Zonitis (Zonitis) afghanica Kaszab, 1958

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 : 640

Zonitis (Zonitis) afghanica Kaszab, 1958 ( Figure 3 )

New records. Pakistan, more than 100 exx., NWFP, Chitral distr. , Kalash valleys, Bumburet valley, Broon village, 29.7– 6.8.1998, L. Černý and L. Čížek ( CB, CC) .

Distribution. Recorded from Afghanistan; new species record for Pakistan.

Remarks. This species is variable in color and a few specimens with a red head and pronotum but completely black elytra were collected together with the nominotypical form; mating between these phenotypes was not observed.

Zonitis (Zonitis) nigripectus Fairmaire, 1891

Distribution. Fairmaire (1891) described this species from Kashmir, but the type locality, Kulu, now is in the Indian state of the Himanchal Pradesh, close to Kashmir. It was recorded from Kashmir by Anand (1989), but this probably followed the original description rather than being based on new unpublished records.

Remarks. We examined the type of this species (MNHN), labeled “ Kulu”; “ Zonitis nigripectus Fairm. K ”. The definition of the genus Zonitis requires clarification, especially with respect to the assignment of several tropical species ( Bologna and Pinto, 2002; Bologna et al., 2013). However, both afghanica and nigripectus belong to Zonitis and seem to be closely related to certain central Asiatic species. In nigripectus the head, pronotum, apex of abdomen, and elytra except the apical third (which is black) are ocher-reddish; femora are yellow-orange; the remaining parts of body are black. Both metatibial spurs are slender with the external spur as long as the inner one.

Figures

Figures 3–4. Zonitis afghanica Kaszab, 1958: habitus (3); Zonitoschema melanarthra (Fairmaire, 1894): habitus (4).