[= Molorchus Kiesenwetteri ab. Štěrbai Heyrovský, 1936]
[= Glaphyra azri Sama, Rapuzzi et Kairouz, 2010]
Subfamilia: CERAMBYCINAE / Tribus: MOLORCHINI
[Photo © David Navrátil & 8K postprocessing M.Hoskovec]
Molorchus sterbai, a rare species endemic to Lebanon, was firstly described as intrasubspecific taxon (aberation) of Molorchus kiesenwetteri by Leo Heyrovský in 1936 [❖]. It was elevated into a species rank under name Molorchus sterbai by Karl Adlbauer in 1988 [✧]. The holotype of the taxon is a specimen of ab. Štěrbai from Heyrovský’s collection, but not a specimen identified by Adlbauer. The taxon was described once more as Glaphyra azri by Gianfranco Sama et al. also from Lebanon in 2010 [☆], so Glaphyra azri Sama, Rapuzzi et Kairouz, 2010, is synonym of M. sterbai [▽].
Molorchus sterbai is a monophagous on the national symbol of Lebanon - Lebanese cedar (Cedrus libani), which belongs among higly endangered and rare conifers of South-East Mediterranean area. Its larvae feed subcortically in dead cedar twigs of small diameters, species' life cycle is 2 or 3 years, adults are active from May to June.
Body length: 6 - 7 mm Life cycle: 2 - 3 years Adults in: May - June Host plant: monophagous in Cedrus libani Distribution: a species endemic to Lebanon
The depicted beetles were reared from larvae found in a dead Cedrus libani twigs in Arz al-Rabb (أرز الربّ) forest (Kadisha Valley of Bsharres, Northern governorate, Lebanon) on May 30 - June 3, 2015.Collected by A. Márkus and Tamás Németh
[❖]
Heyrovský L.:
Molorchus Kiesenwetteri Muls. a. Štĕrbai n. m. (Col. Cerambycidae.).
Časopis České Společnosti Entomologické, Praha 33 (1-2): 20, 1936. [download]
[✧]
Adlbauer K.:
Neues zur Taxonomie und Faunistik der Bockkäferfauna der Türkei (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae).
Entomofauna Zeitschrift für Entomologie, Linz 9 (12): 257-297, 1988. [download[☆]
Sama G., Rapuzzi P. & Kairouz A.:
Catalogue commenté des Cerambycidae du Liban. An annotated catalogue of the Cerambycidae of Lebanon (Insecta Coleoptera Cerambycidae).
Quaderni di Studi e Notizie di Storia Naturale della Romagna 30: 131-201, 2010. [download[▽]
Danilevsky M.L.:
Additions and corrections to the new Catalogue of Palaearctic Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) edited by I. Löbl & A. Smetana, 2010. Part II.
Munis Entomology & Zoology 19 (4): 313-324, 2011. [downloadCocquempot C., Nemer N., Brustel H. and Tanios C.:
Nouvelles données et nouveau catalogue des Coléoptères Cerambycidae du Liban (Coleoptera, Cerambycoidea).
Bulletin de la Société Entomologique de France, Paris 121 (1): 91-104, 2016. [download
| Subfamilia | Cerambycinae Latreille, 1802 |
| Tribus | Molorchini Mulsant, 1863 |
| Genus | Molorchus Fabricius, 1793 |
| Subgenus | Molorchus Fabricius, 1793 |
| Species | Molorchus sterbai Adlbauer, 1988 |