---

Wood pasture, 650m altitude, Nuoro, Sardinia
on Giant Fennel, Ferula communis
24thMay 2010, size 15mm
Eyes in life- unbanded
Several individuals taken at different locations

From my thread re the female Dasyrhamphis anthracinus-
Strongly hooked antennae and dusted subcallus suggests D. anthracinus. Fauna Europaea and Chvala (1972) list both D. anthracinus and D. ater for Sardinia but I wonder if some D. ater specimens are really dark/greasy D. anthracinus ? The dusting on the frons is very fine (in the series I have) and is best viewed from above. Viewed from in front or the side or if the specimen is a little greasy, the subcallus can falsely appear polished.

---

..

---

I agree this looks like anthracinus.

Funny you suggest that ater might be a dark form of anthracinus, since ater is by far the most common species, so I'd put it vice versa, with the same result of course.

If you have more and feel to share some specimens, I can have a closer look.


Theo

---

Thank you Theo for your comments. I agree of course ater is the more common and widely distributed in Europe as a whole. I also think they are both good,distinct species. I just wondered solely for Sardinia, mostly because everytime I thought I had an ater specimen close inspection proved otherwise. I have an ater male from Northern Spain which is obviously different from my small series for Sardinia.