Physcia adscendens and Physconia distorta (With.) J.R. Laundon (Physciaceae) . Adult beetles were active in mid-April from 20:40 to ~23:00.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Habitats of Helopini in Turkey and beetles in nature: A—Odocnemis inornata on trunk of Pyrus (Antalya: Thermessos); B—woodland of Juniperus excelsa, habitat of Taurohelops triplechorni (Kayseri—Adana border pass); C— multiple specimens of Catomus hesperides on trunk of olive (Adana: Çelemli); D—old forest of Pinus brutia, habitat of Helops glabriventris and Euboeus kopetzi (Antalya: Ibradı), E—three specimens of Helops cyanipes on trunk of Pinus nigra (Kahramanmaraş: Başkonuş Yaylası), F—the same place and tree, male of Helops cyanipes.