Liogluta granigera (KIESENWETTER, 1850)

Assing, Volker & Vogel, Jürgen, 2017, On some Athetini from Armenia and adjacent regions (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 49 (1), pp. 341-368 : 363-366

Liogluta granigera (KIESENWETTER, 1850)

Homalota (Liogluta) trigemina EPPELSHEIM, 1880: 459 f.; nov.syn.

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Lectotype 3, present designation: "Kaukas, Leder, Ach Bulach / sexnotata Thoms. Op. ent. 1872, p. 375. - J. Sahlb. En. Brach. Fenn. 1876. p. 134 / Lectotypus 3 Homalota trigemina Eppelsheim , desig. V. Assing 2017 / Liogluta granigera (Kiesenwetter) , det. V. Assing 2017" (NHMW). Paratypes: 13, 2♀♀: originally on same pin as lectotype (NHMW).

A d d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Caucasus region: Armenia: 5 exs., Ayrum env., Zikatar Environmental Center , 41°08'N, 44°55'E, 1250 m, 19. V.2016, leg. A. & J. Müller (cAss) ; 1 ex., Teghut env. (Akhtala), 41.091°N, 44.813°E, 1020 m, 20. V.2016, leg. A. & J. Müller (cAss). Georgia: 1 ex., Algeti National Park , Manglisi , 41°42'N, 44°23'E, 1190 m, 12. VII.2015, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 1 ex., same data, but 13. VII.2015 (cAss) ; 3 exs., Central Caucasus, Shatili-Gudani , 42°32'N, 45°01'E, 1960 m, 16. VII.2015, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 2 exs., Central Caucasus, Gudani , 42°32'N, 44°58'E, 1620 m, 18. VII.2015, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 1 ex., Central Caucasus, Kvesheti , 42°26'N, 44°32'E, 1440 m, 22. VII.2015, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 1 ex., Shida Kartli, 8 km SW Surami , 42°02'N, 43°30'E, 960 m, 14. V.2016, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 6 exs., Ratcha , 10 km W Lentekhi, 42°48'N, 42°38'E, 1100 m, 20. V.2016, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 4 exs., Zemo Svaneti, Mestia Ughviri Pass , 43°02'N, 42°50'E, 1900 m, 27. VII.2016, leg. Meybohm (cAss) ; 2 exs., Zemo Svaneti , 4 km N Mazeri, 43°06'N, 42°36'E, 1690 m, 28. VII.2016, leg. Meybohm (cAss) ; 2 exs., Zemo Svaneti , 2 km N Ipari, 43°01'N, 42°50'E, 1670 m, 29. VII.2016, leg. Meybohm (cAss) ; 1 ex., Zemo Svaneti , 3 km S Koruldashi, 42°53'N, 43°09'E, 1790 m, 1.VIII.2016, leg. Meybohm (cAss) ; 1 ex., Zemo Svaneti, Mestia Hatsvali , 43°01'N, 43°45'E, 2350 m, 26. VII.2016, leg. Meybohm (cAss) ; 9 exs., Saguramo reserve , 29. V.2006, leg. Chaladze (cAss) ; 1 exs., Svanetia, locality illegible, leg. Leder ( NHMW). Russia: 3 exs., W-Caucasus, 4 km NNW Krasnaya Polyana, Atchishkho Mt. , 43°42'N, 40°11'E, 1000 m, chestnut forest with beech and maple, leaf litter and bark sifted, 18. VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 18 exs., W-Caucasus, Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya Respublika , 13 km SW Teberda, 43°20'N, 41°40'E, 1450 m, moist spruce forest with scattered beech, litter, moss, and dead wood sifted, 22. VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 46 exs., W-Caucasus, Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya Respublika , 20 km SW Teberda, Dombai, 43°18'N, 41°39'E, 2160 m, subalpine birch forest, litter sifted, 23. VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 11 exs., W-Caucasus, Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya Respublika, 20 km SW Teberda, above Dombai , 43°17'N, 41°38'E, 1950 m, mixed forest (fir, spruce, beech), leaf litter sifted, 25. VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 23 exs., W-Caucasus, Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya Respublika, 9 km SW Teberda, Teberdinski range, Baduk river valley, 43°23'N, 41°40'E, 2000 m, subalpine forest (maple, birch, with rhododendron) near lakeshore, litter sifted, 26.VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss). Locality not specified: 6 exs., "Kaukas."/"Cauc" / " Typus " / "Cotypus" ( NHMW) .

Other regions: material from Spain, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Croatia, Macedonia, Greece, and Turkey examined.

C o m m e n t: The original description of L. trigemina is based on an unspecified number of syntypes received "Von Leder mit der Ortsbezeichnung 'Ach-Bulach'" ( EPPELSHEIM 1880).

The material sent to us by Harald Schillhammer (NHMW) is composed of six specimens labelled as "Typus" or "Cotypus" and "Cauc" or "Kaukas", one specimen from "Svanetien" (locality illegible), and four specimens (originally on one pin) without type labels, but with the locality label "Ach Bulach". Only the latter four specimens can be considered syntypes, even though they did not have type labels attached to the pin. Instead they had subsequently been identified by Eppelsheim as Liogluta sexnotata THOMSON, 1871, today a junior synonym of Liogluta granigera . It appears that Eppelsheim subsequently realized that L. trigemina was conspecific with the species today referred to as L. granigera (without ever publishing this).

According to SCHÜLKE & SMETANA (2015), L. trigemina has been recorded only from (the type locality in) Armenia. An examination of the type material of L. trigemina and of additional material from various localities in the Caucasus region sensu lato and from other regions revealed that the secondary sexual characters and the shapes of the aedeagus and of the spermatheca are practically identical throughout the distribution range of L. granigera . Interestingly, however, the size of the aedeagus tends to be somewhat larger (approximately 0.7 mm) in males from the Caucasus region than in males from other regions (usually approximately 0.55-0.60 mm). Moreover, the material from the Caucasus is distinguished from other populations by a seemingly somewhat less slender abdomen and by relatively shorter elytra (0.80-0.92 versus 0.95-1.00 times as long as pronotum). Nevertheless, in view of the otherwise highly similar external and sexual characters, these differences are interpreted as intraspecific variation and L. trigemina is placed in synonymy with L. granigera .