Revision of the Ropalopus ungaricus/insubricus group (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Callidiini) from the western Palaearctic region

Abstract

Abstract This paper revises the taxonomy and phylogeny of Ropalopus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Callidiini) species belonging to the taxonomically intricate Ropalopus ungaricus/insubricus group from the western Palaearctic. Specimens from all taxa were studied and compared. The key characters, including the male terminalia, were examined by means of scanning electron microscopy. High-quality stacked photographs of the habitus of the specimens (dorsal, ventral) are presented. The phylogenetic analyses were based on 34 adult morphological characters. Both the strict and majority consensus trees revealed the monophyly of the revised group. Identification keys are provided for every taxon from this group, and their geographical distributions are also mapped. All European populations are reduced to subspecies of Ropalopus ungaricus. Additionally, a new subspecies from Greece, Ropalopus ungaricus ossae subsp. nov., is described and illustrated. A new synonymy for Ropalopus insubricus fischeri is proposed: Callidium insubricum = Callidium fischeri. Ropalopus nataliyae, which was described based on only a single female, is herein redescribed owing to the collection of abundant new material. Apart from geographical barriers, the main differentiating factor in this group is proved to be the elevation above sea level. Taxa of the R. ungaricus/insubricus group are therefore allopatric or, when parapatric, are isolated by elevation.