Morphological, molecular and ecological evidence of a new Euro-Anatolian species of the Meligethes coracinus complex (Coleoptera : Nitidulidae)

An analysis of morphometric, allozymic and ecological data gives clear cues of the presence in southern Europe and the Near East of a so far not recog nised species of the pollen-beetle genus Meligethes Stephens, previously wi dely confused with the common and widespread M. coracinus Sturm. Re-examina tion of the type material allowed the authors to discover that this 'new' t axon was originally described by Ganglbauer (1899) as M. coracinus var, aen escens (nec M. aenescens Fairmaire, 1875), later considered a mere synonym of M. col acinus. This taxon is here resurrected at a specific rank, redesc ribed, and renamed Meligethes erysimicola Audisio & De Blase, nom. n. The t wo species are also compared with the closely related Meligethes matronalis Audisio & Spornraft, 1990, a monophagous species strictly associated with Hesperis is matronalis L. (Brassicaceae). M. erysimicola is an oligophagous species, strictly associated at larval stage with several members of the p lant genus Erysimum L. (Brassicaceae), while M. coracinus is a more polypha gous species, developing mostly on Brassica spp., Sinapis spp., Bal balm sp p. and Sisymbrium spp. (Brassicaceae). Waiting for the final results of fur ther molecular and ecological researches concerning the same subject, an up dated taxonomical outline of the Meligethes coracinus species-complex is al so reported, and a provisional key to identification of species and include d sub-complexes, is finally given.