Rhampholyssodes pitcheri Bologna & Turco, 2007

Bologna, Marco A. & Turco, Federica, 2007, The Meloidae (Coleoptera) of the United Arab Emirates with an updated Arabian checklist, Zootaxa 1625 (1), pp. 1-33 : 27-29

Hycleus (?) pitcheri ( Kaszab, 1983) n. comb.

Distribution. Endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, until now recorded only from the type locality in the Saudi Arabia, Eastern Province. New for the U.A.E.

New records. U.A.E.: Abu Dhabi Emirate, EA4, Al Bateen dunes, 4 Km W Al Aïn on the road to Abu Dhabi, 24,20491° N 55,61263° E, 195 m a.s.l., 15.iii.2005 M. Bologna & F. Turco coll. 1 ex., on Tribulus omanense (CB) . Abu Dhabi Emirate, EA10, Al Aïn, 3–4 Km E Al Selimat on road Al Aïn-Abu Dhabi, 24,19263° N 55,58861° E, 220 m a.s.l., 12–14.iii.2005 M. Bologna & F. Turco coll. 3 exx., on Tribulus omanense (CB) . Abu Dhabi Emirate, EA11, 37 Km S Al Aïn on road Al Aïn-Al Wijan , 23,9108° N 55,49472° E, 150 m a.s.l., 14.iii.2005 M. Bologna & F. Turco coll. 1 ex. on Zygophyllum mandavillei (CB) .

Remarks. Kaszab (1983) described this species from Saudi Arabia in Coryna Billberg, 1813 (a synonym of Hycleus Latreille, 1817 ), and evidenced that it is very distinct from all others with nine antennomeres particularly because of the elongate shape of pronotum. Antennomeres number is a character erroneously used in the mylabrine systematics ( Bologna & Pinto 2002) and nine antennomers are present in several Afrotropical Hycleus , as well as in the most Palaearctic species of the genus Actenodia Laporte de Castelnau, 1840 (Bologna et al. in press).

This species probably belongs to a new genus, and represents a real puzzle of characters. The mesosternum has the fore portion unmodified, the mesepisterna anteriorly do not have depressions and carina, and the aedeagus has two hooks, both far from apex. This combination of features, is similar in Actenodia (Bologna et al. in press) and Mimesthes Marseul, 1872 (a southwestern African endemism: Bologna 2000). Since Coryna is a synonym of Hycleus , this species is transitorily included in the genus Hycleus , but it has not clear relationships within it.

The male genitalia (figured by Kaszab 1983; we examined only four females) have a general shape similar to those of Actenodia but also to those of several Mylabris Fabricius, 1775 . This species has nine antennomeres, but the apical club is differently shaped in comparison to the Palaearctic Actenodia , and is more similar to some Hycleus with the same number of antennomeres. The mesosternal structures are more similar to those of Actenodia , but also to Croscherichia Pardo Alcaide, 1950 , a very distinct mylabrine genus. The pronotum strongly differs from that of Actenodia , being elongate, narrowed in the fore portion and depressed, differently than in other Mylabrini .