Fauna and importance of blister beetles (Coleoptera, Meloidae) of the Southern Aral Sea Region (Uzbekistan)

The territory of the Southern Aral Sea region has suffered the most from the environmental consequences of the drying up of the Aral Sea. That is why monitoring the state of the fauna of the region is very important. The article presents a complete analysis of the fauna of blister beetles of the Southern Aral Sea region and an assessment of its current state. For the first time, a list of blister beetles of the Southern Aral Sea region has been compiled, including 27 species from 2 subfamilies, 6 tribes, and 9 genera. Among them, Hycleus scabiosae, Meloe cicatricosus, Lydulus albopilosus, Rhampholyssa steveni, Zonitis flava were not found in our survey, while Epicauta erythrocephala, Mylabris coerulescens, Mylabris crocata, Hycleus polymorphus, Lytta deserti were recorded for the first time in the Southern Aral Sea basin. Of the four biocenoses (the Kyzylkum Desert, the Lower Amu Darya Biosphere Reserve, Southern Ustyurt and agrocenoses), the most diverse was the fauna of blister beetles of the Kyzylkum desert, including 19 species. Only 9 species were noted in the Lower Amu Darya Biosphere Reserve. The most similar are the faunas of the Southern Ustyurt and agrocenoses, which have 8 common species. The fauna of blister beetles of the Kyzylkum Desert is the most isolated. Blister beetle larvae (mainly species of the genera Mylabris and Epicauta) parasitize on eight species of locusts. The infestation of egg pods of Locusta migratoria migratoria by blister beetle larvae was 29.2% and that of Calliptamus italicus italicus – 32.8%.

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