Hypomedon niloticus ( KOCH 1934), 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 : 1171

Hypomedon niloticus ( KOCH 1934) ( Figs 18-21 , Map 2)

Medon niloticus KOCH 1934: 144 f.

Hypomedon niloticus: BORDONI (1980) .

Chloeocharis niloticus: COIFFAIT (1984) .

Sunius niloticus: SMETANA (2004) .

Cephisella nilotica: ASSING (2008a).

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Lectotype 3, present designation: " Cairo, Pyramidi, Eg. , 2.10.33, W. Wittmer / Lectotypus 3 Medon niloticus Koch , desig. V. Assing 2009 / Hypomedon niloticus (Koch) , det. V. Assing 2009" ( NHMB) . Paralectotypes: 1♀: " Sakkara Eg., 15.9.33, W. Wittmer / coll. Museo ent. 'Pietro Rossi' Duino / Medon niloticus mihi det. C. Koch " ( NHMB) ; 2♀♀: " Sakkara Eg. , 15.9.33, W. Wittmer / coll. Museo ent. 'Pietro Rossi' Duino / Sammlung G. Paganetti" ( NHMB) ; 1♀: "Sakkara Eg., 15.9.33, W. Wittmer / Medon niloticus Koch / Museum Frey Tutzing" ( NHMB) .

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 Egypt: 6♀♀ [2 exs. with type labels], Sakkara, 23.IX.1933, leg. Wittmer (NHMB).

C o m m e n t: The original description is based on an unspecified number of syntypes from "Kirdassah, 28.9.1933; Sakkarah, 15.9.1933; Pyramiden von Ghizeh, 2.X.1933 " ( KOCH 1934). Five syntypes, a male and four females, were located in the Frey collection at the NHMB; the male is designated as the lectotype. The Frey collection contains additional six females from "Sakkara". However, since the date of collection is not identical to that given in the original description, they cannot be considered types, although two of them had type labels attached to them. As can be inferred from the material studied by BORDONI (1980), a male syntype from "Kirdassah" and two non-type females from Kirdassah and Sakkara are deposited in the natural history museum in Milano.

The generic affiliations of M. niloticus have been a matter of controversy. Based on a study of a male syntype and additional material, BORDONI (1980) attributed the species to Hypomedon , a generic name which at that time was interpreted differently and included the species today in Sunius STEPHENS 1829 . Four years later, COIFFAIT (1984) moved the species to Chloecharis, which is now a junior synonym of Hypomedon . Subsequently, SMETANA (2004) attributed M. niloticus to Sunius . In a revision of the Western Palaearctic Sunius species , ASSING (2008a) excluded it from the genus and transferred it to Cephisella, primarily based on the figure of the aedeagus provided by BORDONI (1980).

An examination of the above types and non-type specimens revealed that M. niloticus is undoubtedly congeneric with Hypomedon debilicornis , the type species of Hypomedon , and H. galilaeus . The illustration of the aedeagus provided by BORDONI (1980: Fig. 1a ) is highly misleading.

D i a g n o s i s: Similarinexternalappearance( Figs18-19 )to H. debilicornis and H. galilaeus , but distinguished from these species by smaller size and less pronounced microsculpture of head and pronotum, from H. galilaeus additionally by the more transverse head, more pronounced hind angles of the head, as well as by larger and much more bulging eyes.

3: posterior margin of sternite VIII in the middle distinctly excised (more so than in H. galilaeus ) ( Fig. 20 ); aedeagus as in Fig. 21.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: This species has become known only from Egypt (Map 2).

Figures

Figs 14-21: Acanthoglossa punica FAUVEL from Chad (14-15), A. crassa COIFFAIT, holotype (16- 17), and Hypomedon niloticus (KOCH) (18-21): (14, 16, 18) habitus; (15, 17, 19) forebody; (20) male sternite VIII; (21) aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 14, 16, 18: 1.0 mm; 15, 17, 19: 0.5 mm; 20-21: 0.1 mm.

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.