Graphosoma melanoxanthum, Horvath, 1903, Horvath, 1903

The specimens we observed in Kurdistan Iraq have six continuous black longitudinal bands on the pronotum, four on the scutellum, and a connexivum (the lateral part of the paratergites) alternately red or yellow and black ( Fig. 1). For all these reasons, we identified our specimens as G. melanoxanthum .

New record. IRAQ: Halgurd-Sakran National Park/Choman district, Erbil Province, Subalpine zone, Rocky mountainsides , 36.56438N 44.96918E, 2300 m, 26.VII.2021, Soran H. Ahmed leg., coll. Soran H. Ahmed. Kurdistan Botanical Foundation surveys, 2 ♀ & 1 J on Eryngium billardierei F. Delaroche, 1807 ( Apiaceae ) GoogleMaps .

Other material examined. ARMENIA: Arailer Mt. , 40. 4057N 44.432E, 2300 m, 12-14.VI.2016, S. Murzin leg., coll. Roland Lupoli, 3 J GoogleMaps . IRAN: Zagros Mt. , Prov. Fars-Yasuj, 24.V. 2010, J. Dalihod leg., coll. Roland Lupoli, 1 ♀ . TURKEY: env. Tatvan , 38.48N 42.24E, 1800 m, 5-9.VI.2012, J. Hron & S. Murzin leg., coll. Roland Lupoli, 1 ♀ & 3 J GoogleMaps .

G.melanoxanthum was recorded in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey ( Rider 2006; Ghahari et al. 2014) and Albania ( Ramsay 2014). Green dots represent these observations on the map ( Fig. 3). We present the first observation of G.melanoxanthum in Kurdistan Iraq ( Fig. 3, red dot indicated by the red arrow). This species prefers upland grasslands and is most commonly found at elevations above 2000 m and up to 2700 m.

Species of Graphosoma live on Apiaceae where they feed on developing seeds, and G. melanoxanthum was only reported on Heracleum sp. ( Nateq Golestan et al. 2010). We, therefore, mention this species for the first time on E. billardierei , an Apiaceae recorded from Iraq ( Wolff, 1913).