Mastax histrio (Fabricius, 1801)

Ullah, Mishkat, Naeem, Muhammad, Mahmood, Khalid & Rafi, Muhammad Ather, 2017, Faunistic studies of the tribe Brachinini (Carabidae: Coleoptera) from northern Pakistan, Zootaxa 4232 (2), pp. 173-184 : 178

Mastax histrio (Fabricius, 1801)

Material examined. Islamabad Capital Territory, Islamabad , Faisal Mosque Trail No. 6, 1 ♀, 28.vi.2014 , 1 ♀ & 1 ♂, 29.vi.2014, Mishkat. Punjab, Jehlum, Domaili Railway Station , 3 ♀ & 2 ♂, 01.vi.2014, Mishkat. Attock, Humak , 1 ♀ & 1 ♂, 29.v.2014, Mishkat (PMNH).

Measurements. Male (n=2): TL= 3.9 mm, HW= 0.9 mm, PL= 0.8 mm, PW= 0.8 mm, EL= 2.3 mm, EW= 0.9 mm. Ratios PL/PW= 1, HW/PW= 1.12 and EL/EW= 2.44

Female (n=5): TL= 3.46 mm, HW= 0.81 mm, PL= 0.76 mm, PW= 0.77mm, EL= 1.92 mm, EW= 0.87 mm. Ratios PL/PW= 0.98, HW/PW= 1.05 and EL/EW= 2.20

Diagnosis. Head, first two antennal segments and thorax reddish brown. Frontal mark and antennal segments from III to XI black. Thorax length same as its width, basal area narrow. Elytra black with reddish brown dumbbell shaped band along middle suture, two off-white transverse bands which could not touch each other as a result of central dumbbell shape mark along suture.

Comments. Apparently, this species is similar to M. thermarum Stevens 1806 except for the antenna and legs that are reddish brown in the former. The white elytral transverse bands are almost similar in both the preceding species, but the middle reddish brown longitudinal band is more or less “T” shaped in M. thermarum , while is dumb-bell shaped in M. histrio .

Distribution. In Pakistan, M. histrio has been recorded from Islamabad, Jehlum and Attock. Earlier, it was reported from Uttarakhand-India ( Anichtchenko 2016).