Anthrenus valenzuelai Holloway & Herrmann, 2024 (Fig. 3)

HÁVA (2024b) claimed A. valenzuelai from Spain and in doing so raised a number of points that require attention. Fig. 3 shows images of five A. valenzuelai, two males and three females. HÁVA (2024b) commented that A. valenzuelai can be very difficult to distinguish from A. isabellinus, raising variation in the colour of the apical spots on the elytra as an issue. No variation in the colour of the apical spots has been recorded although there is variation in the size of the sub-apical spots (see Fig. 4) which can be tiny. The size and shape (or colour) of the (sub) apical spots is not useful as far as known in the identification of any of the Palaearctic A. pimpinellae complex species, except perhaps A. munroi (HOLLOWAY & CAÑADA LUNA, 2022).

Fig. 5 shows images of five A. isabellinus from Spain and Fig. 4 shows how to measure the relative width of the white fascia. HOLLOWAY & CAÑADA LUNA (2022) argued that distance A is always less than (or sometimes equal to) distance B in A. isabellinus. In all other Spanish species distance A is greater than distance B. In A. valenzuelai this is not a good character as in some cases distance A exceeds distance B and sometimes the other way round (Fig. 5). In most cases, the author agrees with HÁVA (2024b) that A. valenzuelai and A. isabellinus are not easy to separate with the exception of entirely (or mostly) white A. isabellinus.

A more reliable way of separating A. isabellinus and A. valenzuelai (or to confirm a suspected A. valenzuelai) is to examine antennal structure (Figs. 3 and 5). In A. valenzuelai the antennal club is a narrow cone shape, straight along the ventral margin and only very slightly curved along the dorsal margin (Fig. 3). Male antennae are longer and slimmer than female antennae (a point not noted by HOLLOWAY & HERRMANN, 2024, who focused on males). In both sexes the terminal antennomere is asymmetric (Fig. 3). The antennal clubs of A. isabellinus are considerably broader, straight along the ventral margin but much more curved along the dorsal margin. The terminal antennomere is symmetrical (Fig. 5).

HÁVA (2024b) agrees with HOLLOWAY & HERRMANN (2024) that males can be identified courtesy of genital structure, but he goeS on to SAY thAt femALeS Are ‘more or LeSS inDeterminABLe’. Given the record of A. valenzuelai claimed from Zaragoza, Spain is of a female (HÁVA, 2024b), it does not constitute convincing evidence to add A. valenzuelai to the Spanish list at present. It is not inconceivable that A. valenzuelai could occur in Spain (at least southern Spain) since it has been found in Morocco.