Acanthoglossa orientis ( FAUVEL 1873) Assing, 2009

Assing, V., 2009, On the identity of some Acanthoglossa and Hypomedon species, primarily from the Mediterranean region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 41 (2), pp. 1161-1173 : 1163-1165

Acanthoglossa orientis ( FAUVEL 1873) , nov.comb. ( Figs 1-7 , Map 1 )

Cephisus orientis FAUVEL 1873: 300 . Cephisus abeillei BERNHAUER 1902: 245 f.; nov.syn. Cephisella orientis: FAGEL (1961) ; SMETANA (2004). Acanthoglossa orientis: COIFFAIT (1984) . Acanthoglossa abeillei: COIFFAIT (1984) ; SMETANA (2004). T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d C. orientis: Lectotype 3, present designation: "Beyrouth / orientis Fauv. / Ex-Typis / Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B. / Lectotypus 3 Cephisus orientis Fauvel , desig. V. Assing 2009 / Cephisella orientis (Fauvel) , det. V. Assing 2009" (IRSNB). Paralectotypes: 13: "Beyrouth, St. Jean d'Acre, avec fourmis / Bethléem / Ex-Typis / Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B." (IRSNB); 1♀ [damaged, apparently in the process of dissecting the mouthparts prior to the present study]: "Beyrouth / orientis Fauv. / Ex-Typis / Coll. R. I. Sc. N. B." (IRSNB). C. abeillei: Holotypus 3: "Jaffa / Jaffa / Cephisus abeillei inédit. / Abeillei Brnh. Type, Syrien, von Abeille / Chicago NHMus., M.Bernhauer Collection / Cephisella orientis (Fauvel) , det. V. Assing 2009" (FMNH). A d d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d Israel: 1 ex., Golan, Mahjar [32°54'N,

35°39'E], 200 m, 27.IV.1982, leg. Besuchet & Löbl ( MHNG) ; 2 exs., Golan , Mt. Hermon, 1600 m ,

23.IV.1982, leg. Besuchet & Löbl ( MHNG) ; 1 ex. [det. Feldmann], Mt. Hermon , 1600 m ,

12.VI.2007, leg. Chikatunov ( TAU) ; 1 ex., Golan, Kazabia, 15.IV.1982, leg. Besuchet & Löbl

(cAss); 4 exs., 22 km E Haifa, Bir el-Maksur, 32°47'N, 35°14'E, 10.II.2006, leg. Assmann (cFel) ; 2

exs., Upper Galilee , Ziv'on, 33°01'N, 35°25'E, 29.IV.2006, leg. Assmann (cFel, cAss) ; 1 ex., same

data, but 750 m, stone pasture, dolomite, 28.-29.IV.2006, leg. Wrase (cSch); 1 ex., ca. 70 km SW

Tel Aviv, Bitronot Be'eri Reserve, 31°26'N, 34°29'E, 15.II.2005, leg. Assmann (cFel).

C o m m e n t s: The original description of Cephisus orientis is based on an unspecified number of syntypes from " Beyrouth, St-Jean-d'Acre, Bethléem" ( FAUVEL 1873). Three syntypes, two males and a severely damaged female, were located in the Fauvel collection at the IRSNB. The male with an unambiguous locality label is designated as the lectotype. The female was probably dissected by COIFFAIT (1984), who figured the mouthparts.

BERNHAUER (1902) explicitly based the original description of Acanthoglossa abeillei on a single specimen from "Jaffa ( Syrien)", today Haifa in Israel, stating that the species was distinguished from C. orientis by the denser and finer punctation, and consequently less glossy appearance of the forebody.

According to COIFFAIT (1984), who attributed both species to Acanthoglossa , A. abeillei is additionally separated from C. orientis by smaller body size (2.5 mm; C. orientis: 2.5- 3 mm), as well as by the shape of the head (not transverse and longer than the pronotum; C. orientis: distinctly transverse, approximately as long as pronotum). Since a male of A. abeillei was unknown to him, he figured only the aedeagus of C. orientis.

An examination of the type material of both names revealed that they in fact refer to the same species. The aedeagus and the male secondary sexual characters are identical ( Figs 3, 6 ). The holotype of A. abeillei is indeed slightly smaller and has a more densely punctate forebody, but a comparison with the additional material listed above showed that body size, the punctation of the forebody, as well as the shapes of the head and pronotum are evidently subject to considerable intraspecific variation. For a discussion of the systematic status of the genus see the comments in the section on Acanthoglossa hirta .

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: 2.5-3.0 mm. Habitus as in Figs 1, 4 . Coloration: body almost uniformly dark reddish, with the abdominal segments III-VI slightly darker and the apdominal apex paler.

Head ( Figs 2, 5 ) approximately 1.15-1.20 times as wide as long; posterior margin conspicuously concave, posterior angles marked; punctation weakly areolate, moderately to very coarse, and of variable density, dense in lateral portions of dorsal surface, with interstices much narrower than diameter of punctures, and somewhat sparser in median dorsal portion; interstices without distinct microsculpture; eyes small, only approximately 0.20-0.25 times as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Anterior margin of labrum not dentate, convex, in the middle narrowly and concavely incised. Labium on either side with 2-3 stout setae. Antennae short and distinctly incrassate apically; antennomere I approximately twice as long as wide, III 1.5 times as long as wide, IV approximately as long as wide, IX-X approximately twice as wide as long or nearly so.

Pronotum approximately 1.10-1.15 times as wide as long and 0.9 times as wide as head, widest at anterior angles, and distinctly tapering posteriad; posterior angles weakly marked ( Figs 2, 5 ); punctation similar to that of head; interstices without distinct microsculpture.

Elytra very short, 0.60-0.65 times as long as pronotum, suture approximately half as long as combined width at posterior margin; humeral angles obsolete ( Figs 2, 5 ); elytral surface with or without shallow impressions anteriorly; punctation fine and dense. Hind wings apparently completely reduced. Legs relatively short. Protarsomeres I-IV moderately dilated and ventrally with dense long pubescence.

Abdomen 1.1-1.2 times as wide as elytra, widest at segments VI/VII ( Figs 1, 4 ); tergites III-VI with anterior impressions; segment VII conspicuously long and large, approximately twice as long as segments III-VI; punctation very fine and very dense.

3: sternite VII unmodified; sternite VIII without distinctly modified pubescence, posterior margin weakly concave, without distinct posterior excision ( Fig. 7 ); aedeagus with apically acute and moderately bent (lateral view) ventral process ( Figs 3, 6 ).

♀: posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly convex. D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The species has become known only from several localities in Israel and Lebanon ( Map 1 ). One of the syntypes of A. orientis was apparently collected from an ant nest. Most of the specimens listed as additional material seem to have been found under stones.

Figures

Map 1: Distribution Acanthoglossa orientis (FAUVEL) in the Middle East.

Figs 1-7: Acanthoglossa orientis (FAUVEL) (1-3: lectotype of Cephisus orientis; 4-7: holotype of A. abeillei): (1, 4) habitus; (2, 5) forebody; (3, 6) aedeagus in lateral view; (7) male sternite VIII. Scale bars: 1, 4: 1.0 mm; 2, 5: 0.5 mm; 7: 0.2 mm; 3, 6: 0.1 mm.