Otiorhynchus (Otiorhynchus) aurifer Boheman, 1842

Otiorhynchus (Otiorhynchus) aurifer Boheman, 1842 View in CoL

Materials examined. Constanța County: “Dunele Marine de la Agigea” Nature Reserve , 44.0876°N / 28.6422°E, 5.II.2024, under dead logs on the ground, Alexandru-Mihai Pintilioaie & Laura-Elena Topală leg. (1 specimen), GoogleMaps AMPC; same place, 7.II.2024, under dead logs on the ground, Alexandru-Mihai Pintilioaie & Laura-Elena Topală leg. Three specimens were preserved in alcohol for further DNA analysis.

Remarks. Species with a Mediterranean distribution ( Alonso-Zarazaga et al. 2023), only recently recorded in Romania, in 2022, in a single site close to Constanța harbor ( Olariu et al. 2024). At the time of the discovery, the establishment of this species in Romanian fauna was uncertain due to the low number of specimens found in 2022 and 2023 ( Olariu et al. 2024); thus, the finding of an additional four hibernating specimens confirms the existence of a stable population around the area of first detection. The non-native status of this taxon remains unclear until genetic analyses will help in framing this population in the respect of those from other parts of Europe ( Olariu et al. 2024).