Carpophilus zeaphilus, a new sap beetle species acclimatized in Italy (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)

Carpophilus zeaphilus Dobson, 1969 (Coleoptera, Nitidulidae, Carpophilinae) is an Afrotropical species that has become widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and southern Mediterranean areas in recent years. The species was first recorded from Eu-rope in Portugal and Spain nearly thirty years ago, and it was later intercepted in Sicily near Trapani in 1991. A few specimens of this species were collected in April, 2015 in a sparsely forested area near Rome, which suggests a recent acclimatization into peninsular Italy. Specimens were taken on flowering trees of Prunus spinosa L. (Rosaceae), an unusual occurrence for most introduced species of Carpo-philinae that are normally associated with rotten fruit and other decomposing vegetal matter.