The Genus Leiopus Audinet-Serville, 1835 in Western Ukraine and the invading of mediterranean-pontic species Leiopus femoratus Fairmaire 1859 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Acanthocinini)

Abstract

Here we present the results of the Leiopus distribution study conducted in Western Ukraine. We identified three Leiopus species, including Leiopus nebulosus (Linnaeus 1758), Leiopus linnei Wallin, Nylander & Kvamme, 2009, and Leiopus femoratus Fairmaire 1859. The L. femoratus species was recorded in Western Ukraine for the first time. Also, we found that L. femoratus was widely distributed throughout the main physiographic regions of Western Ukraine, including Podillya Eminence, Pre-Carpathian Lowland, Carpathian Mountains, and Pannonian (Trans-Carpathian) Lowland. It can be suggested that this species expands its distribution northward due to the Global Warming events. Additionally, the recently described L. linnei was also identified in this study. This species is widely distributed in Western Ukraine, and it is more common than its sibling species L. nebulosus. The latter represents an important finding, since the previous studies identified L. nebulosus as the only species present in this region. Finally, the key to identification of Leiopus taxa in Ukraine is given. Key words: Cerambycidae, Leiopus, Leiopus nebulosus, Leiopus linnei, Leiopus femoratus, Western Ukraine