A review of the Saharo-Sindian species of the genus Zonitoschema (Coleoptera: Meloidae), with description of new species from Tunisia, Yemen and Socotra Island

Abstract: Representative material of the genus Zonitoschema Péringuey, 1909 (Coleoptera: Meloidae: Nemognathinae: Nemognathini) from North Africa, Arabian Peninsula and the Near East is revised. Three new species are described: Z. arabica sp. nov. from continental Yemen, Z. chourriba sp. nov. from southern Tunisia, and Z. kaszabi sp. nov. from Socotra Island. Zonitoschema iranica Kaszab, 1959, supposedly endemic to southern Iran, is recorded from Chad, Sudan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Oman for the first time, and we consider most of the citations of Z. gibdoana (Kaszab, 1956) from the Arabian Peninsula to refer to it. Zonitoschema iranica is strictly close to Z. oculatissima Peyerimhoff, 1929, endemic to central Sahara. Zonitoschema gibdoana from eastern Africa (here recorded from Mozambique for the first time) is also related to Z. iranica but it is probably a synonym of Z. paolii Pic, 1927, a species described from Somalia and almost unknown. The species recorded in recent literature as ’Z. griseohirta Pic, 1914’ from several Afrotropical countries and the Arabian Peninsula, is instead an unnamed distinct species related to Z. genicularis (Wellman, 1910), being clearly distinct from the true Z. griseohirta from Somalia. Zonitoschema rubricolor Pic, 1924 is removed from the fauna of the United Arab Emirates and is reported from Oman and Kenya for the first time. Host association of Z. iranica with carpenter bee Pseudoheriades grandiceps Peters, 1988 (Megachilidae) is recorded from the United Arab Emirates. Distributions of all species from North Africa, Near East and the Arabian Peninsula are discussed. A key to the Saharo-Sindian species is proposed and all species are figured. The unbalanced Meloidae fauna of the Socotra Island is compared to that of other islands/archi­pelagos and of adjacent continental areas.

Key words: Meloidae, Zonitoschema, new species, nocturnal activity, host association, Megachilidae, insularity, Afrotropical Region, Palaearctic Region, North Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Near East, Tunisia, Yemen, Socotra