Tentyria (Subtentyrina) ramburi Solier, 1835

Leo, Piero, 2009, Observations on some Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) from Sardinia, with description of three new Asida *, Zootaxa 2318, pp. 400-420 : 414-415

Tentyria (Subtentyrina) ramburi Solier, 1835 subgen. comb. nov.

( Fig. 17)

Tentyria ramburi Solier, 1835: 327

Tentyria angusticollis Solier, 1835: 328

Tentyria laevicollis Solier, 1835: 329

Tentyria maillei Solier, 1835: 330

Tentyria substriata Solier, 1835: 332

Tentyria ramburi Solier var. laevicollis Solier : Reitter 1900: 172; Porta 1934: 96

Tentyria ramburi Solier var. maillei Solier : Reitter 1900: 172; Porta 1934: 96

Tentyria ramburi Solier var. substriata Solier : Reitter 1900: 172; Porta 1934: 96

Tentyria ramburi Solier : Reitter 1900: 172; Porta 1934: 96; Sainte-Claire Deville 1914: 340, 549; Luigioni 1929: 705

Tentyria ramburi ramburi Solier : Ardoin 1973: 265

Tentyria ramburi laevicollis Solier : Ardoin 1973: 265

Tentyria ramburi maillei Solier : Ardoin 1973: 265; Lanza and Poggesi 1986: 125; Gardini 1995: 5

Tentyria ramburi ramburi Solier : Soldati and Coache 2004: 6; Soldati and Coache 2005: 83; Aliquò et al. 2006

Tentyria (Tentyria) ramburi ramburi Solier : Löbl et al. 2008: 208

Material examined (193 specimens). France. Corsica. Corse-du-Sud dep.: Ajaccio, Tour de la Parata ( CEM) ; Bonifacio ( CPL) ; id., Capo di Feno ( CLB; CPL); id., Plage de Tonnara ( CDS; CPL); Porto-Vecchio, spiaggia di Palombaggia ( MZUR) ; Propriano ( CPL) ; Sagone, Port de Sagone ( CCM) ; Solenzara ( CCM) ; Zonza, Pinarello ( MSNG) . Haute-Corse dep.: Aleria, spiaggia di Padulone ( CEM; CPL); Ghisonaccia, stagno d’Urbino ( CEM) ; L’Ile-Rousse ( CPL) ; Palasca, foce [= mouth of river] F. Ostriconi ( MZUR) ; Penta-di- Casinca, Anghione ( CPL) . Italy. Sardinia. Olbia-Tempio prov.: Aglientu, Spiaggia di Vignola ( CPL) ; Santa Teresa di Gallura ( CPL) ; id., Capo Testa ( CPL) ; id., La Colba ( CCM; CDS; CLB; CPL) .

Remarks. As stated above, this species does not show a close phyletic relationship with Tentyria rugosa . In my opinion, the true affinities of Tentyria ramburi are to be found with species belonging to the first group of Reitter (1900), i.e. the T. mucronata Steven, 1829 group as defined by Palmer (1998), particularly for the shape of the base of pronotum, clearly sinuous medially, and the gular groove reduced to a shallow median dimple; species of this group were included by Löbl et al. (2008) in subgenus Subtentyrina Löbl & Merkl, 2003 , to which also T. ramburi should be assigned in my opinion.

The elytral sculpture of Tentyria ramburi is quite variable: almost smooth, superficially striated or with a slight transverse rugosity; however, this variability is entirely independant of geographical factors and can be found also within a same population. The various other taxa listed above, all generically described from Corsica by Solier (1835), were synonymized with Tentyria ramburi partly by Reitter (1900), partly by Ardoin (1973) and partly by Soldati and Soldati (2003); the species is monotypic at the current state of knowledge.

Distribution and ecology. Tentyria ramburi is a Corso-Sardinian endemic widespread along the coasts of the whole of Corsica and very localized in the extreme north of Sardinia ( Fig. 19). Besides the material personally examined by myself, the following localities of occurrence are known in the literature: Corsica. Corsica [without further details] ( Solier 1835, as Tentyria ramburi , T. angusticollis , T. laevicollis , T. maillei , T. substriata ). Corse-du-Sud dep.: Ajaccio; Bonifacio ( Sainte-Claire Deville 1914; Ardoin 1973, as T. ramburi ssp. maillei ); Porto-Vecchio, Isolotto Cornuta; id., Isolotto Farina; Zonza, Scoglio di Pinarello ( Lanza & Poggesi 1986); Bonifacio, Plage de Tonnara; Sartene, Roccapina site ( Soldati & Coache 2004); Zonza, Pinarellu ( Soldati & Coache 2005). Haute-Corse dep.: Asco; Bastia ( Sainte-Claire Deville 1914); Ghisonaccia; L’Ile-Rousse ( Sainte-Claire Deville 1914; Soldati & Coache 2004); Calenzana, Punta Cantateli; Lumio, Monte d’Ortu; Penta-di-Casinca, spiaggia di San Pellegrinu; Pioggiola, Bocca di a Battaglia; Santo- Pietro-di-Tenda, Bocca di Vezzu ( Soldati & Coache 2004); Calvi, la Revellata; L’Ile-Rousse, isola di a Pietra; Lumio, Punta Spano; Monticello, Guardiola; Pioggiola, Bocca di a Battaglia; Santo-Pietro-di-Tenda, Saleccia ( Soldati & Coache 2005). Sardinia. Olbia-Tempio prov.: Santa Teresa di Gallura, Capo Testa ( Ardoin 1973, as T. ramburi ssp. maillei ; Aliquò et al. 2006).

Based on personal observations and on known data, T. ramburi seems to prefer sandy littorals and, secondarily, coastal garrigues; however, it is also known from a few inland submontane areas of Corsica ( Sainte-Claire Deville 1914; Soldati & Coache 2004, 2005) and from elevations up to 1000m ( Soldati 2007). The species can be found all year round but seems more common during spring.