Sirdenus ( Syrdenopsis ) grayii (Wollaston, 1862)

Pavlou, Christoforos, Bolanakis, Giannis, Kardaki, Ljubitsa & Trichas, Apostolos, 2025, Forty years of ground-beetle sampling in Crete. A major contribution to the Carabidae (Coleoptera, Adephaga) fauna of Crete (Greece), Contributions to Entomology 75 (2), pp. 269-288 : 269-288

9. Sirdenus ( Syrdenopsis) grayii (Wollaston, 1862)

Figs 2 G , 5 C

Habitat and general distribution.

S. grayii is an Afrotropical-Mediterranean species, mainly found in Cyprus, North Africa and Near East, but also southern Europe ( Austin et al. 2008; Bousquet 2017 b). The species dwells in saline wetlands ( Austin et al. 2008), burrowing in endogean galleries ( Saulleda 1985; Machado 1992).

Material examined.

• Lasithi: Xerokampos salt-lake (phrygana) 35.050979°N, 26.240301°E, 2 m elev., 5.VIII.2015 – 26.XI.2015, pitfall traps, 1 spm, leg. Pavlou Chr. ( NHMC) ; • Chrysi isl., Vages Beach salt-lake , 34.874799°N, 25.728071°E, 1 m elev., 23.III.2023 – 13.VII.2023, pitfall traps, 62 spms, leg. Bolanakis G. ( NHMC) .

Comments.

The genus Sirdenus was mentioned for a first time in Greece in Arndt et al. (2011) by a specimen of S. filliformis from “ Griechenland, Attica ”, deposited in the collection of Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin. Arndt et al. (2011) were critical of the validity of this specimen. Thus, our record is the first concrete record of S. grayii in Crete and consequently Greece, confirming the presence of the genus in Greece. Naturally, the species was first discovered in a salt-lake (the largest of Crete) at the easternmost coastline of the island (Xerokampos), by a single specimen in 2015. However, we re-sampled this locality many times and never managed to re-collect this species. According to Matalin and Makarov (2008), S. grayii is a rare species, difficult to encounter. In 2023, we found a large population of S. grayii ( 62 specimens) in Chrysi, a southern satellite islet of Crete. The species was found in a small, temporary salt-lake, near a southern beach of the islet. The species has not been spotted in other salt lakes and marshes in the west, central and north parts of Crete (e. g. Falassarna, Almyros, Tympaki). The current known distribution of the species in Crete indicates an eastern origin, echoing the biogeographical remarks of Koch (1948) for a dispersal path as such.

Figures

Figure 2. A. Calosoma inquisitor; B. Calosoma maderae; C. Carabus graecus trojanus; D. Brachinus plagiatus; E. Brachinus psophia; F. Clivia ypsilon; G. Sirdenus grayii; H. Scarites eurytus; I. Scarites buparius. Scale bars: 5.5 mm (A); 7.75 mm (B); 5 mm (C); 3 mm (D); 2.5 mm (E); 1.75 mm (F); 1.1 mm (G); 6.4 mm (H); 6.8 mm (I).

Figure 5. Aedeagii. Α. Brachinus plagiatus; B. Brachinus psophia; C. Sirdenus grayii; D. Anaulacus ruficornis; E. Cymindis andrae; F. Ophonus puncticeps; G. Dicheirotrichus obsoletus; H. Parophonus hirsutulus; I. Pterostichus anthracinus; J. Calathus cinctus. Scale bars: 0.53 mm (A); 0.41 mm (B); 0.28 mm (C); 0.72 mm (D); 0.49 mm (E); 0.61 mm (F); 0.47 mm (G); 0.56 mm (H); 1.17 mm (I); 0.63 mm (J).