Tituboea arabica

Tituboea arabica (Olivier, 1808)

(Figs 19–21, 145–154)

Clytra arabica Olivier, 1808: 860 (original description).

Titubaea mokattamensis Pic, 1912b: 73 (original description), syn. nov.

Titubaea subabbreviata Pic, 1912b: 73 (original description), syn. nov.

Titubaea subabbreviata var. notaticeps Pic, 1912b: 73 (original description), syn. nov.

Titubaea subabbreviata var. robustior Pic, 1912b: 73 (original description), syn. nov.

Titubaea subabbreviata var. bisbinotata Pic, 1912c: 90 (original description), syn. nov.

Type localities. Clytra arabica: ‘petit désert de l ̓ Arabie, près de l ̓ Euphrate’. Tituboea mokattamensis: ‘Mokattam, près Le Caire’ [Egypt]. Titubaea subabbreviata: ‘Region des Pyramides’ [Egypt]. Tituboea subabbreviata var. notaticeps: ‘Region des Pyramides’ [Egypt]. Tituboea subabbreviata var. robustior: ‘Egypte’. Tituboea subabbreviata var. bisbinotata: ‘Egypte’.

Type material examined. Clytra arabica: SYNTYPE: unsexed (damaged), ‘E. Coll: / Chevt / [w, p] // Type [round label with red collar, w, p] // 167 [b, p] // Titubaea / arabica ♂ / Ol. type [w, h] // Arabie bo… [partly illegible, w, h] // 67-56 [w, p]’ (BMNH).

Tituboea mokattamensis: SYNTYPES: ♀, ‘Mokattam / … [partly illegible, w, h] // arabica [b, h] // Titubaea [w, h] // 26 [w, h] // arabica / ex Vauloger [w, h] // arabica? [w, h] // Type [w, h] // communiqué / coll. Pic [b, h] // TYPE [r, p] // MUSÉUM PARIS / 1958 / COLL. M. PIC [w, p] // Antipa / Titubaea / mokattamensis Pic [w, h]’ (MNHN – coll. Pic); ♀, ‘ Mokattam / … [partly illegible, w, h] // arabica [b, h] // mokattamensis / Pic [w, h] // TYPE [r, p]’ (MNHN – coll. Pic).

Tituboeasubabbreviata: SYNTYPES: ♂, ‘ Egypte / Pyram. [w, h] // Type [w, h] // TYPE [r, p] // MUSÉUM PARIS / 1958 / COLL. M. PIC [w, p] // subabbreviata / Pic [w, h]’ (MNHN – coll. Pic); ♂, ‘communiqué / coll. Pic [b, h] // Tituboaea / subabbreviata / Pic [w, h] // Egypte / Pyram. [w, h] // type [w, h] // TYPE [r, p]’ (MNHN – coll. Pic)’; ♂, ‘Titubaea / arabica Ol. [w, h] // TYPE [r, p] // Type [w, h] // Aegyptus / Reitter. [w, p]’ (MNHN – coll. Pic).

Tituboea subabbreviata var. notaticeps: SYNTYPE: ♂, ‘ Egypte / Pyram. [w, h] // Type. [w, h] // v. notaticeps / Pic [w, h] // TYPE [r, p]’ (MNHN – coll. Pic).

Tituboea subabbreviata var. robustior: HOLOTYPE: ♂, ‘W. HoH / 1908 [b, h] // 436 [w, h] // T. arabica Ol. / (ex. Tenante) [w, h] // type [w, h] // subabbreviata / v. robustior Pic [w, h] // TYPE [r, p]’ (MNHN – coll. Pic).

Tituboea subabbreviata var. bisbinotata: SYNTYPE: ♂, ‘Coll. H [r, h] // EGYPTE [w, p] // Titubaea / arabica / rare [w, h] // Mokattam / juin [w, h] // Type [w, h] // subabbreviata / v. bisbinotata / Pic [w, h] // TYPE [r, p]’ (MNHN – coll. Pic).

Additional material examined. EGYPT: Helwan, 25.v.1995, 1♂, A. El-Torkey leg. (JBCB). IRAN: Khorasan, 14 km S of Gonabad, 1350 m, 26.v.2008, 4 ♂♂, Mühle leg. (JBCB); Fars prov., Abadeh, vi-vii.1916, 4 ♂♂, P. Paschen leg. (BMNH). JORDAN: Wadi Ghuba, 9.v.1995, 1 ♂, P. Pucholt leg. (JBCB). SAUDI ARABIA: Sihal Matarin, 24.vi.1931, 1 ♂, Philby leg. (BMNH). SYRIA: Rasafah (Raqqa), 35°38 ' N 38°46 ' E, 310 m, 16.vi.1998, 2 ♂♂1 ♀, J. Šobotník leg. (JBCB); Homs prov., 30 km N of Palmyra, 28.v.2010, 1 ♂, A. Kotán, E. Miszei, T. Németh & Rahmé N. leg. (HNHM); Homs prov., Palmyra env., 6.vi.2000, 1 ♀, K. Deneš leg. (FKCC). TURKEY: Nemrut Dagi Mts., Karadut, 8.vii.1996, 1 ♀, J. Hájek leg. (JBCB); Nemrut Dagi Mts., Karadut, 9.–12.vii.1996, 2 ♂♂, F. Kantner leg. (FKCC).

Distribution. Egypt (incl. Sinai), Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen (REGALIN & MEDVEDEV 2010b), Turkey (ÖZDIKMEN & OKUTANER 2007). New record for Syria.

Comments. Comparison of the available type specimens showed no important morphological differences, thus, T. mokattamensis, T. subabbreviata, T. subabbreviata var. notaticeps and T. subabbreviata var. bisbinotata are synonymized here with T. arabica.

In colouration, T. arabica is one of very variable Tituboea species (see Figs 145–154). Head is orange, often with black stripe between eyes or with frons and vertex black, pronotum orange, rarely with two posterolateral irregular black spots, each elytron usually with four black spots (as two pairs), anterior pair often smaller or rarely absent, posterior pair often enlarged and connected. Legs are completely orange, rarely procoxae are black or partly black. Underside is rarely completely orange, usually bicolourous with lateral parts of metaventrite and abdominal ventrites black, less often metaventrite black and abdomen black except for apical part.

ALFIERI (1976) mentioned the deposition of the type material of var. bisbinotata in the G. Frey collection (now in NHMB). According to Bohrer (pers. comm. 2014) no type specimen of var. bisbinotata was found in the Frey collection.