Tetartopeus gracilentus ( KRAATZ , 1859)

Assing, V., 2014, A revision of Tetartopeus IV. A new species from Turkey, new synonymies, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (2), pp. 1119-1131 : 1128-1129

Tetartopeus gracilentus ( KRAATZ, 1859)

( Figs 17 , 20 )

Lathrobium gracilentum KRAATZ, 1859: 115 f.

Lathrobium pallipes SHARP, 1889: 257 f.; nov.syn.

Lathrobium maculatum LAST, 1984: 120 f.; nov.syn.

Lobrathium wui ZHENG, 2001: 324 f.; nov.syn.

Lobrathium bimaculatum LI, TANG & ZHU, 2007: 261 f.; synonymized with L. wui by ASSING (2012a); nov.syn.

Type material examined L. gracilentum : see ASSING (2012a).

L. pallipes : see ASSING (2011).

L. bimaculatum : see ASSING (2011)

L. maculatum : Paratypes: 1: "S 264, Blackwater River NG , 6.74 Rff / Manchester Museum, Paratype / Paratype / F3008.5152 / Lathrobium maculatum sp.n., H.R. Last. det., Paratype / Tetartopeus gracilentus (Kraatz) , det. V. Assing 2014" ( MMUM); 1: same data, but " F3008.5152 " ( MMUM).

Additional material examined: South Korea: 9 exs., Gangwon-do, 6 km NW Yeounpo-ri, Hajodae beach, 38°02'N, 128°42'E, 0 m, small lagoon lake 300 m W seashore, wet muddy litter under stand of reeds, flotation, 10.IX.2010, leg. Makranczy et al. ( HNHM, NIBR, cAss) ; 1, Jeollanam-do , Jiri-san, 2 km WNW Nogodan peak, waterfall near Kogae pass, 35°18'N, 127°31'E, 1270 m, from wet moss and litter at spraying water, flotation, 15.IX.2010, leg. Makranczy et al. ( HNHM). Japan: 3, 2, Oshamanbe, Toyotsu , seashore, 27.VII.1991, leg. Smetana [J10] ( CNC, cAss) ; 1, Ryukyu Islands , Ishigaki Island, Maezato Dam , disturbed secondary forest, flight interception trap, 27.-31.V.2012, leg. Lackner ( cAss) .

Comment: The original description of Lathrobium maculatum is based on a male holotype and six paratypes from "Blackwater River, Sepik" in New Guinea ( LAST 1984). An examination of two paratypes yielded no evidence that they should be distinct from T. pallipes ; the male sexual characters are practically identical ( Figs 17 , 20 ). The finding that T. pallipes is distributed southwards as far as New Guinea inspired a re-examination of material previously attributed to T. pallipes , and T. wui . Moreover, the characters indicated earlier ( ASSING 2011, 2012) as distinguishing T. wui , T. pallipes , and T. gracilentus were reconsidered. These character conditions (head shape, coloration of the legs, punctation, size of aedeagus, shape of ventral process) are too variable (with overlap), not sufficiently pronounced, and linked by transitional conditions to further support previous hypotheses that T. gracilentus , T. wui , and T. pallipes represent different species. The observed differences are more plausibly attributed to intra- rather than interspecific variation of a widespread species with remarkable dispersal power, as evidenced also by its presence on numerous islands. Hence, Lathrobium pallipes , L. maculatum , Lobrathium wui , and Lobrathium bimaculatum are all placed in synonymy with the senior name Tetartopeus gracilentus .

Distribution: The remarkably vast distribution of T. gracilentus ranges from North Japan and the Russian Far East across China to Sri Lanka in the southwest and New Guinea in the south. The previous doubtful record from South Korea ( ASSING 2011) is now confirmed.

Figures

Figs 11-17: Tetartopeus korgei nov.sp. (11-16) and paratype of Lathrobium maculatum LAST (17): (11) forebody; (12) female tergite VIII; (13) male sternite VIII; (14-15, 17) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (16) apical portion of ventral process of aedeagus. Scale bars: 11: 1.0 mm; 12-15, 17: 0.5 mm; 16: 0.2 mm.

Figs 18-20: Tetartopeus korgei nov.sp. (18-19) and paratype of Lathrobium maculatum LAST (20): (18) female sternite VIII; (19) female tergites IX-X; (20) male sternite VIII. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.