Hycleus lavaterae (Fabricius, 1801)

Bologna, Marco A., Amore, Valentina & Pitzalis, Monica, 2018, Meloidae of Namibia (Coleoptera): taxonomy and faunistics with biogeographic and ecological notes, Zootaxa 4373 (1), pp. 1-141 : 73

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4373.1.1
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:202AFD20-7B37-405A-9CBA-051EF24E9FB2
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5990601
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/F72687E4-FFDF-FF85-FF5F-FF55FED94FC4
treatment provided by	Plazi
scientific name	Hycleus lavaterae
status

Treatment

Cd) Hycleus lavaterae species group

This group is composed by a few large-sized southern African species with mesosternum of Mesoscutatus - type, five basal antennomeres black and maxillary stipes not greatly modified. It includes at least H. haemactus (Fairmaire, 1888) , H. lavaterae (Fabricius, 1801) , H. plagiatus (Pallas, 1782) , H. testudo ( Marseul, 1872) , and perhaps H. capeneri ( Pardo Alcaide, 1963) and H. tettensis (Gerstäcker, 1854) . The possible conspecificity of some of these species must be tested.

Hycleus haemactus (Fairmaire, 1888) ( Fig. 4S View FIGURE4 )

Mylabris haemacta Fairmaire, 1888

Distribution. Southwestern Namibia and northwestern South Africa.

Material examined and literature records. [Erongo] Walvis Bay Rural: Kuiseb Canyon , 23.3667°S 15.6667°E ( SMWN) GoogleMaps . [Karas] Lüderitz : Plateau 38, 26.6667°S 16.5333°E ( SMWN) GoogleMaps ; Aar 16, 26.7167°S 16.4667°E ( SMWN) GoogleMaps ; Skorpion area , 27.8167°S 16.6000°E ( SMWN) GoogleMaps . Karasburg: Nukois 269, Warmbad , 27.3833°S 18.9667°E ( SMWN) GoogleMaps ; Hobas 374, 27.6167°S 17.7167°E ( SMWN) GoogleMaps . Oranjemund: Ai-Ais Warmbad , 27.9167°S 17.4833°E ( SMWN); Fish River Canyon (CB) GoogleMaps ; Orange River, 28.0333°S 17.0667°E ( SMWN) GoogleMaps .

Other records: Namibia ( Bologna 2000a) ; Namib Sand Sea desert ( Seely 2012).

Remarks. Types of this species were examined at MNHN.

This species is strictly related to H. lavaterae and H. testudo , and differs from both at least because of the antennomeres VI–XI distinctly orange and not infuscate. The study of types is necessary to confirm the validity of this complex.