Ptilophorus dufouri Latreille, 1817

Material examined.

GEORGIA - Tbilisi • 2♀♀; Dighomi Vill.; 41.7781°N, 44.7003°E; 476 m a.s.l.; Paliurus spina-christi dominated shrubland, twigs; leg. Bulbulashvili N., Seropian A.; 27 Apr 2023; CaBOL-IDs: 1035452 (Fig. 3), 1035453 .

Remarks.

Unlike most wedge-shaped beetles, the adults of Ptilophorus have mouthparts adapted to feeding on liquid food, although the feeding behavior has never been observed (Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1975). The host is unknown, as were the larvae for a long time, whose weakly sclerotized, very small bodies and simplified mouthparts strongly suggest a parasitic way of life and consumption of liquid food (Batelka et al. 2022).

Distribution.

A Western Palaearctic species, known from North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, France, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Israel, Iran, and the Caucasus (but Georgia). From the neighboring territories, P. dufouri is recorded in Armenia, Turkey, and Ukraine (Crimea) (Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1975; Batelka 2008; Barkley 2020).