Alloxantha flava ( Švihla, 1983 )

Poloni, Riccardo, 2022, The false-blister beetles (Coleoptera, Oedemeridae) of Oman with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 5162 (4), pp. 421-429 : 426

Alloxantha flava ( Švihla, 1983)

New records. Oman: Westl. Hajar-Gebirge Jabal Misht-Region ca. 15km NNO Amlah Umg. Al Ayn ca. 900m 29.– 30.3.2006 leg. De Freina 2 ♀♀ ; 10km W Shinas 24°44’N 56°23’E 50m 15–16.III.2017 St. Jakl leg., 3 spec. ( RP); Wadi Al Fath 25°45’N 56°09’E 450m 19–20.III.2017 St. Jakl legit, 14 spec. ( RP); Musandam penins Wadi Bih, Salayah vill. 25°46’N 56°17’E 500m 17–18.III.2017 St. Jakl legit, 2 spec. ( RP); Al Batinah North Gov., near Ar Rajmi , wadi , 345m, 23.–24.III 24°38’6’’N 56°17’55’’E David Frank leg., 2019, 4 spec. ( RP), Ad Dakhiliyah Gov., 29km NE Adam, Wadi Halfeen , 310m 22°35’31’’N 57°42’5’’E 27–28.III.2019 leg. David Frank, 1 specimen ( RP); NC, NW of Ibri S of Dank 23.404N 56.285E 9.III.2015 M. Snizek, 2 spec. ( NME); 10 km SE Súr 22.476N 59.539E 14.III.2015 M. Snizek, 14 spec. ( NME); Al Batinah North Gov., near Ar Rajmi 24°38’2.416’’N 56°17’54.299’’E, wadi, 374m, Lgt. T. Kopecký 2– 3.4.2018, 33 spec. ( TK); same locality, 31.3.2019, 2 spec. ( TK); same locality, 31.3.2019, lgt. Jan Pelikán, 4 spec. ( JP), 2 spec. ( RP); 24– 25.3.2019, Al Batinah North Gov., Sohar , cca 14 km SW, 24°12’18.172’’N 56°38’43.868’’E, wadi , 116m, Lgt. T. Kopecký, 1 specimen ( TK); 29– 30.3.2019, Al Batinah South Gov., Bimah env., 23°12’37.197’’N 57°23’0.978’’E, wadi, 864m, Lgt. T. Kopecký, 4 spec. ( TK), 1 specimen ( RP); 28– 29.3.2019, Ad Dakhiliyah Gov., Near Subayb, 23°14’7.966’’N 57°8’57.977’’E, wadi, 1442m Lgt. T. Kopecký, 2 spec. ( TK), 1 specimen ( RP); 26– 27.3.2019, Al Dhahirah Governorate, Damm , Wadi Damm 23°13’47.154’’N 57°4’8.904’’E, wadi , 736m, Lgt. T. Kopecký, 28 spec. ( TK); same locality, lgt. Jan Pelikán, 59 spec. ( JP), 26 spec. ( RP); Ad Dakhiliyah Gov., W of Birkat, Al Hawz 29.3.2018, lgt. Jan Pelikán , 541 22°55’25.570’’N 57°38’9.573’’E wadi 541m, at UV light, 9 spec. ( JP), 4 spec. ( RP); Ash Sharqiyah S. Gov., 25.3.2018, S of Shiya (near Sur ), lgt. Jan Pelikán , 22°30’6.076’’N 59°36’11.059’’E wadi, at UV light, 1 specimen ( RP) ; Muscat Botanic Garden A. Carapezza leg. at light 10.III.2015 23°33’35’’N 58°07’35’’E, 3 specimens ( MB) .

Distribution and published records. The species was described by Švihla (1983) for Southern Iran and Oman (Musandam, Wadi Salalla, 28.iii.1979, B. Larsen lgt.) and then reported also for United Arab Emirates and Iraq ( Švihla, 2008; Kubisz, 2020).

Notes. The specimens of this species can have two dark spots at the elytral apex and the frequency of individuals with this characteristic varies within the range of the species. In southern Iran the species is mostly without dark spots, while in the Arabian Peninsula there is a higher frequency of these spots. However, since individuals with or without the spots occur throughout the range and the extension of the spots is extremely variable in both areas, this morphological variation has to be considered as intraspecific variability or as a geographical cline.

Individuals of this species are attracted to light. Examples of the habitat of this species can be seen in Fig. 4b and 4d .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Example of habitats for Oedemeridae in Oman. 4a: Wahiba sandy dunes (Alloxantha talhouki); 4b: Al Rajmi (Nacerdochroa carinatopyga, Alloxantha flava); 4c: Shinas (Probosca (Proboxantha) fuscipennis); 4d: Wadi Damm (N. carinatopyga, A. flava).