Department of Forest Protection and Game Management,
Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences,
Czech University of Life Sciences,
Kamýcká 1176, CZ-165 21, Prague 6 - Suchdol, Czech Republic
e-mail: jh.dermestidae@volny.cz

Abstract. The colour variability of Anthrenus (Anthrenus) scrophulariae (Linnaeus, 1758) is discussed with a special regard to specimens from the Czech Republic.

Key words: Coleoptera, Dermestidae, Anthrenus, faunistics, Czech Republic

INTRODUCTION

     The genus Anthrenus Geoffroy, 1762 contains about 220 species and subspecies worldwide (Háva 2003, 2011). There are 10 species known from the Czech Republic. They are important pests of dry natural materials (skin, insect collections, etc.). All these species also live in natural conditions, especially on blowing trees, shrubs and flowers.

RESULTS

Anthrenus (Anthrenus) scrophulariae (Linnaeus, 1758)

     The species Anthrenus (Anthrenus) scrophulariae (Linnaeus, 1758) belongs to the family Dermestidae, subfamily Megatominae, tribe Anthrenini. The beetle species was originally described from Europe and frequently occurs throughout the Czech Republic (Háva 2007, 2011). It is a Holoarctic species, which has also been introduced into Chile, Australia, Tasmania and South Africa.

Colour variability. Only the nominotypical subspecies can be found in the Czech Republic. The basic colour arrangement is as follows: Pronotum: middle area covered with black scales; large area on each side of this black spot covered with white scales; the black and white spots bordered with mixed orange-red scales. Elytra: Elytra covered with black scales, with 3 white stripes on each elytron and orange-red or yellow scales along elytral suture (Figs 1, 3); The spots consisting of orange-red or yellow scales are very variable in size; Some individuals have only white scales instead of the orange-red or yellow ones (this form was described as histrio Fabricius, 1792)
     Over recent years, a number of individuals have been caught in our territory, having small, round, black markings in white areas (Figs. 2, 4). The antennae and aedeagus are identical, differ in slight details only and thus, this colour variability was subjected to synonymisation with the nominotypical form. It was formerly described as „var. suecicus Palm, 1940“ from Sweden. This colour form has been still known from Caucasus, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and European parts of Ukraine and Russia (Mroczkowski 1968, Kadej 2005), and furthermore from Albania (Háva, unpublished record) and Bulgaria (Háva, unpublished record). In the note presented here, I am mentioning it as a new colour variability from the Czech Republic (it is not listed in my previous work: Háva 2011). There is a high probability that this colour form will be found (or has already been found and deposited in private and/or institutional collections) from further locations in the Czech Republic; it can be easily overlooked due to the very common occurrence of individuals exerting the typical arrangement of the colour pattern.

Material studied: Czech Republic: Bohemia c., Únětice u Prahy (5852), 15.9.2007, J. Háva lgt., det. et coll., 1 spec.; Bohemia c., Dobříš env. (6250), 20.6.2011, J. Háva lgt., det. et coll., 1 spec.; Bohemia c., Slaný (5750), 6.6.2008, J. Háva lgt., det. et coll., 1 spec.; Moravia mer., Lednice (7166), 21.5.2006, Sv. Bílý lgt., J. Háva det. et coll., 1 spec.; Moravia mer., Břeclav env. (7267), Kančí obora, floodplain forest, 11.5.-30.6.2006, Š. Vodka lgt., J. Háva det. et coll., 10 spec.

Figs 1-2. Habitus of Anthrenus (Anthrenus) scrophulariae (Linnaeus, 1758): 1- typical form, 2- var. suecicus.

Figs 3-4. Pronotal colour variability of Anthrenus (Anthrenus) scrophulariae (Linnaeus, 1758): 3- typical form, 4- var. suecicus (according to Kadej, 2005).

Map. 1. Preliminary distributional map of „variety suecicus“ in the Czech Republic.

Acknowledgements. I am obliged very much to M. Rakovič (Prague, Czech Republic) for translation of my manuscript into English. The research was supported by the Internal Grant Agency (IGA n.20124364), Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague.

SOUHRN

     Na území České republiky se vyskytuje pouze nominotypická subspecie druhu Anthrenus (Anthrenus) scrophulariae scrophulariae. Základní zbarvení štítu je následující: střed štítu je pokrytý černými šupinkami, po stranách této černé skvrny jsou velké části pokryté bílými šupinkami; černá skvrna i bílé skvrny jsou lemovány směsí oranžovo-červených šupinek (Obr. 1, 3). Někteří jedinci mají na krovkách místo oranžovo-červených nebo žlutých šupinek pouze šupinky bílé (tato variabilita byla popsána jako varieta histrio Fabricius, 1792)
     V posledních letech bylo chyceno na našem území několik jedinců, kteří mají na štítu v bílých částech malé, kulaté, černé tečky (Obr. 2, 4). Tykadla a aedeagus jsou stejné a liší se pouze v malých detailech, proto je tato barevná variabilita synonymizována s typickým druhem. Tato barevná odchylka byla popsána jako var. suecicus Palm, 1940 ze Švédska. V současném poznání rozšíření této barevné odchylky je znám výskyt z území: Řecka, Chorvatska, Itálie, Turecka, Kavkazu, Švédska, Litvy, Německa, Švýcarska, Maďarska, evropské části Ruska a Ukrajiny (Mroczkowski 1968, Kadej 2005), Albánie (Háva, nepublikovaná data) a Bulharska (Háva, nepublikovaná data). V tomto příspěvku jej uvádím jako novou barevnou variabilitu z území České republiky (v práci Háva 2011 tato barevná variabilita uvedena není).
 

REFERENCES