Iberian taxa of the tribe Lyttini (Coleoptera, Meloidae)

Abstract

We revise the geographic distribution of the Iberian species of the tribe Lyttini (Meloidae). The 1955 specimens studied correspond to six species, distributed in five genera: Berberomeloe, Lagorina, Lytta, Oenas, and Physomeloe. Berberomeloe was erected for B. majalis, a species distributed in the Iberian Peninsula and northern Africa, whose larval morphology clearly supports its inclusion within the Lyttini. Berberomeloe presents a second species recently resurected taxonomically, B. insignis, endemic to the southeastern regions of Iberia. Lagorina includes two species from the western Mediterranean Region, one of which, L. sericea, is found in the southern regions of Iberia and northern Africa. Lytta is represented by more than 120 species, but only one, L. vesicatoria, is present in western Europe. The species was often cited from all over the Iberian Peninsula, but most of the specimens examined are located north of the Sistema Central. The genus Oenas was considered to be represented in the Iberian Peninsula by three species: O. afer, O. fusicornis y O. crassicornis. All specimens examined correspond morphologically to O. fusicornis, so the Iberian records of O. afer probably are misidentifications. Physomeloe includes a single species, P. corallifer, which is endemic to the Iberian Peninsula. It is well distributed in central Portugal and the Spanish Plateau with scarce records in other Iberian regions.