Malthinus scapularis Marseul, 1878

Švihla, Vladimír & Mifsud, David, 2006, Annotated review of the Cantharidae and Malachiidae (Coleoptera) of the Maltese Islands, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 46, pp. 89-105 : 92

Malthinus scapularis Marseul, 1878

Malthinus scapularis Marseul, 1878: 23 . Malthinus scapularis: CAMERON & CARUANA GATTO (1907) : 397. Malthinus scapularis : TONNA- BARTHET (1931): 7. Malthinus pseudoscriptus Wittmer, 1971: 170 , syn. nov.

Material examined. MALTA: 3 exs. ( BMNH): 8679 [= April ’04, Malthinus scapularis, St. Paul’s Bay] // M. Cameron Coll. B.M. 1936-555; 1 ex. ( BMNH): M. Cameron Coll. B.M. 1936-555; 18 exs. ( BMNH): G. C. Champion Coll. B.M. 1927-409; 1 ex. ( DMZM): private grounds of Verdala palace (nr. Buskett) // 5.iv.-16.v.2002, leg. D. Mifsud // reared from dead branches of Ceratonia siliqua L.; 4 exs. ( DMZM): Bahrija, 20.iv.2002, leg. D. Mifsud; 1 ex. ( DMZM): same locality, 12.v.1996, leg. D. Mifsud // Malthinus pseudoscriptus Wittmer , det. A. Kopetz 2000; 1 ex. ( DMZM): St. Thomas Bay,Tal-Munxar // 16.iii.2003, leg. D. Mifsud; 1 ex. ( DMZM):same locality, 29.iv.2002, leg. D. Mifsud; 1 ex. ( DMZM): Hagar Qim, 4.iv.2004, leg. D. Mifsud; 1 ex. ( DMZM): Zejtun, 26.iv.1989, leg. D. Mifsud // Malthinus pseudoscriptus Wittmer , det. A. Kopetz 2000; 1 ex. ( DMZM): Selmun, 30.iii.1996, leg. D. Mifsud // Malthinus pseudoscriptus Wittmer , det. A. Kopetz 2000; 2 exs. ( DMZM): Wied Has-Sabtan, 14.iv.1990, leg. D. Mifsud, on flowers of Erica multiflora L. // Malthinus pseudoscriptus Wittmer , det. A. Kopetz 2000; 4 exs. ( DMZM): same locality, 4.iv.1996, leg. D. Mifsud; 1 ex. ( DMZM): Wardija, Ballut tal-Imgiebah, 100 m, 1.iv.2002, leg. Schuh & Mifsud; 5 exs. ( NMPC): Buskett, 22.iv.2004, leg. Z. Švec. GOZO: 1 ex. ( DMZM): Wied il-Lunzjata, 17.iv.1990, leg. D. Mifsud // Malthinus pseudoscriptus Wittmer , det. A. Kopetz 2000; 1 ex. ( DMZM): Wied Ilma, 19.iv.1990, leg. D. Mifsud // Malthinus pseudoscriptus Wittmer , det. A. Kopetz 2000; 1 ex. ( DMZM): Dwejra, 25.iv.2003, leg. D. Mifsud.

Distribution. Sardinia, Elba Island, Central and Southern Italy, Sicily and Malta ( MARSEUL 1878, WITTMER 1971).

Comments. Two species of the genus Malthinus Latreille, 1806 , are known to occur in the Maltese Islands. WITTMER (1971) had no specimens from Malta and wrote that he did not find any material of M. scapularis in the collection of Marseul. He illustrated the aedeagus of this species based on specimens collected from Marettimo (Egadi Islands) on the western coast of Sicily. Malthinus pseudoscriptus fits well the description of M. scapularis , especially in the characteristic coloration of the pronotum. Therefore we regard M. pseudoscriptus as a synonym of the latter. The material from Marrettimo Island examined by WITTMER (1971) belongs to another, probably undescribed species. The second Maltese species, M. latirufus , differs from MARSEUL’ s (1878) original description of M. scapularis in a smaller size, different coloration of the pronotum, shorter antenna, different shape of the head and distinctly smaller eyes.