Cordicantharis cyanipennis ( Faldermann, 1835 )

Fanti, Fabrizio & Ghahari, Hassan, 2016, A checklist of the soldier beetles (Coleoptera: Elateroidea: Cantharidae) of Iran, Zootaxa 4196 (4), pp. 529-551 : 536

Cordicantharis cyanipennis ( Faldermann, 1835)

Cantharis caspica Reitter, 1898: 122 –123. Locus typicus: “Nordpersien: Alburs” (Carl Rost). [synonymized by Kazantsev 2004: 23].

Cantharis Elata Faldermann in Dejean, 1833: 106 (nomen nudum) and Dejean, 1836: 119 (nomen nudum). [synonymized by Dejean].

Distribution in Iran. Alborz ( Reitter 1898). Ardabil: Bogrov Mts., 1,700 m ( Švihla 1999, as Cordicantharis caspica ). Guilan: Sheyk Mahalleh ( Švihla 1999), Assalem, 1,300 m ( Švihla 1999, as Cordicantharis caspica ). Mazandaran: Elburz ( Koçak & Kemal 2015, as Cordicantharis caspica ), 30 km SW Chalus, Kelardasht ( Švihla 1999), Central Elborz, Kelardasht, 1,700 m ( Švihla 1999, as Cordicantharis caspica ). Generic records: Iran ( Gemminger & Harold 1869 [ Persia occ.: as Telephorus violaceus var. cyanipennis and var. elatus ]; Baudi di Selve 1872 [ Persia: as Cantharis elata , thought to be a synonym of Ancistronycha violacea ]; Hicker 1925 [ Persia, as Cantharis caspia sic!]; Delkeskamp 1939 [North Persia, as Cantharis caspica and Persia, as elata , synonym of var. cyanipennis , both thought to be synonyms of Ancistronycha violacea ], 1977 [North Persia: as Cantharis caspica and Persia: as elata , synonym of var. cyanipennis , and both thought to be synonyms of Ancistronycha violacea ]; Wittmer 1972 [described for North Persia: as Cantharis caspica ]; Kazantsev 2004; Kazantsev & Brancucci 2007).

Remarks. Endemic to Iran. The records for Armenia and Azerbaijan ( Švihla 1999; Koçak & Kemal 2015) are actually to be referred to Islamocantharis auroraensis Kazantsev. Cantharis elata Faldermann is a nomen nudum in Dejean (1833: 106, 1836: 119), considered as a synonym of Cantharis cyanipennis Ziegler and indicated for “Russia merid.”. Gemminger & Harold (1869) considered elata as a synonym of var. cyanipennis Faldermann (cyanypennis Ziegler) both thought to be synonyms of Ancistronycha violacea Paykull. Baudi di Selve (1872) and Delkeskamp (1939, 1977) also considered this species as a synonym of A. violacea . It is possible that, over the years, the name Cantharis cyanipennis Faldermann , would have been confused with Telephorus cyanipennis Bach , now synonym of Ancistronycha abdominalis . Furthermore, there are three species similar and prone to being confused with each other, mainly due to blue metallic elytra (see also Švihla 1999): Ancistronycha abdominalis (Fabricius) , Ancistronycha violacea (Paykull) and Cordicantharis cyanipennis (Faldermann) . No Ancistronycha species are currently recorded for Iran and Transcaucasia ( Švihla 1999); thus, we believe that all specimens with blue metallic elytra (named cyanipennis in literature) are to be referred to Cordicantharis cyanipennis (Faldermann) .