Anthobium atrocephalum (GYLLENHAL 1827)

Assing, V., 2014, On the Staphylinidae of Sardinia, Italy (Insecta: Coleoptera), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (1), pp. 415-428 : 416

Anthobium atrocephalum (GYLLENHAL 1827)

Lathrimaeum sardoum SCHEERPELTZ 1961: 92 ff.; nov.syn.

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d Italy S a r d i n i a 266, 3♀♀, Monti del Gennargentu , Bruncu Spina, 40°01'N, 9°18'E, 1540 m, Alnus litter near stream, sifted, 25.XII.2012, leg. Assing ; 1066 4♀♀, Monti del Gennargentu , Bruncu Spina, 40°03'N, 9°18'E, 1280 m, oak forest, leaf litter near stream and at foot of very old oak trees sifted, 25.XII.2012, leg. Assing ; 2♀♀, Monti del Gennargentu , 6 km S Fonni, 40°04'N, 9°15'E, 1100 m, oak forest, litter sifted, 26.XII.2012, leg. Assing ; 566, 2♀♀, Monti del Gennargentu , 10 km SE Fonni, 40°05'N, 9°21'E, 1170 m, oak forest with rocks, litter sifted, 26.XII.2012, leg. Assing (cAss, MNHUB) .

C o m m e n t SCHEERPELTZ (1961) described Anthobium sardoum based on two " Typen (16, 1♀) und einigen wenigen paratypischen Stücken" collected "im Gebiete des Monte Genargentu [sic]", where the above material was collected, too. ZANETTI (1987) regarded A. sardoum as a subspecies of A. atrocephalum distinguished only by smaller size (on average 2.5 mm versus 3.0-3.5 mm for A. atrocephalum ). However, I have been unable to appreciate any such size difference between the above 28 specimens and material seen from other regions of the distribution of A. atrocephalum , suggesting that the sample seen by Scheerpeltz may have been from the lower end of the size range of A. atrocephalum and that the type specimens are conspecific with A. atrocephalum . According to ZANETTI (1987), A. atrocephalum is widespread in all of Italy, including Sicily.