Misolampus gibbulus (Herbst, 1799)

Rosas-Ramos, Natalia, Mas-Peinado, Paloma, Gil-Tapetado, Diego, Recuero, Ernesto, Ruiz, Jose L. & Garcia-Paris, Mario, 2020, Catalogue, distribution, taxonomic notes, and conservation of the Western Palearctic endemic hunchback beetles (Tenebrionidae, Misolampus), ZooKeys 963, pp. 81-129 : 81

Misolampus gibbulus (Herbst, 1799)

Pimelia gibbula Herbst, 1799: 51. Terra typica: unknown: "Das vaterland ist mir unbekannt".

Misolampus hoffmannsegii Latreille, 1807: 161. Terra typica: "e Lusitania allatus". Latreille’s (1807) species name has been often misspelled. Guérin-Méneville (1829-1838: 115, pl. 29; 1834: 27) spelled it as: " M. hoffmansegii " and " M. hoffmanseggii ", respectively, Solier (1848: 185): " M. hoffmanseggii ", and Laporte de Castelnau (1850: 204): " M. hoffmansseggii ". Synonymy with M. gibbulus proposed by Solier (1848).

Misolampus gibbulus (Herbst, 1799): Solier 1848: 185.

Studied material.

Portugal - Beja: Beja: 1 ex.; Beja, V-1909 (exp. del Museo): 1 ex.; São Martinho das Amoreiras, 200 m, 37°36'57.4"N, 08°27'57.3"W, 4-I-2013: 10 exx. - Evora: Evoramonte, 17-X-1992: 1 ex.; Monte São Bento, 353 m, 38°34'54.33"N, 7°56'12.10"W, 11-III-2010: 1 ex.; Valverde, 232 m, 38°31'39.8"N, 8°00'25.4"W, 4-X-2002: 1 ex.; - Faro: Alferce: 1 ex.; Alferce, V-1909 (Exp. del Museo): 2 exx.; carretera Monchique-Laranjeira [Gil Bordalo], 21-X-1992: 6 exx.; Foia, 742 m, 37°18'29.4"N, 08°35'56.2"W, 4-I-2013: 1 ex.; Monchique, 439 m, 37°21'40.3"N, 08°32'23.6"W, 4-I-2013: 8 exx.; San Marcos da Serra [ São Marcos da Serra]: 2 exx.; San Marcos da Serra [ São Marcos da Serra], V-1909 (exp. del Museo): 23 exx.; São Marcos da Serra, 140 m, 37°21'02.5"N, 08°22'48.4"W, 3-I-2013: 24 exx.; Sierra de Monchique, V-1909 (exp. del Museo): 1 ex.; Portalegre: Santo Antonio de Alcorrego, 150 m, 38°58'59.5"N, 7°56'54.1"W, 18-IV-2013: 6 exx. Spain - Andalucía: Córdoba: Córdoba (Col. del Sr. Pérez Arcas): 2 exx.; Córdoba: 2 exx.; Córdoba, IV-1901 (Escalera leg.): 4 exx.; Córdoba, VI-1909 (Exp. del Museo): 3 exx.; Manueles, 30SUH82, 7-V-1982 (M.A. Alonso Z. leg.): 1 ex.; Huelva: Barranco Riofrío [La Nava], 28-XII-1985: 1 ex.; Cala (C. Bolívar leg.): 15 exx.; Cortegana, Puerto del Corzo (hacia Gil Márquez), 664 m, 37°52'56.1"N, 06°50'42.3"W, 3-I-2013: 7 exx.; Patrás, 397 m, 37°48'04.4"N, 6°43'30.8"W, 1-V-2004: 3 exx.; Jaén: [3 km al SO de] Aldeaquemada, 25-IV-1992: 3 exx.; Lugar Nuevo, 24-X-1991: 2 exx.; Santa Elena, carretera hacia La Aliseda, 795 m, 38°20'53.1"N, 03°33'20.6"W, 28-XII-2010: 14 exx.; Santa Elena, 12-III-1901: 2 exx.; Santa Elena: 2 exx.; Sierra Morena: 1 ex.; Sevilla: Constantina: 1 ex.; - Castilla -La Mancha: Ciudad Real: Almadén (Belbeze leg.): 1 ex.; Navas de Estena: 1 ex.; Pueblo Nuevo del Bullaque, 7-XII-1992: 2 exx.; Puerto Madrona, 20-XI-1992: 8 exx.; Saceruela (Paz leg.): 1 ex.; Solana del Pino: Puerto Madrona, 38°25'07.3"N, 4°03'33.1"W, 06-III-2012: 1 ex.; Toledo: Santa Cruz del R. [Retamar] (Paz leg.) (Col. del Sr. Pérez Arcas): 1 ex.; - Castilla y León: Ávila: Candeleda, XI-1933: 1 ex.; 8 km NE Hoyo de Pinares, 40°31'40.6"N, 4°20'04.5"W, 1-IV-2013: 2 exx.; Mombeltrán - Navalperal [de Pinares]: 1 ex.; Extremadura: Badajoz: Aljucén (Pacheco leg.): 2 exx.; Cáceres: Alcuéscar: I-1894: 3 exx.; Belvís de Monroy, 373 m, 39°48'04.8"N, 5°37'01.1"W, 24-XII-2011: 6 exx.; Castillo de Trevejo, 714 m, 40°10'20.9"N, 6°46'48.9"W, 17-IV-2011: 1 ex.; Valdemorales, 420 m, 39°12'08.1"N, 06°03'57.8"W, 2-I-2012: 2 exx. Madrid: Brunete ( Bolívar leg.): 2 exx.; Cadalso [de los Vidrios] (J. Ardois leg.): 120 exx.; Cadalso de los Vidrios, hacia Almorox, 12-IV-1992: 1 ex.; Cerro de San Pedro, 29-X-2004: 4 exx.; Collado Mediano (C. Bolívar leg.): 1 ex.; Collado Mediano: 13 exx.; Collado Mediano (G. Schramm leg.): 4 exx.; Collado Mediano ( Moróder leg.): 5 exx.; Fresnedillas de la Oliva, 941 m, 40°29'38.57"N, 4°10'12.90"W, 14-III-2001: 14 exx.; Galapagar (Col. del Sr. Pérez Arcas) ( Misolampus gibbulus Hbst.): 1 ex.; Manzanares [El Real], 30-III-1928: 1 ex.; Moralzarzal: Cerro del Telégrafo, 23-IV-2017: 1 ex.; Navas del Rey, 2-XII-1990: 2 exx.; Pelayos de la Presa, 799 m, 40°20'19.40"N, 4°21'34.84"W, 3-III-2001: 1 ex.; [3 km al S de] Quijorna, 5-II-1992: 1 ex.; Robledo de Chavela: 7 exx.; Santa María de la Alameda ( estación), 1-IV-1991: 10 exx.; Sierra de Guadarrama (J. Lauffer leg.): 1 ex.; Torrelodones, 7-XI-1992: 4 exx.; Valdemaqueda, 40°30'30.0"N, 4°17'00.1"W, 1-IV-2013: 2 exx.; Valdemorillo, 12-IV-1992: 7 exx.; Villa del Prado (J. Ardois leg.): 105 exx.; Villa del Prado: 4 exx.; Villa del Prado, Encinar del Alberche, 742 m, 40°17'29.7"N, 04°21'11.9"W, 4-I-2009: 5 exx.; Villalba: 1 ex.

Diagnosis.

Total length 6.6-12 mm ( Reitter 1917; Español 1949; López-Pérez 2014a). Easily recognisable by its general shiny appearance and small size. Misolampus gibbulus presents acutely protruding prothoracic anterior angles, strong pronotal punctation, deep, and densely covering most of its surface; elytra with well-marked deeply excavated striae, with large and deep punctation, and shiny interstriae intervals often with additional series of punctures (Fig. 1A-D ). Female genitalia figured by Palmer (1998). The species presents marked variability on the development and depth of the elytral and pronotal sculpture. Pronotal punctation is usually less developed, and elytral striae shallower, not so excavated, in populations of southwestern Portugal (Faro district) (see taxonomic discussion).

Geographic distribution.

Endemic to Spain and Portugal ( Löbl et al. 2008) (Fig. 2 ). Its general distribution includes most of the southwestern area of the Iberian Peninsula. Published records are however scanty, from central and southern Portugal, and from the Spanish provinces of Cáceres, Ciudad Real, Córdoba, Huelva, Jaén, Madrid and Sevilla ( Latreille 1807; von Heyden 1870; Paulino de Oliveira 1894; Reitter 1917; Lindberg 1933; De la Fuente 1934-1935; Español 1949; Cabral 1983; Cárdenas Talaverón and Bujalance de Miguel 1985; Cárdenas 2003; Grimm and Aistleitner 2009; López-Pérez 2014a, 2014c; Bujalance de Miguel 2015; Barreda 2018).

Our new records considerably expand the known distribution of M. gibbulus . In addition to previously published data, we add new records for the district of Évora and Portalegre in Portugal, and from the provinces of Ávila, Badajoz, and Toledo in Spain; together with numerous localities for some provinces represented by a few records, such as Cáceres, Ciudad Real, and Madrid. With the addition of these records, the distribution of M. gibbulus seems to be more or less continuous along the southern slopes of the Sistema Central: from Cáceres and Ávila to Madrid, along both slopes of Montes de Toledo and Sierra Morena, and in a more or less extended area in southern Portugal, from Évora to Serra de Monchique in the Algarve region. The Guadalquivir river basin seems to conform the southeastern distribution limit for the species (Fig. 2A ). The potential distribution map identifies southwestern Iberia as a high suitable area for the species occurrence, together with some areas where the species does not occur: the Betic Mountain ranges, the Balearic Islands, and northern Africa (Fig. 2B ).

Notes on natural history.

Misolampus gibbulus is a low altitude species, ranging from 4 to 1278 m a.s.l., although 81% of the populations recorded are located below 800 m of altitude. Geological substrates are very diverse across its distribution area, but mostly siliceous, including sandstones, gneisses, granites, and schists, which generate acid soils (see Vera 2004; Oliveira and Quesada 2019a, 2019b). It occupies mainly the meso-Mediterranean thermoclimatic belt and, to a lesser extent, the thermo - (at the southermost portion of its range) and supra-Mediterranean (on a narrow northern strip), with ombrotypes from dry to humid ( Rivas-Martínez 1987; Rivas-Martínez et al. 2002; Rivas-Martínez 2007). It is found over an extensive variety of forest and subforestry habitats, including both coniferous ( Pinus L.) and broadleaved trees ( Quercus L., Fraxinus L.), and also dense shrublands of Cistus L. ( “jarales”), Retama Raf. and Cytisus Desf. ( “retamares”) (Fig. 1E, F ). The species also occupies areas densely reforested with native and non-native Pinus and Eucalyptus L’Hér. ( Cabral 1983), as well as open man-modified agroforestry systems ( “dehesas” of Quercus ) and montane agrosystems with olive and chestnuts trees ( Olea europaea L. and Castanea sativa Mill.) (see Ladero 1987; Rivas-Martínez et al. 1987; Valle 2003; Costa Tenorio et al. 2005).

Misolampus gibbulus is commonly found under bark or within decomposing dead logs and stumps of pines (mainly of Pinus pinea L. and Pinus sylvestris L.), including reforested areas (especially Pinus pinaster Aiton), where they appear to be particularly common. It is also found in dead or old trunks of perennial or deciduous oaks ( Quercus ilex L., Quercus suber L., Quercus pyrenaica Willd. and Quercus faginea Lam.), under the dry layers that cover roots and thick stems of Cistus ladanifer L. and Cistus laurifolius L., and at the base of brooms, mainly Cytisus scoparius (L.) Link and Retama sphaerocarpa (L.) Boiss. Occasionally found under loose bark or at the base, among decaying wood of standing Eucalyptus trees, and also in rotten Eucalyptus stumps ( Cabral 1983; López-Pérez 2014a; pers. obs.). Sometimes found also under stones in open areas, near forest or shrub patches. Almost all these habitat locations are coincident to those described by López-Pérez (2014a) for the province of Huelva. Its food source is unknown (as in the other species of the genus), although Barreda (2018) pointed out mistakenly that it is a moss eater (quoting Español 1949 and Bujalance de Miguel 2015); nevertheless, Español (1954b) commented that the species of Misolampus are saprophagous, without further specification.

Misolampus gibbulus has been found in microsympatry with M. scabricollis along western Sierra Morena (Huelva), northern Extremadura ( Cáceres), Montes de Toledo (Toledo) (Fig. 1E ), and southern slopes of the Sistema Central (Madrid, Ávila, Toledo), and with M. subglaber at the eastern end of Sierra Morena ( Jaén) (pers. obs.). Adults can be found across most of the year ( Cárdenas Talaverón and Bujalance de Miguel 1985; López-Pérez 2014a; Barreda 2018) but according to our observations they are more easily encountered during the wetter months (October to May).

Figures

Figure 1. Live specimens and habitat of Misolampus gibbulus A-D live adult specimens of Misolampus gibbulus from Portugal (A Foia; B Monchique; D Sao Martinho das Amoreiras) and Spain (C Santa Helena, Jaen); specimens A, B, and D represent the diversity of sculptural patterns in elytra and pronotum within the Faro population, see the contrast with typical specimen C; E, F typical habitats of M. gibbulus in Spain (E native Quercus ilex and Pinus plantations at Robledo del Mazo, Toledo F Q. ilex open forest with Cytisus and Retama at Puerto de Santa Cruz, Caceres). Photographs by MGP.

Figure 2. A Geographic distribution of Misolampus gibbulus. Map of the Iberian Peninsula depicting the geographic distribution range of the Iberian endemic Misolampus gibbulus (orange area). Purple dots correspond to the species' records, including both recent and old, as well as previously published data B potential geographic distribution of Misolampus gibbulus: Red indicates areas of high suitability, and blue, areas of low suitability. Species distribution model was generated using MaxEnt v 3.4.1 (Elith et al. 2006) and the set of WorldClim v 2.0 (Fick and Hijmans 2017) environmental variables.