Mylabris Fabricius, 1775

Pan, Zhao & Bologna, Marco A., 2014, Taxonomy, Bionomics and Faunistics of the Nominate Subgenus of Mylabris Fabricius, 1775, with the description of five new species (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Mylabrini), Zootaxa 3806 (1), pp. 1-78 : 13

Subgenus Mylabris Fabricius, 1775

Mylabris Fabricius, 1775: 261 . Type species. Meloe cichorii Linnaeus, 1758 (pars), by subsequent designation ( Latreille, 1810: 430), but see note above.

Zonabris Harold, 1879: 134 . Type species. Meloe cichorii Linnaeus, 1758 (pars), by fixation as type species of Mylabris Fabricius. Invalid replacement name for Mylabris Fabricius.

Megabris Des Gozis, 1881: 113 . Type species. Meloe cichorii Linnaeus, 1758 (pars), by fixation as type species of Mylabris Fabricius. Invalid replacement name for Mylabris Fabricius.

Mesopunctata Pardo Alcaide, 1954b: 74 . Type species. Meloe quadripunctata Linnaeus, 1767 , by original designation; originally proposed by Pardo Alcaide (1950) without designation of a type species.

Diagnosis. This subgenus is easily distinguishable from all other Mylabris subgenera by the synapomoprhic condition of the fore modified portion of the mesosternum, usually named “scutum” in the specialized literature (e.g. Bologna, 1991a; Bologna & Pinto, 2002), and which is characterized in its posterior central part by dense, longer setae, these setae, emerging from deep setigerous pits, are differently long in each species, but distinct from other mesosternal setae and clearly visible in both ventral and lateral view. The combination of the following other characters, which are variously assembled in other subgenera, supports the diagnosis of the subgenus: body integument black, without metallic reflexion (only some mountain populations of M. tricincta , previously described as nigrosuturata , have slightly blue metallic reflexion; see below); red single frontal spot present (in most species or only in some populations) or absent; middle antennomeres, IX–XI not asymmetrically wider than long; pronotum without a middle longitudinal furrow, with more or less distinct fore and middle depressions; mesosternal suture usually complete and well visible; elytra brown-red with or without black spots or fasciae; ventral side of dorsal blade of claws smooth. The aedeagal distal hook is apical or subapical in position, usually not very far from apex; exceptions are M. apiceguttata , M. barezensis , and M. batnensis (all marked by * in the text), in which the distal hook is far from the apex. For this character and other discussed in the remarks section of each species, they are tentatively referred to the nominate subgenus, but taxonomic changes could be possible after molecular phylogenetic analyses.

Distribution. Mediterranean countries and southern Europe, Near and Middle East, from Central Asia to western China (Xinjiang).