Europs sp .

Europs sp. ( Monotomidae )

( Fig. 1B)

France

– Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, quartier Kechiloa, 43.40325°, -1.63863°, 01. VI.2020, 4 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 21.VIII. 2020, 1 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 01.VII.2021, 1 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 08.VII.2021, 1 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 30.VII.2021, 3 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 10.IX.2021, 1 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 06. V.2023, 1 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 9. V.2023, 8 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 16. V. 2023, 4 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 31. V.2023, 8 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 7. VI.2023, 1 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 14. VI.2023, 5 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 01.VII.2023, 1 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 14.VII.2023, 2 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 21.VII.2023, 1 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 16.VIII.2023, 9 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 25.VIII.2023, 5 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 16.IX.2023, 3 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 27.IX.2023, 4 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 31.I.2024, 2 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 05.IV.2024, 2 ex., C. Van Meer. Idem , 10.IV.2024, 40 ex., C. Van Meer. Most of the specimens ( CVM), other specimens ( LNEF-ONF). The genus Europs Wollaston, 1854 is new for France and for the European continent, despite its name.

Status in France. – Established.

Geographical distribution. – About 50 species of Europs exist in the world (V. Alekseev, pers. comm.) including 32 in the New World (MonotomidGen, 2024) and only 6 species in the very large Palearctic region, with an enigmatic distribution: Canary Islands and Madeira (2), India (2), Far East and Japan (2) (Jelínek, 2007). Most live in the tropics. As we do not yet know the identity of the species reported in France, we cannot detail its geographical distribution.

Remarks. – All these observations took place from June 1, 2020, to April 10, 2024, i.e. over almost 4 years, totaling 107 individuals observed. Most were caught with PolytrapTM interception traps baited with ethanol, but 15 ex. were found by hand collecting, under Hibiscus bark, in the sawdust of maple stumps ( Acer sp. ), in ivy ( Hedera helix ) and under the bark of Laurus nobilis . They were found in association with or inside the galleries of the following main bark beetles: Xyleborus saxesenii (Ratzeburg, 1837) , Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford,1894) , Hypothenemus eruditus Westwood, 1836 and Kissophagus vicinus (Comolli, 1837) . Also, we can consider this species as naturalized in France and it is perhaps a commensal cleaner or a predator of bark beetle eggs, larvae, and pupae. Adults of this species are mainly active between April and September. Note in the area the proximity of a botanical garden, as well as properties or small areas in a natural state where many exotic plant species from the Americas and Asia have been introduced, favored by the mild and very humid climate on the Basque Coast. The presence of a harbour in Bayonne, an airport in Biarritz, the highway linking France to Spain and Portugal, a high-speed rail line and large garden centers also provide access to facilitate new arrivals and the installation of numerous exotic beetles (Soldati et al., 2024).

Ecology of Europs is poorly known. While most have been observed under the bark of the trees, many species are associated with flowers and can be important pollinators in tropical areas (MonotomidGen, 2024; Morales et al., 2020).

Identification of Europs is not easy, often relying on old, short original descriptions lacking illustrations because the genus has never been fully revised (Bousquet, 2003). The species now established in France does not correspond to the less far to Europe relatives, from the Canary Islands and Madeira ( Palm, 1975). Moreover, it does not correspond to a North American (Bousquet, 2003) or Korean species ( Lee et al., 2020) either. Thus, it cannot be ruled out that this species, probably of tropical origin, could be new to science. From photos initially sent to world-renowned specialists, the identification could not go further than the genus level (V. Alekseev & T. McElrath, pers. comm.).