[= Hesperophanes affinis var. pubescens Pic, 1898]
[= Trichoferus pubescens Sama, 1987]
Subfamilia: CERAMBYCINAE / Tribus: HESPEROPHANINI
[Photo © David Navrátil]
Zygoferus pubescens has been mentioned from Touggourt (Algeria) as Hesperophanes affinis var. pubescens by Maurice Pic in 1898 [❖]. The variety has been redescribed as a new valid species by Gianfranco Sama in 1987 [✧] and later, in 2008, it was classified by the same author in the newly designated genus Zygoferus [★].
The Zygoferus genus, the size except, is more similar to Hesperophanes Dejean, 1835 and chiefly to Hesperoferus Demelt, 1971 from the Canary Islands than to Trichoferus Wollaston, 1854. The former differs from Zygoferus by the first three segments of antennae densely fringed beneath, the 3rd one evidently curved and nearly twice longer than 4th, prosternal process distinctly convex at base, pronotum strongly swollen and rounded laterally. Hesperoferus has all segments of tarsi with a dense pad of hair not longitudinally grooved; Trichoferus differs from the new genus, among other, by the front tarsi not grooved ventrally and the shape of the pronotum [★].
Body length: 8 - 16 mm Life cycle: 2 years [?] Adults in: July - September Host plant: Tetraena alba (Zygophyllaceae) Distribution: Algerie, Tunisia
The depicted specimens were reared from larvae found in El Faouar (الفوار) environs (Kébili province, Tunisia) in October 2008.Collected by Milan Šárovec
[❖]
Pic M.:
Supplément pour la Faune Franco-algérienne (Variétés).
Matériaux pour servir à l'étude des Longicornes 2: 1-14 [page 9] 1898. [download]
[✧]
Sama G.:
Note préliminaire pour une faune des longicornes de l'Afrique du Nord.
Biocosme Mésogéen, Nice 4 (1): 43-64, 1987. [download[★]
Sama G.:
Preliminary note on the Cerambycid fauna of North Africa with the description of new taxa (Insecta Coleoptera Cerambycidae).
Quaderni di Studi e Notizie di Storia Naturale della Romagna 4 27: 217-245, 2008. [download
Subfamilia: Cerambycinae Latreille, 1802
Tribus: Hesperophanini Mulsant, 1839
Genus: Zygoferus Sama, 2008
Species: Zygoferus pubescens (Sama, 1987)