Firminus punicus (Burmeister, 1855)

Uliana, Marco & Gallerati, Valerio, 2022, Updates on the little-known Firminus maltensis, with revisited classification based on the anatomy of everted endophallus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae), Fragmenta entomologica 54 (1), pp. 19-26 : 19-20

Firminus punicus (Burmeister, 1855) :

Syntypes: • 1 ♂, 1 ♀, [ Algeria], Const. [= Constantine], MLHU (endophallus dissected by previous worker, not inflated) .

Other specimens • 1 ♂, Algeria, G. Kabylie, Forêt Akfadou, m 1250, 2.V.1983, leg. Osella, MUCC (endophallus inflated) .

Rhizotrogus aestivus (Olivier, 1789) : • 2 ♂♂, Greece, Metsovo (Epirus), 4-5 Km Nort-west Metsovo, N 39° 46’ E 21°09’, 30.V.2010, m 1400, leg. Z. Lucbauer, MUCC (both endophalli inflated) • 1 ♂, Greece, Pindo, Metsovon, Katara, 1.VI.2013, leg. C. Sola, MUCC (endophallus inflated) • 1 ♂, Ukraine (eastern), Donetzk Region , Severski Donetz river , Zakotnoje vil., 11.v.1997, Leg. O. Pak, MUCC (endophallus inflated) .

The endophallic morphology of all other species of Firminus was also taken into account in the discussion, based on currently unpublished data (MU, in preparation).

Treatment of endophalli. Endophalli of examined specimens have been rehydrated, softened with NaOH solution, rinsed, and inflated by injection of white UV curable gel.

Terminology. Anatomical terminology according to Cristóvão & Vaz de Mello (2020), and Coca-Abia & Martin-Piera (1998) for the specific terms applied to Rhizotrogini. For anatomical portions of endophalli never figured or addressed before, necessary descriptive terminology was introduced directly in the discussion.

Images. All-in-focus images were produced after stacks of photos taken a Pentax K-1D camera moved by semiautomatic system MJKZZ QOOL Rail 250 rail, stacked with CombineZP software and enhanced with Photoshop CS6 software. Photos of the habitus and of external anatomic details were taken with a Rodenstock Rodagon 2,8/ 50mm lens, photos of antennomeres and details of raspulae were taken with a 10x Leitz Wetzlar objective for compound microscope; in both cases a bellow extendable up to 290 mm was used.