Meloe (Mesomeloe) coelatus Reiche, 1857 (Coleoptera: Meloidae): first record for the fauna of Qatar and COI mtDNA data

摘要

We report the discovery of the blister beetle, Meloe coelatus Reiche, 1957, in Qatar. According to the Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera there is no record for the genus Meloe in Qatar, although the genus is well represented in other areas of the Arabian Peninsula. M. coelatus is a rare species, that is present along a wide area of Northern Africa and Western Asia. Our findings bridge the current geographic gap in the known distribution of the species from Saudi Arabia to Iran. We believe the Coleoptera fauna of Qatar might be underestimated. A thorough field survey is recommended in order to document the presence of other species of this family, and also to complete the catalogue of Coleoptera for the State of Qatar.