Record of the red blister beetle, Synhoria maxillosa (Fabricius, 1801) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) from Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand, with a review of literature on the biology and distribution of the beetle T.J. Hawkeswood* & B. Sommung@ *PO Box 842, Richmond, NSW, 2753, Australia (drtjhawkeswood@gmail.com ) @ via Ubon, Ubon Ratchathani, Thailand (buppha19741@gmail.com ) Hawkeswood, T.J. & Sommung, B. (2018). Record of the red blister beetle, Synhoria maxillosa (Fabricius, 1801) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) from Ubon Ratchathani Province, Thailand, with a review of literature on the biology and distribution of the beetle. Calodema, 600: 1-4. Abstract: In this note, we record the red blister beetle, Synhoria maxillosa (Fabricius, 1801) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) from the farming district of Ubon Rathchathani (Ubon), Ubon Ratchathani Province, north-eastern Thailand, which appears to be the first record of the species from this Province. Its habitat at Ubon is described. Papers referring to its taxonomy, biology and distribution are reviewed. Key words: Synhoria maxillosa, Coleoptera, Meloidae, new province record, distribution, Thailand. Introduction The red blister beetle, Synhoria maxillosa (Fabricius, 1801) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) (Figs. 1,2) is a poorly known coleopteran from south-east Asia which also has been recently recorded from Australia for the first time (Bologna et al., 2013). It has been known for over 200 years (Fabricius, 1801; Gahan, 1908) but appears rare and inadequately studied except for the research of Ishida (1982) and Takestuka (1984, 1986) in Japan (cited under another synonym for the species). There are no published studies on its ecology or biology in Thailand and the only reference is the one by Ek-Amnuay (2008) who did not mention the fact that his record appears to be the first for the species from Thailand. Males (about 20-22 mm long) have mandibles which are extremely enlarged and possess a head wider at the temples than at the eyes (e.g. Mohamedsaid, 1982). The larvae of Synhoria are known as triungulins (Fig. 4) and they live in the nests of bees (Anthophoridae and Apidae), where they feed on nectar and pollen brought to the nests by the bees (e.g. Gess, 1981; Roubik, 1989; Bologna & Pinto, 2001, 2002). The triungulin of S. maxillosa was first described by Cros (1924) from Sumatra (as Cissites). Observations During the morning of 12 August 2017 [10.43 AM, Thailand time], one of us (BS) observed a single specimen of S. maxillosa (Fabricius, 1801) crawling over dead, fallen leaves on the ground in an old rubber plantation [Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg, Euphorbiaceae] near the city of Ubon Ratchathani (Ubon), Ubon Ratchathani Province, north-eastern Thailand. The rubber plantation was almost devoid of vegetation and only comprised mostly dead fallen leaves from the rubber trees (Fig. 3). The habitat around the rubber plantation comprised mostly of introduced species including fruit trees, weeds and sprinkling of native tree species. There is long established farmland with various crops such as rice (Oryza sativa L., Poaceae), guava (Psidiun guajava L., Myrtaceae), coconut (Cocos nucifera L., Arecaceae), banana (Musa paradisiaca L., Musaceae), rhambutan (Nephelium lappaceum L., Sapindaceae), durian (Durio zibethinus L., Malvaceae), cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz, Euphorbiaceae). Discussion This appears to be the first record of S. maxillosa from Ubon Ratchathani, the most eastern province of Thailand. The only other records of the species from Thailand are those by Ek- Amnuay (2008) who recorded the species (cited as Cissites maxillosa) from only two Provinces, namely Kamphaeng Saen district (Nakhon Pathom) and Bangkhen district (Bangkok). As noted above these are the first records of the species from Thailand as far as we are aware. Our record from Ubon Ratchathani is over 500 km distance from Ek-Amnuay’s records. The species appears Calodema, 600: 1-4 (2018) Hawkeswood & Sommung - Thailand record of Synhoria maxillosa (Calodema - an International Journal of Biology and Other Sciences) Page 1