Abstract
Mordellistena semiferruginea Reitter, 1911, despite its wide distributional range that spans Europe and Central Asia, is a rarely encountered member of the family Mordellidae. In this paper, we present the first record of this species in Italy based on 15 individuals captured in Malaise traps. We have compared these individuals with type specimens and provided a differential diagnosis of the species together with high-resolution photographs of the habitus and male genitalia. Additionally, we generated 14 sequences of the standard DNA barcoding fragment of the mitochondrial gene coding for cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). The analyses of COI sequences showed a relatively high intraspecific divergence reaching 3.65% (p-distance), which is the highest within-species genetic variation documented so far in Mordellidae. Of the total number of 30 nucleotide polymorphisms, only one led to a divergence in the amino acid sequences. The predicted 3D structure of the encoded proteins showed that the variation occurred in Loop 1–2, far from the active site of the protein.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Annotationes Zoologicae et Botanicae
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
