Tshernyshev S.E. 2017. [A review of blister beetle fauna (Coleoptera, Meloidae) of North Asia] // Euroasian Entomological Journal. Vol.16. No.4: 325–343 [in Russian, with English summary].
Institute of Systematic and Ecology of Animals, Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch, Frunze Street 11, Novosibirsk 630091 Russia.
E-mail: sch-sch@mail.ru
ABSTRACT. A review of the blister beetle fauna of North Asia, including 50 species of 13 genera, 8 tribes and two subfamilies, is presented. Species limited in their ranges by southern, far-eastern and northern regions of North Asia, are 63, 50 and 15% respectively of the total number of species for the region; endemics represent 12% in far-eastern and 15% in northern regions. The taxonomic composition of Meloidae in North Asia is clarified; a new status is proposed for Lytta flavovittata (Ballion, 1878), stat. resurr., and new synonymy is presented for the species Teratolytta dives (Brullй, 1832) = Lytta togata Fischer von Waldheim, 1844, comb. et syn.n.; Meloe (Meloe) violaceus Marsham, 1802 = Meloe semenowi Jakovlev, 1897, syn.n. The blister-beetle fauna is concentrated mainly in the southern region (46 species, 92% of the fauna), that can be divided into three aspects, western, transit-buffer and eastern. The ratio between western and eastern aspects (17:12) shows a gradual transition from the western fauna to Central Asian and Eastern faunas. One of the main characteristics of the southern region is the number of ways for species transition from neighbouring zones along the transit ways providing high level of specificity of fauna. There are recorded 29 widespread species (63% of the regional fauna) of which 37 % can be considered as «western» species and 26% as «eastern» species. In the region lacks local endemics. The northern region is less rich in taxonomic diversity of Meloidae; it lacks representatives of the subfamily Zonitidinae and there are 13 species of the subfamily Meloinae (20% of North Asian fauna). Endemics of the region, Meloe (E.) laevipennis Brandt et Erichson and M. (E.) mandli Borchmann can be also considered as specific species (15% of the region fauna). The Far-Eastern region includes 16 species (32% of the North Asian fauna) including a high number of specific species (50% of regional fauna). Typical «eastern» taxa in the region are Epicauta (E.) sibirica dubia (Fabricius), Lytta (L.) suturella (Motschulsky), Hycleus solonicus (Pallas), Meloe (E.) corvinus Marseul, M. (E.) laevipennis Brandt et Erichson, M. (E.) mandli Borchmann, M. (M.) lobatus Gebler and Stenodera (S.) djakonovi Aksentjev. There are two endemic species, M. (E.) corvinus Marseul and Stenodera (S.) djakonovi Aksentjev (12% of regional fauna). 24 widespread species (48% of the North Asian fauna) ranged in both European and Asian parts of the continent are recorded in the fauna of North Asia. Only three species, Meloe (E.) brevicollis Panzer, M. (M.) proscarabaeus Linnaeus and M. (M.) violaceus Marsham, are distributed in all regions of North Asia and across Eurasia. There are no mutual species between North Asian and North American faunas, similarity can be found only at generic, tribe and subfamily levels, as follows: two subfamilies (Meloinae Gyllenhal, 1810 and Zonitidinae Mulsant, 1857), four tribes (Epicautini Denier, 1935, Lyttini Solier, 1851, Meloini Gyllenhal, 1810 and Zonitidini Mulsant, 1857), and four genera (Epicauta (Epicauta) Dejean, 1834, Lytta Fabricius, 1775, Meloe (Meloe) Linnaeus, 1758 and Zonitis Fabricius, 1775); this reflects major differences in ecological niches offered by biogeocoenoses of the territories that define independent species formation.
KEY WORDS: Coleoptera, Meloidae, fauna, North Asia.
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