Curious specimen. Shape of pronotum excludes European species.

The specimen is a female of Cryptocephalus hirticollis Suffrian. 1847. Yes, as Lech noticed, the pronotal outline looks a bit weird, but it falls within the range of variability, comparing the few specimens available to me. My opinion (see https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... _CHECKLIST) is that this taxon has to be considered as a separate species from C. tristigma and endemic to Sicily. The most remarkable thing is the unusual strong difference in size between males and females (as already reported by Burlini in 1956), which is missing in C. tristigma.

The specimen is a female of Cryptocephalus hirticollis Suffrian. 1847. Yes, as Lech noticed, the pronotal outline looks a bit weird, but it falls within the range of variability, comparing the few specimens available to me. My opinion (see https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... _CHECKLIST) is that this taxon has to be considered as a separate species from C. tristigma and endemic to Sicily. The most remarkable thing is the unusual strong difference in size between males and females (as already reported by Burlini in 1956), which is missing in C. tristigma.

Hi Davide, thanks for the explanation. I never seen specimens of C. tristigma from Sicily and the shape of the pronotum of this specimen photographed by Daniele is so surprising, and the specimen looks very stout compared to the specimens of C. tristigma I have seen. Well, we learn all our lives. Thanks Davide.