Morphological and molecular characterisation of Mordellistena peloponnesensis Batten, 1980 (Coleoptera, Mordellidae), with first records from Italy and Turkey

Mordellistena peloponnesensis Batten, 1980, previously known from Cyprus and Greece, is reported from Italy and Turkey for the first time. The species is redescribed based on type specimens and additional material from its entire known distributional range. Eighteen DNA barcoding sequences of M. peloponnesensis from Greece, Cyprus, and Italy were generated, and genetic variability across the sampling localities was examined. Three mitochondrial haplotypes were detected within M. peloponnesensis. Specimens from mainland Italy share the same haplotype as those from Rhodes and Cyprus, whereas Sardinian specimens exhibit a distinct haplotype. The third haplotype is represented by one specimen from Cyprus. The DNA barcoding sequences of M. peloponnesensis were compared with those of the morphologically allied M. gemellata Schilsky, 1898, and M. pyrenaea Ermisch, 1966, to reveal the phylogenetic relationships between the species.