Revisiting the saproxylic beetle ‘ Propomacrus cypriacus Alexis & Makris, 2002’ (Coleoptera: Euchiridae) using molecular, morphological and ecological data.

Propomacrus cypriacusa saproxylic beetle endemic to Cyprus, was described as a species distinct fromP. bimucronatuson the basis of a few morphological characters and has been evaluated as Critically Endangered by IUCN, as it depends on veteran trees and has a restricted distribution. Herein we explored the distribution, ecology, morphology and genetic variation of the populations from Cyprus, and we attempted a phylogenetic analysis including related species based on two mitochondrial and one nuclear DNA markers. We also used published mtDNA divergence rates to date cladogenetic events. Despite extensive sampling, we found only a small number of individuals, adding a few additional localities to the known distribution of the species, and we identified two more host species to those previously reported. Morphological examination showed that only the form of male protibiae differs consistently in Cyprus populations compared to those ofP. bimucronatusfrom Turkey and the Lebanon. Nevertheless, genetic analyses do not support a distinct species status for populations from Cyprus, which should instead be considered as a subspecies ofP. bimucronatus. Morphological and ecological data further support this conclusion. Cyprus populations have diverged from nearby continental ones in mid to late Pleistocene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]