Triplax carpathica Reitter, 1890

Ruta, Rafal, Jaloszynski, Pawel, Sienkiewicz, Pawel & Konwerski, Szymon, 2011, Erotylidae (Insecta, Coleoptera) of Poland - problematic taxa, updated keys and new records, ZooKeys 134, pp. 1-13 : 2-3

Triplax carpathica Reitter, 1890 Figs 415

Type material examined.

Holotype, Romania (originally "Hungaria bor."), Marmaros, Coll. Reitter [HNHM].

New material:Poland, Białowieża Primeval Forest*: Czerlonka vic., f. sec. 494 (FD84), 1 X 2000, 1 ex., leg. JMG [RR]; Olszanka-Myśliszcze nat. res. (FD83), 17 VIII 2000, 1 ex., leg. MW [MNHW]. Bieszczady Mts.: Wetlina, Muchanin Wierch (FV04), 20 VIII 1970, 6 exx. [MIZ].

Among the beetles recently collected in the Białowieża Primeval Forest, two specimens possibly belonging to Triplax carpathica were found. This species was described from Romanian Carpathians ( Reitter 1890), and recorded in Poland only from Bieszczady Mts. ( Borowiec 1984). Its occurrence outside the Carpathian Range in northeastern Poland seemed highly unlikely. To unambiguosly confirm the species identity, the holotype of Triplax carpathica was examined, and the Polish specimens were found to be conspecific with the type. It is plausible that Triplax carpathica is another species with primarily Eastern Palearctic distribution that extends westwards to the Białowieża Primeval Forest in Central Europe (see the discussion of taxonomic problems below). The rare beetles Pytho kolwensis Sahlberg ( Pythidae ) and Xylobanellus erythropterus (Baudi) ( Lycidae ) are other examples of a similar distribution. The new findings of Triplax carpathica confirm the important value of woodlands surrounding the protected part of the Białowieża Forest, which is one of the last and largest primeval forests in Europe. Only a part of the forest is currently included in the Białowieża National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, adjacent unprotected areas also show a remarkable biodiversity and may be important for survival of disjunct populations of Triplax carpathica and other rare insects.

A taxonomic problem was encountered when characters of the holotype of Triplax carpathica were compared with existing descriptions and keys.Previously, the only feature reported to differentiate Triplax carpathica from the East Palearctic Triplax rufiventris Gebler, 1823 (= Triplax amurensis Reitter, 1879), i.e. presence/absence of femoral lines, seemed dubious at best. Iablokoff-Khnzorian (1975) in his identification key stated that Triplax carpathica , but not Triplax rufiventris , has all femoral lines present ("toutes les lignes fémorales présentes”). However, the holotype of Triplax carpathica exhibits no traces of femoral lines on the metaventrite. Unfortunately, we were not able to study the type specimens of Triplax rufiventris and Triplax amurensis (both presumably in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris) to clarify the true status of these taxa. A comprehensive revision of Palearctic Triplax remains beyond the scope of the present paper. However, we note that the identity of some species and their geographic distributions remain unclear and require further study.