Sunius melanocephalus (FABRICIUS, 1793)

Assing, Volker, 2008, Four new species and additional records of Palaearctic Sunius, with two new synonymies (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 58 (2), pp. 455-470 : 457

Sunius melanocephalus (FABRICIUS, 1793)

Sunius anatolicus ASSING, 1995: 269 ; syn. n.

Material examined:

Czech Republic: 2 exs., Praha, leg. Skalitzky ( NHMW) ; 1 ex., Praha ( NHMW) ; 1 ex., Brandýs n. L., 10.V.1896 ( NHMW) ; 1 ex., Brandýs n. L. ( NHMW) . Austria: 1 ex., Wiener Wald , Hadersdorf, leg. Skalitzky ( NHMW) . Caucasus region : 3 exs., " Kaukas ", leg. Leder ( NHMW, cAss) . Turkey: 5 exs. [partly teneral], Samsun, 21 km NNE Havza, 41°09'N, 35°45'E, 950 m, Quercus-Carpinus forest , litter and moss sifted, 19.VII.2008, leg. Assing & Schülke (cAss, cSch) ; 1 ex., Samsun, 26 km NNE Havza, 41°11'N, 35°46'E, 800 m, Quercus-Carpinus forest , litter sifted, 19.VII.2008, leg. Schülke (cSch) ; 1 ex., Samsun, 31 km NE Havza , 41°12'N, 35°52'E, 670 m, Fagus forest, litter sifted, 19.VII.2008, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 10 exs. [partly teneral], Samsun, 33 km SW Samsun, road Kavak-Asarcık, 7 km SE Kavak, 41°03'N, 36°07'E, 470 m, Quercus-Carpinus forest , litter sifted, 20.VII.2008, leg. Assing & Schülke (cAss, cSch) ; 1 ex., Isparta, Sultan Dağları, W Cankurtaran , 38°15'N, 31°23'E, 1550 m, 17.IV.2008, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 9 exs., locality not specified [" Lyciae Taurus ", " Lyc. Taurus ", etc.] ( NHMW) .

Sunius anatolicus was originally described as a distinct species and subsequently considered a subspecies of S. melanocephalus ( ASSING 1995, 2008). The types of S. anatolicus are distinguished from non-Turkish S. melanocephalus by a slightly different shape of the apex of the aedeagus and by usually longer elytra and hind wings. The distribution was postulated to be confined to southwestern Anatolia ( ASSING 1995). In the meantime, however, numerous specimens with intermediate character states have been examined, and specimens with a similar external and sexual morphology as the types of S. anatolicus have also been recorded from various localities in northern Anatolia, so that the earlier hypothesis that S. anatolicus should represent a distinct (sub-) species is implausible also for zoogeographic reasons. Based on the data now available, it appears more likely that the observed differences are an expression of intraspecific variation. Consequently, S. anatolicus is here placed in the synonymy of S. melanocephalus .