Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 10 | Article 116 Rafi et al. Faunistics of tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) from Pakistan Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article-abstract/10/1/116/865362 by guest on 23 August 2019 Muhammad Ather Rafi1a, Wiesner Jürgen2b, Muhammad Abdul Matin1c, Ahmed Zia1d*, Amir Sultan1e, Falak Naz1f 1National Insect Museum, National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad-Pakistan, 2Dresdener Ring 11, D-38444 Wolfsburg, Germany Abstract The present biogeographic distribution of tiger beetle fauna is an attempt to register all modern taxa from Pakistan. It includes 55 taxa under 14 genera and 11 subgenera. Three species, Cylindera (Eriodera) albopunctata (Chaudoir1852), Cicindela viridilabris (Chaudoir 1852) and Neocollyris (Neocollyris) redtenbacheri (Horn 1894) are recorded from Pakistan for the first time. Key Words: distribution, biogeography, Cylindera (Eriodera) albopunctata, Cicindela viridilabris, Neocollyris (Neocollyris) redtenbacheri Correspondence: a [email protected], b [email protected], c [email protected], d* [email protected], e [email protected], f [email protected], *Corresponding author Received: 22 August 2009, Accepted: 22 December 2009 Copyright : This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed. ISSN: 1536-2442 | Vol. 10, Number 116 Cite this paper as: Rafi MA, Jürgen W, Matin MA, Zia A, Sultan A, Naz F. 2010. Faunistics of tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) from Pakistan. Journal of Insect Science 10:116 available online: insectscience.org/10.116 Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org 1 Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 10 | Article 116 Rafi et al. Introduction Biogeographically, the major part of Pakistan is Palaearctic (Hindu Kush, Karakorum, Tiger beetles have worldwide distribution western Himalaya, Sulaiman Range, North (except Tasmania, Antarctica and some Pakistan sandy desert and western Indus remote oceanic Islands) that cover a variety Valley) while the rest of the area is Oriental of habitats ranging from alpine meadows to Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article-abstract/10/1/116/865362 by guest on 23 August 2019 (Indus River Delta, eastern Indus Valley desert grasslands and tropical rain forests desert, Thar desert, Rann of Kutch in (Pearson 1988; Rodriguez et al. 1998). The southern Punjab and eastern Himalaya) and total number of species presently known is traces of Afrotropical (Ethiopian region) over 2700 (Cassola Rome-Italy). Most of the from southern Iran to extreme southwestern species require habitats with access to bare of Baluchistan. The Hindu Kush, Karakorum, ground, such as stream and pond edges, salt and Himalaya are a major biogeographic flats, dunes and open patches in grasslands boundary between the subtropical and (Pearson 1988; Hoback et al. 1998). Each tropical flora and fauna of the Indian species rarely occurs in more than one or a subcontinent and the temperate-climate very few habitat types (Pearson 1984; Palaearctic ecozone. It is interesting to point Rodriguez et al. 1998). out that the insect fauna, especially tiger beetles, completely confirm the transitional In the Indian subcontinent literature on tiger position of Pakistan between Palearctic and beetles started with listing of species by Oriental regions. Schaum 1863; Atkinson 1889 and Horn 1905a; l905b. Annandale and Horn (1909) Tiger beetles (Cicindelidae) have been an provided an annotated listing of the species appropriate indicator taxon for determining found in the Indian Museum, Calcutta, regional patterns of biodiversity (Pearson and accompanied by data on geographic Cassola 1992; Cassola and Pearson 2000), distribution and habitats. Fowler (1912) because the taxonomy of this group is compiled the first comprehensive list of all stabilized, biology and general life history are the genera of tiger beetles on the Indian well understood, they are readily observed subcontinent. Horn (1915) treated all the and manipulated in the field and the family genera comprehensively on worldwide occurs world wide inhabiting many different perspective. Dover and Ribeiro (1921, 1923); habitat types. Each species tends to be Horn (1926) and Heynes-Wood and Dover specialized within a narrow habitat and the (1928) brought together much information on family includes species of potential economic the synonymy, type depository, and importance (Pearson and Cassola 1992). In geographic distribution of the species and addition, diversity patterns of tiger beetles are subspecies. Horn (1938) provided a means of often correlated with that of other groups identifying species and subspecies using (Pearson and Cassola 1992; Rodriguez et al. illustrations of elytral patterns and Rivalier 1998) and there is much interest in these (1950, 1958, 1961, 1971) developed a natural predators to control certain crop pests classification mainly using male genitalic (Rodriguez et al. 1998). characters. Mandl (1963) presented the Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org 2 Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 10 | Article 116 Rafi et al. results of expeditions of the Indus River in already identified species. Kashmir and India. List of species Pearson and Ghorpade (1989) presented biogeographical information for tiger beetles Family: Cicindelidae Latreille 1802 of the Indian subcontinent. A comprehensive review on Cicindela (sensu auctorum) of the Genus Callytron Gistl 1848 entire Indian subcontinent was provided by Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article-abstract/10/1/116/865362 by guest on 23 August 2019 Acciavatti and Pearson (1989). Callytron gyllenhalii (Dejean 1825) Remarks: Known from costal Pakistan: Sind: There have been very few publications on the Karachi: Sandspit, 15 miles west Karachi Pakistan tiger beetles. Horn (1897), Fleutiaux (Cassola 1976; Acciavatti and Pearson 1989); (1899) and Maindron (1899) presented early According to Weisner (unpublished data) this collection records from Karachi. Fowler species is also reported from India (1912), Chaudhry et al. (1966, 1970) (Maharashtra). provided survey results from the vicinities of Quetta, Kohat, Hazara and Swat. Cassola Bio-ecological Zone: Palaearctic. (1976) presented the results of collecting at Karachi and Lahore. Korell (1984) presented Callytron malabaricum (Fleutiaux and the biogeography data and notes on the Maindron 1903) morphology of some species collected from Remarks: Earlier this species was reported by western and northern Pakistan. Recently Fleutiaux and Maindron (1903); Maindron Cassola and Wiesner (2009) reported a new and Fleutiaux (1905); Horn (1926) from species to science from Baluchistan. The India: Bombay (Malabar). Cassola (1976) present biogeographic distribution of tiger from Pakistan: Baluchistan: Hab; 40 km beetle fauna is first attempt to register all West to Karachi. Acciavatti and Pearson modern taxa of tiger beetles from Pakistan. (1989) from Sind and western coast of India: Maharashtra and Kerala. Materials and Methods Bio-ecological Zone: Oriental. The data were gathered through tiger beetle specimens housed at the National Insect Callytron monalisa (Horn 1927) Museum (NIM), National Agricultural Remarks: Described from Iran (Horn 1927) Research Centre (NARC), Islamabad and but recently recorded from Pakistan as well specimens collected during northern area (Shook and Wiesner 2006). expedition in June of 2007. Furthermore, specimens that were housed at Pakistan Bio-ecological Zone: Palearctic. Forest Institute (PFI, Peshawar) and Pakistan Natural History Museum (PMNH, Genus Calochroa Hope 1838 Islamabad) were also examined. Many of the above mentioned museums collection Calochroa sexpunctata (Fabricius 1775) specimens were sent to Fabio Cassola for Material Examined: Pakistan: Sind:Karachi, identification and/or reconfirmation of 23. x. 2007, 1 ♂, leg. M. Atique Akhter. (det. Journal of Insect Science | www.insectscience.org 2 Journal of Insect Science: Vol. 10 | Article 116 Rafi et al. and located with Wiesner). Bio-ecological Zone: Oriental. Remarks: Earlier reported by Fowler (1912) Calochroa flavomaculata (Hope 1831) from India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and China. Remarks: Recorded from Pakistan by Cassola Chaudhry (1966) reported from Bangladesh (2010). Generally occurring throughout the (Former East Pakistan). Chaudhry et al. Indian subcontinent eastward into Southeast (1970) collected it from Pakistan: NWFP: Asia and the Philippines (Acciavatti and Hazara (Batgram) and Northern Areas: Pearson 1989; Wiesner 1992). Recently Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/jinsectscience/article-abstract/10/1/116/865362 by guest on 23 August 2019 Gilgit. It is known from Indo-Malaysian reported from China: Yunnan Provinc (Wu region, Sri Lanka, India (Acciavatti and and Shook 2007). According to Weisner Pearson 1989), Thailand (Iacovone 2003), (unpublished data) it is known from Pakistan, Vietnam (Dudko and Dubatolov 2000-2001). Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Andaman Is, Sri This species is also found in Sri Lanka, India Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, (Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Cambodia, China (Guangdong, Hainan, Hong Western Bengal, Andaman Is, Nicobar Is), Kong, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan), Taiwan, Central Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Philippines. Philippines (Weisner, unpublished data). Bio-ecological Zone: Oriental. Bio-ecological Zone: Paleo-oriental. Genus Calomera Motschulsky 1862