Xanthabris baluchistana Kazab, 1956

Bologna, Marco A., B, Ladislav Černý & B, Ahmed Zubair, 2018, Meloidae (Coleoptera) of Pakistan and Kashmir with the description of three new species, new faunistic and taxonomic records, and a zoogeographic analysis, Turkish Journal of Zoology 42 (6), pp. 637-660 : 646-647

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.3906/zoo-1712-36
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/33408557-FFFA-FF88-FCB4-F930FC74431E
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Xanthabris baluchistana Kazab, 1956
status

Treatment

Xanthabris baluchistana Kazab, 1956 ( Figures 5 View Figure 5 and 6 View Figure 6 )

New records. Pakistan: 2 exx., Baluchistan, Nushki , 16.vi.2012 ( CB); 4 exx., Baluchistan, Quetta Gajak … (illegible), 9.vii. … (illegible) ( CB, HNHM, NHM) .

Distribution. This species has been recorded only from Pakistan, Baluchistan ( Kaszab, 1956, 1958; Bologna, 2008), and it was described from Quetta [erroneously indicated as Paetta in Kaszab (1956)], a town in the Pakistan Baluchistan. Specimens we examined from Quetta (NHM) are topotypic and collected with the holotype, but they were not included in the type material.

We examined one photo of a specimen of this genus from the Arabic peninsula (Abu Dhabi), housed in a private collection not available for study (Geisthardt, in litteris 7.2016). It differs slightly from the Pakistan specimens. According to this record the genus Xanthabris occurs also in the Arabic Peninsula.

Remarks. This species belongs to a scarcely studied monotypic genus, until now known only from the female holotype ( Kaszab, 1956; Bologna and Pinto 2002), and with relationships never discussed. It is well distinguished phenetically from other Mylabrini by the red color of the head, pronotum, antennae, and abdomen, and particularly by antennal shape ( Figure 6a View Figure 6 ; see also figure in Kaszab, 1956), which distinguishes it from all other Mylabrini genera: antennomere I very elongate, II extremely short and rounded, III cylindrical and slightly elongate, IV–IX greatly transverse and short, compressed and progressively wider, X cylindrical, XI cylindrical and narrowed in the apical half. The mesosternum ( Figure 6e View Figure 6 ) is narrow, without a modified fore portion (“scutum”), and the anterior edge of the mesepisterna is distinctly furrowed anteriorly. The male genitalia, previously undescribed, are distinct within the tribe: tegmen in ventral view ( Figure 6b View Figure 6 ) with gonocoxal piece suboval, slender, and gonoforceps narrow, slender, submembranous basolaterally and with each gonostylus apically expanded triangularly, together forming a slightly sclerotized subrhomboidal apex; tegmen in lateral view ( Figure 6c View Figure 6 ) with both gonoforceps and gonocoxal piece very slender, gonoforceps bent ventrally at apex and forming a slightly sclerotized securiform expansion; aedeagus ( Figure 6c View Figure 6 ) with two hooks, the distal one slightly removed from apex, shorter than proximal one, both acutely pointed. Penultimate ventrite distinctly emarginate in both sexes and male last visible ventrite ( Figure 6d View Figure 6 ) almost divided in two portions, slightly depressed at base and densely setose at apex, while in all other genera of Mylabrini is only V-emarginate at apex; hemiventrites are more translucent at base, contrasting the red color of abdomen.

The combination of morphological characters of Xanthabris is very distinctive among Mylabrini and does not show a clear-cut relationship to other mylabrine genera: (i) the mesosternum ( Figure 6e View Figure 6 ) without a modified fore portion is present in some Hycleus lineages (the Mesogorbatus - type) and in other mylabrine genera such as Croscherichia , Actenodia , etc., while the distinct anteriorly furrowed mesepisterna is very close to that of Hycleus and related genera ( Ceroctis , Paractenodia : Bologna and Pinto, 2002; Bologna et al., 2008); (ii) to the contrary, the aedeagus, with both hooks far from apex, differs from Hycleus and is more similar to Mylabris and related genera such as Croscherichia , Actenodia , Mimesthes ; (iii) the antennal shape differs from that of all other genera of this tribe. Molecular studies based on well-preserved material are necessary to resolve this phylogenetic problem.