Meligethes subaeneus

Audisio, Paolo, Mancini, Emiliano & Biase, Alessio De, 2006, A new species of the pollen­beetle genus Meligethes (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) of the M. aeneus group from Greece, with review of the M. subaeneus complex, Zootaxa 1275, pp. 43-60 : 44

The Meligethes subaeneus complex

The Meligethes subaeneus complex ( Table 1 ) comprises three European species sharing the following combination of characters:

Pronotum always with ratio WPR1/WPR2 ( Fig. 17 a)> 1.0, i.e., more or less regularly and arcuately narrowed anterad from its maximum width at the posterior angles ( Figs. 1–4 ).

Anterior edge of profemora simple, without protruding tubercles. Posterior edge of mesofemora simple, without protruding teeth. Antennal club medium­sized, ratio W10J/W03J ( Fig. 17 b) = 4.4–4.6. Body nut brown to blackish brown, usually with faint bronze reflections dorsally, legs and antennae frequently paler.

The first above mentioned character easily distinguishes members of the M. subaeneus complex from all other species so far included in the M. coracinus subgroup (previously treated as a species­complex: Audisio et al., 2005a, 2005b), which exhibit pronotum with ratio WPR1/WPR2 ( Fig. 17 a) 1.0.

Figures

FIGURE 17. Schematic drawings of morphological characters measurements for Meligethes species—a: body shape and pronotum; b: antennae; c: protibiae; d: protarsi; e: tegmen; f: aedeagus; g: aedeagal apex. Refer to Table 2 for list of characters and acronyms.

FIGURES 1 – 4. Dorsal habitus of Meligethes epeirosi n. sp. (♂ paratype from Greece, Katara Pass, Fig. 1), of M. subaeneus Sturm (♂ specimen from Italy, Latium, Rocca di Papa, Fig. 2; ♂ specimen from Spain, Cantabria, Campollo, Fig. 3), and of M. matronalis Audisio & Spornraft (♂ specimen from Italy, Latium, Rocca di Papa, Fig. 4). Scale bar = 2.00 mm.