Amorphocephala sulcata ( Calabresi, 1920 )

Orbach, Eylon, 2020, The Brentidae of Israel (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea), Israel Journal of Entomology (Oxford, England) 50 (2), pp. 53-68 : 60-61

Amorphocephala sulcata ( Calabresi, 1920)

( Figs 9, 10, 16)

Amorphocephalus sulcatus Calabresi, 1920: 64 ; Kleine 1938 a: 16 (key), 1938 b: 86 (catalog); Gridelli 1939: 454; de Muizon 1950: 212, 1960: 165; Schedl 1970: 97.

Amorphocephala sulcata : Damoiseau 1967: 427, 1979: 9 (key, catalog); Schedl 1975 a: 33 (drawings); Sforzi & Bartolozzi 2004: 292.

Amorphocephalus arabicus Damoiseau, 1964: 428 .

Amorphocephal a arabica : Damoiseau 1979: 9 (key, catalog); Sforzi & Bartolozzi 2004: 287. n. syn.

Material examined: Israel: ' Arava Valley: ' Iddan , 4♂ 6♀ 18.iv.1999; 1♀ 17.v.1999; 1♀ 12.viii.1999; 1♂ 4.vi.2000, I. Yarom, V. Kravchenko ; 1♂ 2♀ 16.v.2000, V. Kravchenko; Nahal Shezaf Natural Reserve , 1♂ 1♀ 18.v.1999; 1♀ 8.vi.1999; 1♀ 10.viii.1999; 1♂ 4♀ 12.iX.1999, I. Yarom, V. Kravchenko ; 1♂ 9.v.2000, V. Kravchenko; Hazeva , 2♀ 2.iX.1976, D. Simon; 1♂ 18.X.1981, B. Shalmon; 1♀ 12.iv.1999; 1♂ 21.v.1999; 2♂ 6.vi.2000; 1♂ 1♀ 3.iX.2000; 1♀ 19.X.2000; 1♂ 1♀ 20.X.2000; 2♀ 20.iv.2001; 5♂ 7♀ 2.vi.2001; 3♂ 1♀ 10.vi.2001, I. Yarom, V. Kravchenko; Hazeva Field School , 30°46.70' N 35°14.25'E , 2♂ 1♀ 16.vii.1999; 2♀ 19.vii.1999; 1♂ 14.viii.1999; 2♀ 17.X.1999, I. Yarom, V. Kravchenko; Nahal Neqarot , 2♂ 5♀ 20.v.1999; 1♂ 10.iX.1999, I. Yarom, V. Kravchenko ; 1♂ Nahal haShitta, Hwy 90, km 82, 18.vi.1999, I. Yarom, V. Kravchenko ; 1♀ Gerofit, 5.Xi.2002, V. Kravchenko, V. Chikatunov; Yotvata , 1♂ 1♀ 9.vi.1984, A. Venezian; 3♂ 2♀ 16.viii.1999, I. Yarom, V. Kravchenko ; 1♂ Samar, 3.vi.2007, N. Ketner, light trap; 3♂ 3♀ Timna', 2.vii.2002 (1♂ 1♀), 10.viii.2002 (1♂ 1♀) , 15.Xi.2002 (1♂ 1♀), V. Kravchenko, V. Chikatunov . Egypt: Central Sinai Foothills : 1♂ W E'Tamaoui, 29.X.1969, G. Tsabar; 1♂ Mitmatni, 25.vi.1981, D. Simon.

Distribution: Egypt (Sinai), Eritrea, Ethiopia, Israel (new record), Libya, Niger (Aïr), Saudi-Arabia, Sudan.

Biology: Myrmecophilous.

Comments: Damoiseau (1964) described Amorphocephala arabica based on a single male specimen from Saudi Arabia. Calabresi (1920) described Amorphocephala sulcata , based on two specimens: a male from Eritrea and a female from Sudan. Sforzi and Bartolozzi (2004) selected the male as the lectotype and the female as paralectotype.

Schedl (1975 a) synonymized A. arabica with A. sulcata . However, Damoiseau (1979: 10, footnote) stated that the synonymy was possible, but not certain, thus giving again a species status to A. arabica . Sforzi and Bartolozzi (2004: 287, 292) followed Damoiseau’s opinion and left the two species as separate in their monograph of the Brentidae of the world.

During a survey of insects of the 'Arava Valley in 1999–2001, series of Amorphocephala were collected. While determining the material, I compared two males with the male holotype of Amorphocephala arabica deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum in Budapest, and found out that external details and the male genitalia were identical. I also compared females from the 'Arava Valley with the paralectotype female deposited in the Zoological Museum of the University of Florence, and they proved to be identical as well. During a visit at the Natural History Museum in Genoa ( Italy), Luca Bartolozzi kindly compared for me the lectotype male of Amorphocephala sulcata with a male specimen of Amorphocephala from the 'Arava Valley identified by me as A. arabica , and confirmed their identity (L. Bartolozzi, pers. comm., 2005).

Therefore, Amorphocephala arabica ( Damoiseau, 1964) is hereby considered as a junior synonym of Amorphocephala sulcata ( Calabresi, 1920) .