Cephennium pygmaeum SAULCY , 1870

Assing, Volker, 2021, On the Cephennium fauna of the Iberian Peninsula and the Atlantic Islands (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 52 (2), pp. 891-931 : 922-923

Cephennium pygmaeum SAULCY, 1870 ( Figs 54-56 )

Material examined by C. Besuchet (unpubl.): C. pygaeum pygmaeum: SPAIN: 9♂♂, 9♀♀, Andalucía, Sevilla, Carmona env., " Hof Alamaja ", leg. Franz ( MHNG, NHMW) ; 2♂♂, 2♀♀, Sevilla env., "Cortijo de Maribanetz", leg. Franz ( NHMW) ; 1♂, Cordoba ( MNHNP) ; 1♀, Andalucía, Sierra de Cazorla , leg. Besuchet ( MHNG) .

C. pygmaeum algeciranum: SPAIN: 5♂♂, 6♀♀, Andalucía, Sevilla, Cinca de Pino , leg. Franz ( MHNG, NHMW) ; 5♂♂, 6♀♀, Andalucía, Sevilla, Los Palacios , leg. Besuchet ( MHNG) ; 1♀, Andalucía, Algeciras env., La Roca, leg. Franz ( NHMW) ; 1♂, 1♀, Algeciras , leg. Fran, Simon ( MNHNP, NHMW) ; 1♂, 3♀♀, Andalucía, Malaga, Montes de Malaga , leg. Besuchet ( MHNG) ,.

C. pygmaeum striolatum: PORTUGAL: 1♂, Serra do Gerês (MNHNP . SPAIN: 2♀♀, Andalucía, Sevilla, Venta del Alto , leg. Besuchet ( MHNG) ; 2♂♂, 1♀, " Cordone " ( MHNG) .

According to the original description of C. pygmaeum , which is based on an unspecified number of syntypes from "Sierra de Cordoba", this species is blind, of reddish colouration, and 0.5 mm long ( SAULCY 1870). REITTER (1882) described C. algeciranum based on an unspecified number of type specimens from "Algeciras". REITTER (1884) described C. striolatum from " Andalusien ". Cephennium algeciranum and C. striolatum were subsequently regarded as subspecies of C. pygmaeum (VÍT & BESUCHET 2004) . Besuchet (unpubl.) lists material of the three subspecies, partly with doubtful or unidentified locality data, but provided (practically identical) illustrations only for C. pygmaeum and C. algeciranum ( Figs 54-56 ). This suggests that the aedeagi of the three taxa do not differ. Moreover, the localities of the material examined by Besuchet (see above) do not reveal clear distribution patterns. In consequence, the status of both C. algeciranum and C. striolatus appears highly doubtful.

Figures

Figs 46-58: Cephennium catalonicum (46-47), C. filabresicum (48), C. espunae (49), C. tensum (50), C. andujari (51), C. tenuissimum (52-53), C. tensum (54-56; 56: C. p. algeciranum), and C. ibericum (57-58): (46, 48-54, 57) aedeagus in lateral and in dorsal view; (47, 55-56, 58) internal structures of aedeagus. Scale bar: 0.1 mm; 47, 55-56, 58: without scale. 46-47, 54-58: based on Besuchet (unpubl.).