Ropalopus lederi, LEDERI (GANGLBAUER, 1882)

Karpiński, Lech, Szczepański, Wojciech T. & Kruszelnicki, Lech, 2020, Revision of the Ropalopus ungaricus / insubricus group (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Callidiini) from the western Palaearctic region, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 189, pp. 1176-1216 : 1204

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz154
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F7564C93-D0FA-4907-AC35-D3EF3BB2A151
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5721567
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03F98799-FFCB-FFAA-FF50-5AE347178119
treatment provided by	Carolina
scientific name	Ropalopus lederi
status

Treatment

ROPALOPUS LEDERI (GANGLBAUER, 1882) View in CoL

( FIGS 1I View Figure 1 , 3D, E View Figure 3 , 5C, D View Figure 5 , 6N, O View Figure 6 , 7M, N View Figure 7 , 8M View Figure 8 , 9H View Figure 9 , 10J View Figure 10 , 11W, X View Figure 11 , 12W, X View Figure 12 , 13T, U View Figure 13 , 15E View Figure 15 , 16M View Figure 16 , 17G; SUPPORTING View Figure 17 INFORMATION, FIGS S1N, O, S View Figure 1 2N, O, S View Figure 2 3H, I, S View Figure 3 4H, S View Figure 4 5N, O, S View Figure 5 6O View Figure 6 )

Rhopalopus lederi Ganglbauer, 1882 , Verh. zool.-bot. Ges. 31[1881]: 747.

Type material examined: Lectotype (herein designated) male, with five labels: (1) TYPUS (red); (2) Novorossiysk 18 IV 78; (3) Rhopalopus Lederi Gangl. ; (4) Lederi Cauc. Gglb.; and (5) L E C T O T Y P E, Rhopalopus Lederi Ganglbauer, 1882 , des., 2019.

Synonyms

Rhopalopus nigripes Pic, 1926 .

Distribution: The Caucasus and Crimea. It is present in southern Russia (Krasnodar Krai, Adygea), Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and southern Crimea ( Fig. 20 View Figure 20 ). Although it has been reported from Turkey by Löbl & Smetana (2010), which was repeated by Danilevsky (2019a), its occurrence there was revised by Sama (1996). The record from Merzifon (south-western Samsun) after Adlbauer (1992) refers to Ropalopus sculpturatus (Pic, 1931) . Therefore, R. lederi is to date not known to occur in Turkey. The reference from Palestine by Plavilstshikov (1940) is certainly a mistake and must refer either also to R. sculpturatus or is an incorrect citing of a record of Ropalopus ledereri (Fairmaire, 1866) . A mention by Plavilstshikov (1940) from northern Iran is particularly interesting, because it might refer to R. nataliyae and, if so, this or those specimen(s) should have been taken into consideration when describing the species.

Diagnosis: Ropalopus lederi is generally distinctive owing to its long and pronounced body pubescence (especially, hairs on the pronotum and basal part of the elytra; Figs 3D, E View Figure 3 , 5C, D View Figure 5 ), relatively slender antennae and tarsi ( Fig. 8M View Figure 8 ), pronotum that is rounded in males, and elytra with only slight metallic lustre. It can be distinguished easily from its closest relative, R. nataliyae , by the second antennal joint, which is almost spherical in R. lederi (Supporting Information, Fig. S3H View Figure 3 ) and clearly longer than wide in R. nataliyae (Supporting Information, Fig. S3G View Figure 3 ). The ventral side of the body ( Fig. 16M View Figure 16 ) has a clearly visible yellowish pubescence, especially on the prothorax and mesothorax. According to Plavilstshikov (1940), the elytra are usually brown or dark brown, metallic, with a green, brown or purple lustre, and the legs are black or black–brown (f. typica), or red–brown to rusty (ab. separatus Pic). Body length: 9.0–23.0 mm.

Remarks: According to Plavilstshikov (1940), R. lederi inhabits deciduous and mixed forests, groves and orchards. Imagines are active from June to August. Although this author stated that the host plant remains unknown, a single pupa of this species was found in a maple trunk lying on the ground, most probably Trautvetter’s maple Acer heldreichii Boiss. & Heldr. subsp. trautvetteri (Medw.) E.Murray , in June by Miroshnikov ( Lobanov, 2003). Moreover, Miroshnikov (2010) noted the low elevation above sea level of his newly discovered locations (Gelendzhik environs, Pshadsky Pass, 150 m a.s.l.; Seversky District, Ubinskaya village, ~ 200 m a.s.l.), contrasting with the findings of this species in the western Caucasus, where it is mainly known from highland regions. Owing to the significant discrepancy in the elevations of inhabited habitats and the certain incompatibility concerning morphology between the specimens that were studied and some of them illustrated and available on the Internet (such as antenna thickness and shape of pronotum), the existence in this region of two forms isolated by elevation (analogous to R. u. ungaricus and R. u. insubricus ) cannot be excluded.

A l e c t o t y p e f r o m t h e f o r m e r c o l l e c t i o n o f L. Ganglbauer housed in NHMW is herein designated ( Fig. 17G View Figure 17 ) to fix the name to a single specimen.