Chicherin's Root Borer

Tschitscherin’s Root Borer

Status: Category II (VUB2ab(iii)). A narrowly distributed rare species, sporadically inhabiting areas of economic activity [11]. It belongs to a relict genus represented in the fauna of the republic by five species [12], and has aesthetic and scientific significance in the aspects of zoogeography and genetic conservation.

Brief description of the adult stage appearance. A medium-sized beetle, 15.5-18.5 mm long; the body is stout and convex; coloration varies from light brown (most common) to resin-black with a slight brown tint. The eyes are large, convex, and well-developed. The pronotum is strongly transverse with a small tooth in the middle of each lateral edge. The elytra gradually narrow from the shoulders towards the back, rounded at the apex, each with three more or less incomplete ridges. The wings are well-developed, completely folded under the elytra at rest. The male's antennae are quite long, 22-24 segmented, reaching the last third of the elytra, starting from the fifth segment, and are rather densely and long-combed. The female is unknown, likely does not fly, and is visibly different from the male.

General distribution and in the country. The species' range is almost entirely located within Kyrgyzstan, characterized by disjunctions between potential habitats and includes the surrounding foothills and low mountains of the Kichik-Alai, Fergana, and Chatkal ranges [57, 51].

Habitats. The species lives in the zone of pistachio open forests [51], as well as in the steppe belt [11], typically in places with untouched soil-vegetation cover, with outcrops of crumbling rocks and rocky residual hills, at altitudes from 600 to 1100 m above sea level.

Population. Low. During the flight season, beetles do not come to ultraviolet light every night. In route surveys under stones and in rock crevices, beetles are found extremely rarely.

Life cycle (lifestyle). Insufficiently studied. The development duration may be over a year. Larvae feed on the roots of perennial wormwoods (Artemisia spp.) [57]. Flight is extended from the end of May to the last third of August. Males hide in shelters on the ground during the day, flying from dusk until 22-23 hours. The lifestyle of females, which have not yet been described and likely do not fly, is even more secretive.

Limiting factors. The species' range is shrinking due to agricultural development of the foothills, disturbance of vegetation cover (reduction of forage plant stocks) due to overgrazing, as well as pesticide treatments. Larvae may be preyed upon by burrowing insectivorous vertebrates.
Breeding (captive maintenance). Not conducted.

Existing conservation measures. Currently, there is no protection in Kyrgyzstan. Attempts have been made to include the species in the Red Book of Uzbekistan [51].

Recommended conservation measures. Preservation of habitats, as much as possible, in their pristine state. In areas around Tash-Kumyr and near the village of Aravan, grazing and other vegetation loads should be reduced. It is necessary to investigate the phenology and lifestyle of females.

Tschitscherin’s Root Borer
Prionus (Pogonartron) tschitscherini (Semenov, 1889)
Status: Vulnerable (VU B2ab(iii) - Category II), narrowly distributed species endemic to the piedmonts of the eastern surroundings of the Fergana Valley (Chatkal, Fergana, and Kichik-Alai Mountain Ranges). It is one of five representatives of the relict genus in the fauna of Kyrgyzstan, and it has aesthetic value and importance in the aspect of regional genetic fund preservation. Adult beetles (females are unknown and possibly apterous, males are attracted to light) occur from the end of May to the last third of August in the zone of pistachio open forests or steppe-like biotopes, with eroded rocky denudations, at 600-1,100 m above sea level. Ontogenesis possibly takes approximately over one year, and larvae feed on perennial wormwood roots. Limiting factors include the development of virgin lands, disturbance of vegetation by excessive pasture, and treatment with pesticides. For the conservation of this species, it is necessary to preserve virgin habitats (especially in the vicinities of Tash-Kumyr town and Aravan village) and to study the life mode of females.