Mediimorda argyropleura (Franciscolo, 1942 b) Ruzzier & Di Giulio, 2024

Ruzzier, Enrico & Di Giulio, Andrea, 2024, Taxonomic considerations of selected Western Palaearctic Mordellidae Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionoidea), ZooKeys 1207, pp. 151-165 : 151-165

Mediimorda argyropleura (Franciscolo, 1942 b) comb. nov.

Mordella argyropleura Franciscolo, 1942 b: 18 .

Mordella argyropleura : Franciscolo 1949: 52.

Variimorda (Variimorda) argyropleura : Franciscolo 1995: 11; Horák 2020: 86.

Falsopseudotomoxia argyropleura : Ruzzier 2013: 104.

Material.

Holotype, male, labeled “ Isola di Capraia, Toscana, S. Rocco, C. Mancini, Giglio, VI. 1930 // Olo-Typus // Mordella argyropleura n. sp. (handwritten) ” ( MSNG) ( Fig. 1 ).

Conservation state: state of preservation discreet, left antenna broken, partially missing. The left paramere is damaged and missing the long external branch.

Additional material.

12 exx labeled “ Somalia IT. Jach Sciumo (Giuba): 1923, S. Patrizi lg. // Mediimorda argyropleura E. Ruzzier det. 2024 ” (MSNG).

Comments.

Mordella argyropleura was known to this day exclusively by its type material ( Franciscolo 1942 b) and the few specimens mentioned in the 1949 contribution ( Franciscolo 1949; Ruzzier 2013). The opportunity to review further material in the Genoa Museum’s collection, including the former Franciscolo collection, allowed us to identify additional specimens belonging to this “ seemingly elusive ” species. Interestingly, all the additional specimens studied originated from Somalia, at that time an Italian colony, and collected by Saverio Patrizi ( Latella 2009).

Given this latest finding and given the fact that the type of M. argyropleura appears to be prepared on the same kind of paper board as the Somali specimens, we consider the locality of the species described by Franciscolo to be the result of a labeling error, and, therefore, M. argyropleura should be excluded from the Italian fauna.

Having already had the opportunity to review the type material of M. argyropleura ( Fig. 1 ), and after careful consideration based on the comparison of the shape of the paramera ( Fig. 2 ), the general body shape, short antennae, glabrous eyes, presence of a longitudinal dorsal comb on hind tibiae, and small, subtrapezoidal scutellum, we propose Mediimorda argyropleura (Franciscolo, 1942 b) , comb. nov.

The assignment of Mordella argyropleura to Falsopseudotomoxia Ermisch, 1954 by Ruzzier (2013) is attributable to the need for a redescription and redefinition of Mediimorda Méquignon, 1946 and Falsopseudotomoxia Ermisch 1954 as possible synonyms and not vicariant genera in the Western Palaearctic and Afrotropical regions. The re-establishment of the taxonomic combination Variimorda (Variimorda) argyropleura (Franciscolo, 1942) by Horák (2020) is to be regarded as an oversight during the process of updating the Palaearctic catalog.

Figures

Figure 1. Mordella argyropleura Franciscolo, 1942, holotype.

Figure 2. Mediimorda argyropleura (Franciscolo, 1942). Holotype of Mordella argyropleura Franciscolo, 1942 A right paramere and A ’ left paramere; male specimen from Jach Sciumo (Giuba, Somalia) B right paramere and B ’ left paramere; male specimen from southern Italy (localities given by Franciscolo 1949, image modified from Ruzzier 2013) C right paramere and C ’ left paramere. Scale bar: 0.2 mm.