A study on the genus Chrysolina MOTSCHULSKY, 1860, with a ...

114 ANDRZEJ BIEÑKOWSKI
8. The subgeneric name Chrysomela (Gemellata) was originally proposed
(SAHLBERG 1913) in the combination with the available names Ch. sahlbergi
MÉNÉTRIÉS, Ch. didymata SCRIBA, Ch. hyperici FORSTER, Ch. syriaca WEISE, and
Ch. aeneipennis REICHE. The type species was not designated. Therefore, this
subgeneric name is available (ICZN, 1999, Art. 12.2.5), and it is a junior
synonym of Bittotaenia MOTSCHULSKY partim, Hypericia BEDEL partim, and
Ovosoma MOTSCHULSKY partim.
9. Specimen of Ch. grata from Egypt (Sinai, Jebel Jibal, 2500 m, 28.1.1998:
1 male, T. PAVLICEK leg.) being at my disposal corresponds to those from Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Afghanistan with respect to most characters
(including punctation of elytral apical slope which is wholly confused and
homogeneous) and differs only in sparser and finer punctation of pronotal disc
(interspaces are broader than punctures everywhere). Specimen from S. Turkey
(Birecik, 2.5.1994: 1 male, A. TRMAL leg.) is dark bronze with weak greenish tint
on elytra and wholly corresponds to the available specimens of Ch. grata from
Turkmenistan.
10. In the original description of the genus Cecchiniola the author (JACOBSON
1908) pointed out the following combination of diagnostic characters: the second
tarsal segment is broad, saucer-shaped (this shape also occurs in various subgenera
of Chrysolina), the last segment of maxillary palpus is narrower than the previous
one (this is also typical of the species of the subgenus Threnosoma), tarsi with
reduced pubescence beneath (this reduction is pronounced to various degree in
males and females of the subgenera Bittotaenia, Allohypericia, Chalcoidea, and
in females of Pezocrosita), and tibiae broadened apically (Fig. 12) (a similar
shape of tibiae is also present in two species of the subgenus Pezocrosita, namely,
Ch. tibialis and Ch. rufilabris). Therefore, the mentioned charactes do not permit
a clear separation of Cecchiniola from Chrysolina. On the other hand, the single
species of Cecchiniola, namely C. platyscelidina, has very conspicuous complicated
aedeagus (Fig. 15). This fact permit to regard Cecciniola as a separate
subgenus within the genus Chrysolina.
MATERIAL
Ch. platyscelidina: Holotype, male with labels: “Crimea, Almachik, Alma
river, 1885, G. RYBAKOV leg.” ZIN. Additional materials: Crimea: Simferopol,
Dubki, 25.2.1894: 1 male, S. MOKRZECKI leg.; Simferopol, 25.2.: 1 male;
Simferopol, 23.3.1907: 1 female, KIRITSCHENKO leg.
11. Ch. analis is known to be distributed widely in Western Europe and
Ukraine (BOURDONNE & DOGUET 1991). I also have at my disposal the specimens
from Russia (Kursk reg., Ryazan reg., Jaroslavl, St.-Petersburg) and Estonia
(Tallin). Furthermore, Ch. analis is firstly recorded from Northern Africa (Fig.
14) (Algeria, 1860: 1 male, 2 females, C. MORAWITZ leg.).