Subfamilia: CERAMBYCINAE / Tribus: MOLORCHINI
[Photo © David Navrátil, click on the picture for 4K resolution]
Molorchus papouseki, an endemic species to Morocco, has been described from Chefchaouen environs by Pierpaolo Rapuzzi in 2025 [▽]. This new taxon, discovered by our friend Petr Papoušek, resembles Molorchus (Molorchus) marmottani Brisout de Barneville, 1863, from which it can be easily distinguished by its darker body colour. M. papouseki also differs by its longer pronotum (1.5 longer than wide instead of 1 time longer than wide) and its slenderer body [▽].
Biology of the species is similar to the sister species, M. marmottani. All known specimens were found in Pinus cf. pinaster hamiltonii. Larval development in dead/dying thin twigs of standing living pines. The preferred thickness of the twigs seems to be slightly bigger compared to that of Molorchus marmottani (1–2 cm compared to 0.5–1.0 cm) [▽].
Body length: ♂♂ 7.5–9.5 mm / ♀♀ 7.3–9.7 mm Life cycle: 1 year Adults in: April - May Host plant: Pinus cf. pinaster hamiltonii Distribution: an endemic species to Morocco
The depicted beetles were reared from larvae found in Pinus cf. pinaster hamiltonii twigs in Chefchaouen (شفشاون / ⴰⵛⵛⴰⵡⵏ) environs (N35°11′01″ W05°12′53″; Chefchaouen province, Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region, Morocco) on April 23, 2023.Collected by Petr Papoušek
[▽]
Pierpaolo Rapuzzi:
Description of Molorchus papouseki sp. nov. and Pogonocherus caroli riffensis ssp. nov. from Morocco (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae).
Revue suisse de Zoologie 132 (1): 11-15, 2025. [download]
| Subfamilia | Cerambycinae Latreille, 1802 |
| Tribus | Molorchini Mulsant, 1863 |
| Genus | Molorchus Fabricius, 1793 |
| Subgenus | Molorchus Fabricius, 1793 |
| Species | Molorchus (Molorchus) papouseki Rapuzzi, 2025 |