Catomus hesperides ( Reiche, 1861 )

Nabozhenko, Maxim V., Keskin, Bekir, Keskin, Nurşen Alpagut, Gagarina, Ludmila V. & Nabozhenko, Svetlana, 2021, Two new species and new records of lichen-feeding darkling beetles (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Helopini) from Turkey with notes on bionomics and trophic relations, Zootaxa 5057 (1), pp. 69-86 : 80-81

Catomus hesperides ( Reiche, 1861)

Material. 1♂, 1♀ ( PCMN) , 1♂, 7♀ ( ZDEU): Turkey, Mersin Prov., Silifke , west city exit, 36°22ʹ37.73ʺN / 33°53ʹ43.14ʺE, 116 m, 29.03.2021 (leg. B. Keskin, M. & S. Nabozhenko) ; 1♂, 1♀ ( PCMN) , 1♂, 1♀ ( ZDEU): Turkey, Mersin Prov., Narlıkuyu , 36°26ʹ18.72ʺN / 34°06ʹ32.91ʺE, 44 m, 30.03.2021 (leg. B. Keskin, M. & S. Nabozhenko) ; 5♂, 2♀ ( PCMN) , 1♂, 4♀ ( ZDEU): Turkey, Kahramanmaraş Prov., Başkonuş Yaylası , 37°34ʹ12.47ʺN / 36°34ʹ58.79ʺE, 1300 m, 18.04.2021 (leg. B. Keskin, M. & S. Nabozhenko) ; 48♂, 30♀ ( PCMN): Turkey, Adana Prov., Çelemli , 36°50ʹ10.86ʺN / 35°40ʹ10.89ʺE, 180 m, 3.04.2021 (leg. B. Keskin, M. & S. Nabozhenko) ; 7♂, 6♀ ( PCMN): Turkey, Adıyaman Prov., Nemrut Dağı, Karadut , 37°56ʹ17.65ʺN / 38°45ʹ55.08ʺE, 1230 m, 5 km lower Eskikahta, 37°56ʹ35.16ʺN / 38°40ʹ21.17ʺ E, 807 m, 9– 10.04.2021 (leg. B. Keskin, M. & S. Nabozhenko) ; 2♂, 2♀ ( ZDEU): Turkey, Hatay Prov., Samandağ, above Kapısuyu , 36°8ʹ2.14ʺN / 35°57ʹ7.51ʺE, 400 m, 7.04.2021 (leg. B. Keskin, M. & S. Nabozhenko) .

Distribution and bionomics. This very common species is widely distributed from Mediterranean Turkey to Israel (Nabozhenko 2020). Nemrut Dağ (Adıyaman, Turkey) is the most eastern known locality of C. hesperides . It occurs in natural and agricultural habitats in many landscapes. In 2021 this Catomus species was collected on Сeratonia siliqua L. and Pinus brutia in Mersin Province, on Cedrus libani in Kahramanmaraş Province, on Olea europaea L. in Adana Province ( Fig. 7C ), and on Quercus branti in Adıyaman Province. We registered Xanthoria sp. as one of the host lichens. The host lichen of the genus Xanthoria was registered for C. hesperides on Quercus infectoria in Cyprus by colleagues from the University of Cyprus, Konstantinos Ntatsopoulos, and Loudmila Jelinscaia Lagou (personal communication, 20 May 2021). Catomus hesperides is the second species of Helopini after Nalassus faldermanni ( Faldermann, 1837) , which feeds on toxic Xanthoria sp. lichens.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Habitats of Helopini in Turkey and beetles in nature: A—Odocnemis inornata on trunk of Pyrus (Antalya: Thermessos); B—woodland of Juniperus excelsa, habitat of Taurohelops triplechorni (Kayseri—Adana border pass); C— multiple specimens of Catomus hesperides on trunk of olive (Adana: Çelemli); D—old forest of Pinus brutia, habitat of Helops glabriventris and Euboeus kopetzi (Antalya: Ibradı), E—three specimens of Helops cyanipes on trunk of Pinus nigra (Kahramanmaraş: Başkonuş Yaylası), F—the same place and tree, male of Helops cyanipes.