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Issue: Vol. 5837 No. 3: 24 Jun. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-06-24
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.8
Page range: 560-570
Abstract views: 54
PDF downloaded: 2

Confirmation of the valid status of Metoecus morawitzi (Semenov, 1890) (Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae) based on integrated data, with zoogeographical comments

All-Russian Plant Quarantine Centre; Bykovo; Moscow oblast; 140150; Russia; Cherepovets State University; Lunacharski 5; Cherepovets 162600; Russia.
Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application of Hebei Province; School of Life Sciences; Hebei University; 071002; Baoding; Hebei Province; China.
Coleoptera Wedge-shaped beetle COI archives data analyses new records Kyrgyzstan Tajikistan

Abstract

Metoecus morawitzi (Semenov, 1890) is the least studied species in the genus Metoecus Dejean, 1834. The taxonomic status of this species was proven by morphological comparison, molecular species determination, and zoogeographical notes. The results demonstrated the species is valid and not conspecific with M. paradoxus (Linnaeus, 1760). Based on literature and specimen data, M. morawitzi is distributed at high and medium elevations throughout Central Asia, including Afghanistan, China (Xinjiang), Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. This distribution is so extensive that it encompasses entire mountain systems within the territory of the Central Asian states, rather than separate ridges, valleys, or specific countries.

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How to Cite

Kovalenko, Y.N. & Pan, Z. (2026) Confirmation of the valid status of Metoecus morawitzi (Semenov, 1890) (Coleoptera: Ripiphoridae) based on integrated data, with zoogeographical comments. Zootaxa, 5837 (3), 560–570. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5837.3.8