The Bostrichidae of the Maltese Islands (Coleoptera)
Author
Nardi, Gianluca
Author
Mifsud, David
text
ZooKeys
2015
481
69
108
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.481.8294
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.481.8294
1313-2970-481-69
4AB90367FE5641C0882516E953E46CEC
Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Bostrichidae
Trogoxylon impressum (Comolli, 1837)
Material examined.
Malta: Busket, 15.VI.2003, DM, 1 ex (CMM); Mistra Valley, 21.IV.1994, DM, under leves of
Ficus carica
, 1 ex (CMM); Qormi,
Ħal-Farrug
, 5.V.2003, DM, [on]
Ceratonia siliqua
, 1 ex (CNI); 5.V.2003, DM, 2 ex (CMM; CNI); Rabat, Ta Koronja, 14.VI.2002, PS, 1 ex (CMM); Wied Badu, 3.VII.2002, DM, 1 ex (CMM).
Chorotype.
Turanic-European-Mediterranean. This species is widespread from the Canary Islands to Turkmenistan; to the north it reaches Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia and Switzerland, moreover it has been introduced in some northern European states (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden), into Argentina, Chile and USA (cf.
Borowski 2007
,
Borowski and
Wegrzynowicz
2007
,
Barriga and Cepeda 2009
), and it is considered as an established alien in the latter two mentioned territories (
Gerberg 1957
). The species is possibly also establishment in China (cf.
Peters et al. 2002
), South Africa and Australia (
Geis 2002
), but for these territories this was not confirmed (
Borowski and
Wegrzynowicz
2007
). This species was also recorded from Iraq (
Knopt 1972
) and was introduced to Benelux (
Lucht 1987
,
Drumont and Grootaert 2011
) and both countries must be added to its distribution which was summarized by
Borowski (2007)
.
Hopkins (1911
: 137, as
Lyctus
impressus
) in an Appendix to
Kraus (1911)
, recorded this species also for "Cordova, Mex. [= Mexico]"; this record was overlooked since
Lesne (1938)
probably because this Appendix, which also included data on additional specimens, was added after the submission of the paper of
Kraus (1911)
(cf.
Hopkins 1911
: 130, footnote) and Mexico was not included in the mentioned work.
Ecology.
Trogoxylon impressum
is a polyphagous species; in the Mediterranean area it has been reared from many local and exotic trees and shrubs (e.g.
Ceratonia siliqua
,
Cercis siliquastrum
,
Eucalyptus
spp.,
Ficus carica
,
Pistacia lentiscus
,
Pistacia vera
,
Punica granatum
,
Quercus
spp.,
Tamarix
sp.,
Vitis vinifera
), and also from timber (cf.
Nardi and Ratti 1995
,
Halperin and Geis 1999
,
Geis 2002
,
Liberto and Audisio 2005
,
Bahillo et al. 2007
,
Baena and Zuzarte 2013
).
Notes.
This species is a new record for the Maltese Islands; it is recorded also from the nearby Island of Pantelleria (
Nardi and Ratti 1995
) and from the Balearic Islands (cf.
Schaufuss 1882
, as
Lyctus impressus capitalis
n. var.,
Bahillo de la Puebla and
Lopez-Colon
2001
,
Nardi 2004a
).
Its male genitalia was figured by
Gerberg (1957
: pl. XI, figs 15-16) and
Iablokoff-Khnzorian (1980
: 284, fig. 12.9).