Coptocephala plagiocephala ( Fabricius, 1792 )

Bezdċk, Jan & Regalin, Renato, 2015, Identity of species-group taxa of the Western Palaearctic Clytrini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) described by Maurice Pic and Louis Kocher, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (suppl.) 55, pp. 1-114 : 22

Coptocephala plagiocephala ( Fabricius, 1792)

Cryptocephalus plagiocephala Fabricius, 1792: 60 (original description).

Coptocephala melanocephala var. externepunctata Pic, 1895b: 89 (original description).

Coptocephala melanocephala var. tunisea Pic, 1901a: 80 (original description).

Coptocephala melanocephala var. theryi Pic, 1918c: 17 (unavailable infrasubspeciħc name).

Coptocephala melanocephala var. espanoli Pic, 1933c: 15 (unavailable infrasubspeciħc name).

Type localities. Cryptocephalus plagiocephala : ‘Gallia meridionali’ [= southern France]. Coptocephala melanocephala var. externepunctata : ‘Bône, etc.’ [= Algeria, Annaba]. Coptocephala melanocephala var. tunisea : ‘ Tunisie: Teboursouk et El Fedja’. Coptocephala melanocephala var. theryi : ‘ Algérie: Saint-Charles’. Coptocephala melanocephala var. espanoli : ‘ Maroc: Bab. Tazza’.

Type material examined. Cryptocephalus plagiocephala : not examined.The photos of 1 ♀ syntype were sent from ZMUC: ‘plagiocep- / halus [w, h] // plagioce / phalus [w, h]’.

Coptocephala melanocephala var. externepunctata : SYNTYPE: 1 ♂, ‘Bône / juin 86 [w, h] // type [w, h] // melanoceph [b, h] // TYPE [r, p] // v. externepunctata / Pic [w, h] // v.externepunctata Pic [grey label, h] // Museum Paris [p] / Coll. Pic [w, h]’ ( MNHN – coll. generale).

Coptocephala melanocephala var. tunisea : SYNTYPE: 1♀ (strongly damaged), ‘type [w, h] // Teboursouk / Normand 5.98 [w, h] // v. tunisea Pic [w, h] // v. tunisea Pic [grey label, h] // type [w, h] // El Fedja / Dr. Normand [w, h] // TYPE [p] détruit [r, h] // Coptocephala plagio- / phala (Fabricius) [h] / M. Rapilly dét. 19 [p] 80 [w, h]’ ( MNHN – coll. generale). Based on the original description, part of the specimens should be deposited in Normand ̓ s collection in Institut National Agronomique in Tunis.

Original material of infrasubspeciħc entities. Coptocephala melanocephala var. theryi : 1 ♀, ‘ ST. CHARLES / ALGÉRIE / A. THERY [w, p] // type [w, h] // Copt. v. Kuesteri [w, h] // TYPE [r, p] // v. theryi / Pic [w, h] // v. theryi / Pic [grey label, h]’ ( MNHN – coll. generale).

Coptocephala melanocephala var. espanoli : not examined. The photos of 1 ♀ were sent from MZBS: ‘Bab. Tazza / Marroc / VII-29 [w, h] // Coptocephala / melanocephala / Ol. var (desiré) [w, h] // 76-7431 / MZB [w, p] // v. Espanoli / mihi [w, h] // Coptocephala / bistrinotata (Fab. 1803 / J. Bentanachs [w, p]’ ( MZBS).

Distribution. Algeria, Italy (Sicily), Morocco, Tunisia ( REGALIN & MEDVEDEV 2010b).

Comments. All four Pic ̓ s varieties are conħrmed as colour aberrations of C. plagiocephala . Two varieties ( C. melanocephala var. theryi and C. melanocephala var. espanoli ) were described in papers containing also description of subspecies ( PIC 1918c, 1933c), thus became infrasubspeciħc according to Article 45.6.4 of the Code ( ICZN 1999).