Oxypoda kartabensis FAGEL 1965

Assing, V., 2006, On some species of Oxypoda MANNERHEIM from Turkey and adjacent regions (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (1), pp. 277-331 : 279-280

Oxypoda kartabensis FAGEL 1965 ( Figs 1-9 , Map 1 )

Oxypoda (Podoxya) kartabensis FAGEL 1965: 252 f.

Type material examined: Holotype ♀: Liban: Kartaba [34°06N, 35°50E], 1200-1400 m, V.1964 -

G. Fagel / Type / G. Fagel det. O. ( Podoxya ) kartabaensis [sic] n. sp. ( IRSNB). Paratypes: 15 exs.

[3 exs. eaten by Anthrenus]: same data as holotype ( IRSNB).

Additional material examined: Cyprus: 1 ex., NW-Troodos, Kalopanayotis , 600 m, stream bank, 6.IV.1995, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 7 exs., N-Troodos, near road B9, 1600 m, sifted leaf litter, 8.IV.1995, leg. Assing (cAss); 1 ex., N-Troodos, near road B 9, 850 m, pine forest, sifted, 4.IV.1995, leg. Assing (cAss); 1 ex., Olympos , N-slope, 1900 m, sifted leaf litter, 1.IV.1995, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 20 exs., S Platres, Moniatis , creek valley, 700 m, sifted leaf litter, 2.-12.IV.1995, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 8 exs., Troodos, Caledonian Falls , 1300 m, 5.IV.1995, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 1 ex., Caledonian Falls , 15.III.1994, leg. Meybohm (cAss) ; 9 exs., Paphos forest, Kykkos , 1250 m, sifted leaf litter, 6.IV.1995, leg. Assing, Wunderle (cAss, cWun) ; 3 exs., Paphos fores, Kykkos-Pera Vasa , 800-1000 m, oak forest, 6.IV.1995, leg. Wunderle (cWun) . Israel: 1 ex., Mt. Meron , 32°59N, 35°27E, 24.II.2005, leg. Starke (cAss) . Turkey, Gaziantep: 6 exs., Kartal Dağı , 28 km WNW Gaziantep, 37°10N, 37°06E, 1100 m, 9.IV.2004, leg. Assing, Schülke (cAss, cSch) ; 58 exs. [predominantly teneral], Kartal Dağı , 25 km WNW Gaziantep, 37°11N, 37°08E, 1070 m, 9.IV.2004, leg. Assing, Schülke (cAss, cSch) ; 1 ex., 38 km WNW Gaziantep, Kartal Dağı , 1110 m, 37°11N, 36°59E, 9.IV.2004, leg. V. Assing (cAss) ; 14 exs., Kartal Dağı, E Isikli , 37°10N, 37°13E, 1100 m, 25.IV.2004, leg. Besuchet (cAss) ; 33 exs., Kartal Dağı, W Isikli , 37°08N, 37°11E, 1120 m, 25.IV.2004, leg. Besuchet, Brachat, Meybohm (cAss, cFel) ; 4 exs., Kartal Dağı, W Yamaçoba, 37°10N, 37°05E, 1200 m, 25.IV.2004, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss). Kahramanmaraş: 1 ex., Ahır Dağı , ca. 10 km WNW Kahramanmaraş, 37°39N, 36°50E, 815 m, 11.IV.2004, leg. Assing (cAss) .

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Species of intermediate size, 3.5-4.5 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: head dark brown to blackish; pronotum reddish brown to dark brown; elytra yellowish brown to brown; abdomen dark brown to blackish brown, with the margins of tergites III-VI, the posterior half or the posterior third of segment VII, and the following segments rufous; legs yellowish; antennae dark brown, with the basal 1-2 antennomeres yellowish.

Head with distinct microsculpture and fine puncturation; eyes moderately large, slightly shorter than postocular region in dorsal view ( Fig. 2 ); antennae moderately incrassate, antennomere X less than twice as wide as long ( Fig. 3 ); penultimate joint of maxillary palpus approximately three times as long as wide.

Pronotum moderately transverse; puncturation fine and dense; microsculpture similar to that of head. Elytra at suture almost as long as pronotum, similar in puncturation and microsculpture to pronotum ( Fig. 2 ). Legs slender; metatarsomere I approximately as long as combined length of metatarsomeres II-IV. Abdomen widest at segment III, distinctly tapering posteriad; puncturation and pubescence very fine and dense, integument with subdued satin shine.

3: sternite VIII distinctly pointed posteriorly ( Fig. 4 ); median lobe of aedeagus as in Figs 6-8 .

♀: posterior margin of sternite VIII in the middle truncate to weakly concave ( Fig. 5 ); spermatheca with duct of rather variable shape ( Fig. 9 ).

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Fromothersimilar Oxypoda species , O. kartabensis is distinguished by the sexual characters. In general appearance (coloration, size, proportion, puncturation), it somewhat resembles O. lurida WOLLASTON , which, however, is slightly smaller, of darker average coloration, and has longer maxillary palpi.

C o m m e n t s: FAGEL (1965) attributed the species to the subgenus Podoxya MULSANT & REY. However , in view of the absence of a thorough phylogenetic study of the genus, the subgeneric affiliations of this species should be considered doubtful. The aedeagus illustrated by TRONQUET (1999) for O. kartabensis (" kartabaensis ") clearly refers to a different species, possibly O. vicina .

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: Oxypoda kartabensis was previously known only from Lebanon; it is here reported from Cyprus, Turkey, and Israel for the first time ( Map 1 ). In Cyprus, it is apparently the most common Oxypoda species. It was found mainly by sifting the leaf litter of various types of forests (oak, pine, alder, etc.). Numerous specimens collected in Turkey and Cyprus in the beginning of April are teneral. Remarkably, the Cyprus specimens were observed to display thanatosis when moved or touched .

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of Oxypoda kartabensis (open circles) and O. ziyaretica (filled circles), based on examined records.

Figs 1-16: Oxypoda kartabensis FAGEL (1-9), paratypes (1-6, 8-9) and specimens from Cyprus (7), and Oxypoda antennata BERNHAUER (paratypes of O. mysica FAGEL) (10-16). (1, 10) habitus; (2, 11) forebody; (3, 12) antenna; (4) posterior margin of 3 sternite VIII; (5) posterior margin of ♀ sternite VIII; (6-8, 15) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view; (9, 16) spermatheca; (13) 3 sternite VIII; (14) ♀ sternite VIII. Scale bars: 1, 10-11: 1.0 mm; 2-3, 12-14: 0.5 mm; 4-7, 15: 0.2 mm; 8, 9, 16: 0.1 mm.