Melitturga spinosa Morawitz. Revised 1891

Abstract

Melitturga spinosa Morawitz, 1891 (Fig. 13) MATERIAL EXAMINED: Bulgaria; 1♀, Sandanski, 16 Jul. 1966, M. Kocourek leg. (OÖLM); Greece: 1♀, 40 km N Lamia, Domokos, 1 Jul. 1996, Ma. Halada leg. (OÖLM); 1♂, Korinth, 25 Jul. 1937, N.G. Gejvall leg. (RMNH; RMNH.INS.1652065); 1♀, Peloponnese, 20 km E Sparta, Ag. Anagiri, 5 Jul. 1996, Ma. Halada leg. (OÖLM). North Macedonia: 2♀, Lake Dojran, 10 Jul. 1968, Z. Pádr leg. (OÖLM); 1♂, Stip [Shtip], 2–4 Jul. 1938, Zwick-Roehl leg. (OÖLM). REMARKS: Melitturga spinosa was recorded from Europe based on three records from Greece, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia (Patiny & Gaspar, 2000; Patiny, 2012). The details of the Bulgarian record were not included in Patiny & Gaspar (2000), as the specimen was not examined until after the publication of this work, and so precise information from this country has not previously been published. Examination of museum material has revealed a few additional specimens of M. spinosa from Europe, though it remains a very infrequently recorded species. As noted above, M. spinosa was caught with A. okalii at Sandanski in July 1966, and since both are the largest members of their respective genera, a host association is here inferred. The relatively late flight period (for a Mediterranean Melitturga) of July may partially explain the small number of records. DISTRIBUTION: North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Israel (Warncke 1972; Patiny & Gaspar, 2000; Patiny, 2012; Kuhlmann et al., 2014; Proshchalykin et al., 2016; Astafurova & Proshchalykin, 2024).

Authors 2

1. Thomas James Wood Aachen Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center

   Affiliation as printed

   Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Darwinweg 2, 2333 CR, Leiden, the Netherlands (thomas. wood @ naturalis. nl)

2. Sébastien Patiny

   University of Mons

   Affiliation as printed

   Laboratory of Zoology, University of Mons, 7000, Mons, Belgium (patiny. s @ gmail. com)