Contributions to Zoology, 77 (4) 227-248 (2008) Revision of the genus Trichomeloe Reitter, with the description of new species and fi rst instar larvae (Coleoptera: Meloidae) Marco A. Bologna, Andrea Di Giulio Dipartimento di Biologia, Università degli studi Roma Tre, Viale Marconi, 446 - 00146 Roma, Italy, bologna@ uniroma3.it, [email protected] Key words: bionomics, distribution, key, larval morphology, new species, synonymies, taxonomy Abstract Cros (1934) described the fi rst instar larva of “Meloe” chrysocomus Miller, 1861, one of the spe- The Palaearctic genus Trichomeloe is reviewed and newly de- cies considered by Reitter (1911) as Trichomeloe, fi ned on the basis of larval and adult characters. Its position and noted its lyttine morphology, similar to that of among the Lyttini tribe is discussed. Trichomeloe includes eight species, mostly from the Near East. The bionomics of “Meloe” majalis Linnaeus, 1758, a Western Medi- the genus is summarized, together with a key to the species, an terranean species. Afterwards, Cros (1940) distin- annotated catalogue and some taxonomic remarks. T. syria- guished chrysocomus, majalis and affi nis Lucas, cus n. sp. from Syria and T. mesopotamicus n. sp. from north- ern Irak, are described. The fi rst instar larva of T. syriacus is described and compared with that of T. chrysocomus, both fi gured by scanning electron microscopy photographs. Contents Introduction ............................................................................ 227 Material and methods ........................................................... 228 Results ...................................................................................... 229 Bionomics .......................................................................... 229 Taxonomy .......................................................................... 235 Discussion ................................................................................ 236 Acknowledgements ................................................................ 237 References ................................................................................ 237 Appendices .............................................................................. 239 Introduction The taxon Trichomeloe (Fig. 1) was described by Reitter (1911) as a subgenus of Meloe Linnaeus, 1758, a wingless and brachyelytrous genus of the tribe Meloini, largely distributed in the Holarctic, eastern and Southern Africa, and marginally in the Oriental Region. Reitter (1911) did not designate a type species and included in Trichomeloe fi ve species, previously referred to Meloe by Escherich (1890) as the “behaarten Meloe-Arten” group, a polyphyletic assemblage, which almost completely belongs to Fig. 1. Trichomeloe sericellus, male dorsal habitus (from Bo- Meloe, subgenus Eurymeloe Reitter, 1911. logna, 1991). Scale bar = 5 mm. 228 Marco A. Bologna and Andrea Di Giulio – Revision of the genus Trichomeloe Reitter 1849, another Maghrebian species, from typical collis, T. defl exus, T. sericellus, T. ottomanus, T. ova- Meloe because of larval characters, considering tus. them as Lyttini but without description of a new Escherich (1890) and Reitter (1895) published taxon. This systematic opinion was adopted by partial keys to the Trichomeloe species, but mixed MacSwain (1956), who separated these three spe- them with species actually belonging to Meloe cies from Meloe, and formalized the new status of (Eurymeloe). Several species are phenetically very Trichomeloe by selecting Meloe chrysocomus as type similar and females are diffi cult to identify; for this species. Conversely, Pardo Alcaide (1952), Kaszab reason an updated key was necessary. (1958, 1961, 1969) and Aksentjev (1988), conserved Aims of this paper are to: (a) summarize adult the traditional taxonomic arrangement and consid- and larval bionomics; (b) compare larval morphol- ered Trichomeloe as a subgenus of Meloe. ogy of two species, one of which described for the Recently, Bologna (1989) removed majalis from fi rst time and both fi gured by scanning electron mi- Trichomeloe and placed it in the new genus Berber- croscopy photographs; (c) propose a classifi cation omeloe based on adult and larval characters. Both of species and defi ne natural groups; (d) construct genera were treated as Lyttini (see also Bologna, an identifi cation key to the species; (e) collect all 1988, 1989, 1991). Selander (1991) also judged both taxonomic remarks and distributional information genera as distinct and included them in the tribe Ce- in an annotated catalogue; (f) describe two new spe- rocomini, subtribe Lyttina. Placement in the tribe cies from Syria and Mesopotamia respectively. Lyttini was supported by Bologna andPinto (2001, 2002), who noted considerable variability of larval morphology in the tribe and suggested its possible Material and methods polyphyly (see also Bologna et al., 2008). A second species of Berberomeloe, B. insignis (Charpentier, For the present study 407 adults of Trichomeloe 1818), endemic to southern Spain, was recently res- were examined: 85 of T. chrysocomus (Miller, 1861); urrected by Garcia-Paris (1998); this has been sup- 27 (holotype included) of T. conicicollis (Reitter, ported by molecular and larval evidence (Settanni 1907); 96 (holotype and 1 paratype included) of T. et al., unpublished). defl exus (Reitter, 1889); 14 (holotype and 11 para- Following the literature (Escherich, 1890, pars; types included) of T. mesopotamicus n. sp.; 7 (holo- Reitter, 1911; Kaszab, 1958), Bologna (1988, 1989) type and 1 paratype of the synonym frivaldszky in- referred six Meloe species to the genus Trichomeloe: cluded) of T. ottomanus (Pliginskji, 1914); 173 of T. T. chrysocomus Miller, 1861; T. conicicollis Reitter, sericellus (Reiche, 1857); 5 (holotype and 3 para- 1907; T. defl exus Reitter, 1889; T. pubifer Heyden, types included) of T. syriacus n. sp. We tried to ex- 1887; T. sericellus Reiche, 1857; T. ottomanus Pligin- amine the holotype and the paratypus of T. ovatus, skij, 1914. He also synonymized T. frivaldszkyi probably both preserved in the Tajikistan Universi- Kaszab, 1958 with T. ottomanus, and excluded T. af- ty Museum, but were unsuccessful and consequent- fi nis, referring it to Meloe (Eurymeloe). Afterwards, ly no specimens of T. ovatus were studied. the same author (Bologna, 1991) excluded pubifer Ecological observation on habitat preference, al- from Trichomeloe, referring also it to Meloe titudinal range, host plants, etc., were obtained in (Eurymeloe), after the examination of one syntype the fi eld in Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Jordan; other (MNHN: Reitter collection). In addition, Pripisno- records have been deduced from the literature or va (1987) described Meloe (Trichomeloe) ovatus from from collection labels. Tajikistan. The range of ovatus is isolated from that One female of T. syriacus from Syria, Palmyra of other Trichomeloe, but some characters, fi gured (collected on January 30th 1998 by P. De Salvo), laid in the short description, as the male genitalia (both (on February 4th 1998) one egg mass in the rearing parameres and aedeagus) and the pronotum shape, box; eggs were kept in a thermostatic cell with pho- support the inclusion of T. ovatus in this genus. The toperiodic control under ca 24-25°C. First instar range of the entire genus Trichomeloe appears con- larvae hatched two and half weeks later in Italy, at sequently divided in two disjunct sub-ranges, re- University laboratory, in two consecutive days (Feb- spectively in the Eastern Mediterranean and Cen- ruary 21/22nd 1998), and then fi xed in 70% ethanol. tral Asia. At present, the following six species are One female of T. chrysocomus from Jordan, Kérak- referred to Trichomeloe: T. chrysocomus, T. conici- Ca Province, Wadi Al Hasa (collected on January Contributions to Zoology, 77 (4) – 2008 229 2nd 2005 by P. Bombi), laid (on January 17th 2005) ulations of T. chrysocomus and T. defl exus from the one egg mass in the rearing box; eggs were kept in Hatay and Adana provinces (Turkey), are living in the same conditions described above and fi rst instar Mediterranean habitats, particularly in pastures de- larvae hatched in two days (January 26 and 28th rived from Pinus halepensis forests or maquis. No 2005). information is available on the habitat preference of The description of the fi rst instar larva of T. syr- T. ovatus (see type locality of this species). iacus from Palmyra is based on 15 triungulins pre- Most collection sites are located on plains or in served in 70% ethanol in the CB (vial 398), one of hilly areas, but the altitudinal distribution varies which cleared and mounted in Canada balsam on from the sea level to more than 1500 m a.s.l. In par- slide M340, and some prepared for SEM microsco- ticular, T. chrysocomus was collected from about py, after critical point dehydration and gold sputter- 600 to 1600 m a.s.l. on the Nemrud Dagi (SE Tur- ing. Additionally, 2 triungulins of T. chrysocomus, key); T. conicicollis from sea level to about 200 m from Palestine mounted on slide M183 (now in CB, a.s.l.; T. defl exus from -150 m (Dead Sea Valley) to from several BMNH specimens in 70% ethanol), about 1000 m a.s.l.; T. mesopotamicus from about and several triungulins from Wadi Al Hasa pre- 50 to 300 m a.s.l.; T. ottomanus to at least 1000 m served in 70% ethanol in the CB (vials 546, 547), a.s.l.; T. sericellus from about - 50 m (Dead Sea Val- some of which prepared for SEM microscopy, have ley) to about 2000 m a.s.l. on Lebanon Mts; T. syria-