Clytus paradisiacus Rapuzzi et Jeniš, 2015

Subfamilia: CERAMBYCINAE  /  Tribus: CLYTINI
Clytus paradisiacus - female
[Photo © Ivo Jeniš]

Clytus paradisiacus was recently discovered by Italian and Czech entomologists in South Greece and described by Pierpaolo Rapuzzi and Ivo Jeniš [❖]. This beautiful new species is closely related to Clytus tropicus (Panzer, 1795) but is easy to distinguish, despite the different elytrae colour and pattern, by the third antennal segment that is clearly longer than fourth, equal in C. tropicus.

Holotypus and one paratype (♀♀) were captured using sugar trap in Paradeisia (Παραδείσια), a part of the municipality of Megalopoli in Arcadia nomos (Peloponnese, Greece). The next three paratypes, also ♀♀ only, were captured or reared from larva/pupa found in Paradeisia, or nearby Dasochori, and Vastas, respectively. Males of this taxon still remain unkown.

Body length:♀♀ 16-18 mm
Life cycle:2 years [?]
Adults in:May - June
Host plant:Quercus pubescens
Distribution:a species endemic to Peloponnese peninsula, South Greece


The depicted Clytus paradisiacus female was reared from larva found in a dead branch of Quercus pubescens collected in Paradeisia.

Collected and photographed by our friend Ivo Jeniš


[❖]
Rapuzzi P. and Jeniš I.:
A new species of Clytus Laicharting, 1784 from Greece (Coleoptera Cerambycidae).
Biodiversity Journal 6 (3): 767–769, 2015 [download pdf icon]

Subfamilia: Cerambycinae Latreille, 1802
Tribus: Clytini Mulsant, 1839
Genus: Clytus Laicharting, 1784
Species: Clytus paradisiacus Rapuzzi et Jeniš, 2015