Mylabris (Mylabris) batnensis Marseul, 1870

Pan, Zhao & Bologna, Marco A., 2014, Taxonomy, Bionomics and Faunistics of the Nominate Subgenus of Mylabris Fabricius, 1775, with the description of five new species (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Mylabrini), Zootaxa 3806 (1), pp. 1-78 : 21-22

Mylabris (Mylabris) batnensis Marseul, 1870 *

Figs. 1 F, 9A–G

Mylabris batnensis Marseul, 1870: 121 ; 1872: 523; Baudi di Selve, 1878a: 376; 1878b: 1115; Beauregard, 1890: 522; Sumakov, 1915: 47; 1930: 79; Borchmann, 1917: 26; Mader, 1927: 862.

Zonabris batnensis, Pic, 1897: 127 ; Escherich, 1899: 90.

Mylabris (Tigrabris) batnensis, Kuzin, 1954: 365 .

Mylabris (Mylabris) batnensis, Pardo Alcaide, 1954b: 74 ; Bologna, 2008: 397.

Type locality. “ Algérie, Batna” ( Marseul, 1870). This locality is in northern Algeria, on the southern border of the Algerian Atlas, in a transizional zone between steppe and mountain Mediterranean habitats and desert.

Type specimens. One type, which must be considered the holotype, was briefly examined at the MNHN (Marseul’s collection).

Description. Body length: 7.5–12 mm; setae long, and yellow with only few mixed black setae, particulalry on elytra; antennae usually black, but antennomeres III–VII reddish in few specimens, III almost twice as long as IV, apical four antennomeres evidently and progressively widened, XI slightly longer than wide ( Fig. 9 A); pronotum without fore transverse depression; elytral black pattern very distinctive ( Fig. 9 B): one black spot around the scutellum, one external fore longitudinal spot longer and wider than inner one, one zig-zag middle fascia, two subequal rounded spots obliquely positioned, and usually a very narrow apical fascia along the inner margin, rarely absent; “scutum” of mesosternum yellow-brown, setae short and sparse ( Fig. 9 C); male gonoforceps slender in lateral view ( Fig. 9 E), and fused ventrally in the basal third ( Fig. 9 D); both aedeagal dorsal hooks small, the distal one far from apex ( Fig. 9 F).

Taxonomic remarks. As previously evidenced, this species is extremely distinct from all other species of the nominate subgenus, because of the body setation colour, the elytral pattern, the mesosternum colouration and the aedeagal distal hook, positioned far from apex. The present position of M. batnensis in the nominate subgenus is uncertain and we are waiting for molecular evidences to define better its phylogenetic relationships.

Distribution. S Morocco, S Algeria.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Habitus of the Mylabris (Mylabris) spp., dorsal view: A. M. alpicola, ♂; B. M. amorii, ♀; C. M. apiceguttata, ♂; D. M. apicenigra, ♂; E. M. barezensis, ♂; F. M. batnensis, ♂; G. M. cernyi, ♂; H. M. ciliciensis, ♂; I. M. concolor, ♂; J. M. desertica, ♀; K. M. emiliae, ♂; L. M. guerini, ♂; M. M. kodymi, ♂; N. M. madani, ♂; O. M. madoni, ♂; P. M. mediorientalis, ♂; Q. M. olivieri, ♂; R. M. parumpicta, ♀; S. M. poggii, ♂; T. M. pseudoemiliae, ♂; U. M. quadripunctata, ♂; V. M. schreibersi, ♂; W. M. tauricola, ♂; X. M. tricincta, ♂; Y. M. variabilis, ♂. Scale bar = 5 mm.

FIGURE 9. Mylabris (M.) batnensis Marseul: A. antenna; B. elytral pattern; C. mesosternum; D. tegmen, ventral view; E. tegmen, lateral view; F. aedeagus, lateral view; G. spiculum gastrale, dorsal view. Scale bar = 1 mm.