Tituboea octopunctata

Tituboea octopunctata (Fabricius, 1787)

(Figs 54–56)

Cryptocephalus octopunctatus Fabricius, 1787: 79 (original description).

Tituboea octopunctata var. unipunctata Pic, 1897b: 165 (original description).

Titubaea octopunctata var. siciliensis Pic, 1912b: 74 (original description).

Type localities. Cryptocephalus octopunctatus: ‘Barbaria’ [= North African coast from Morocco to Libya]. Tituboea octopunctata var. unipunctata: ‘Palestro’ [= Algeria: Lakhdaria]. Tituboea octopunctata var. siciliensis: ‘Sicile’.

Type material examined. Cryptocephalus octopunctatus: not examined. The photos of dissected ♂ syntype were sent from ZMUC: ‘C: 8 punctata / e Barbar: Vahl / e Tanger: Schoust … [partly illegible, w, h] // TYPE [r, p] // zmuc / 00031183 [w, p] // ANTIPA [p] / 8-punctata F. [h] / ERBER [p] vid. [h] 19 [p] 97 [w, h]’.

Tituboea octopunctata var. unipunctata: SYNTYPE: ♂, ‘Palestro / II mai 97 [w, h] // type. [w, h] // v. unipunctata [w, h] // TYPE [r, p]’ (MNHN – coll. Pic).

Tituboea octopunctata var. siciliensis: SYNTYPES: 1 ♀, ‘ Sicile [w, h] // Type [w, h] // v. siciliensis / Pic [w, h] // TYPE [r, p]’ (MNHN – coll. Pic); 1 ♂, ‘ Sicile [w, h] // Type [w, h] // TYPE [r, p]’ (MNHN – coll. Pic).

Distribution. Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia (REGALIN & MEDVEDEV 2010b).

Comments. Male syntypes of both varieties described by PIC (1897, 1912b) have visible apex of the aedeagus with characteristic apical sinuation. From ZMUC we received a photo of a dissected ♂syntype of Cryptocephalus octopunctatus and we conħrm both Pic ̓ s varieties as its colour aberrations and synonyms.

Tituboea octopunctata var. siciliensis was described from Sicily, however, its occurrence in Sicily needs to be veriħed as no additional material of T. octopunctata from Sicily is known.