A new systematic arrangement for the blister beetle genus Eurymeloe (Meloini, Meloidae, Coleoptera) with the description of a new species from Spain

Abstract

The taxonomic status and subgeneric arrangement of the genus Eurymeloe have been debated for decades. In this work, the internal taxonomy of Eurymeloe is redefined by recognising three subgenera: Eurymeloe for the former Eurymeloe brevicollis species group, Coelomeloe for Eurymeloe tuccia, and Bolognaia Ruiz, García-París, Sánchez-Vialas & Recuero, subgen. nov., to accommodate the species of the formerly recognised Eurymeloe rugosus species group. Additionally, a new species of the newly described subgenus Bolognaia is described from the Iberian Peninsula based on molecular and morphological traits. The new species, Eurymeloe (Bolognaia) orobates sp. nov., can be distinguished from all other species of Eurymeloe by the following combination of morphological traits: dispersed brownish setae over the body that are arranged in small tufts on the abdominal terga; a small, very transverse pronotum that presents a unique macrosculpture; a deeply and densely punctured integument of the head and pronotum; and the very rugose elytra. The characters displayed by E. orobates suggest that the species groups that were previously defined and recognised for Eurymeloe, and that are now integrated within the newly erected subgenus Bolognaia, are non-monophyletic.