Osmoderma barnabita, Motschulsky, 1845

Alekseev, Vitalii I., 2018, Scarabaeoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) Of The Kaliningrad Region (Russia): The Commented Actual Checklist, Assessment Of Rarity And Notes To Regional Protection, Acta Biologica Universitatis Daugavpiliensis 18 (2), pp. 111-152 : 141

81. O. barnabita Motschulsky, 1845 [ = eremita auct., nec (Scopoli, 1763)]

Bercio & Folwaczny 1979 ( Osmoderma eremita Scop. ); Alekseev & Sakhnov 2000 ( eremita ); Ranius et al. 2005 ( eremita ); Alekseev 2010.

Voucher specimens: 4 [Podlipovo, August 1994; Cherniakhovsk, 18 July 1997; Kaliningrad, 03 August 2008; Tumanovka, 09 July 2018].

Kaliningrad Region: Chern. (Insterburg), Gur. (Königsberg, Neuhausen), Pravd. (Friedland); Bagr., Chern., Gvard., Gur., Pol., Pravd.

Comments: The Latin name of hermit beetles is selected according to the published results (Audisio et al. 2007, 2009) of a molecular analysis on the European hermit beetles. The single possible species in Eastern Europe and in the Region should be named O. barnabita Motsch. Larvae develop in the hollows of the broad-leaved ( Quercus , Tilia , Alnus , Fagus ) and fruit ( Prunus , Pyrus , Malus ) trees. The beetle preferred trees about 450 cm in circumference at 1.3 m height ( Oleksa et al. 2007). Beetles usually occur on the effluent tree sap in July-August. The adults of Osmoderma were reported to feed on flowers and fruits too ( Ranius et al. 2005; Maurizi et al. 2017). The species is mostly associated with avenues and old parks in the Region. The species is included in the Russian Red Data Book ( Nikitsky 2001b); it is considered “near threatened” at the European level ( Nieto & Alexander 2010) and it is listed in the Red Data Book of the Kaliningrad Region ( Dedkov & Grishanov 2010). Widely distributed, but rare species, restricted to the isolated known localities (hollow oaks and limes).