Metrotyphlus samothracicus, Assing, 2019

Assing, Volker, 2019, On the Staphylinidae of the Greek island Samothraki (Insecta Coleoptera), Linzer biologische Beiträge 51 (2), pp. 881-906 : 897

Metrotyphlus (Agnotyphlus) samothracicus ASSING nov.sp. ( Figs 15-19 , 33)

T y p e m a t e r i a l: Holotype ♂: "GR – Samothraki [27], Therma, 40°29'40''N, 25°36'05''E, 110 m, Platanus forest , soil wash., 12.IV.2019, V. Assing / Holotypus ♂ Metrotyphlus samothracicus sp.n. det. V. Assing 2019" (cAss).

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet is an adjective derived from Samothrace.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 1.3 mm; length of forebody 0.5 mm. Habitus as in Fig. 15 . Tarsal formula 2, 2, 2 ( Fig. 19 ). Reliably distinguished from other species of the genus only by the male sexual characters.

♂: sternites III-VIII with shallow, but extensive median impressions; sternite VIII ( Fig. 16 ) weakly oblong and nearly symmetric, posterior margin with a large median excision; aedeagus ( Figs 17-18 ) 0.15 mm long and, except internal structures, symmetric; internal structures of distinctive shapes.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: Metrotyphlus COIFFAIT, 1959 previously included twelve species in two subgenera, four in the nominal subgenus and eight in the subgenus Agnotyphlus COIFFAIT, 1972 (SCHÜLKE & SMETANA 2015). Those assigned to Agnotyphlus had been recorded from the Alpi Apuane and across the southern Alps southeastwards to Istria ( Croatia). Thus, the record of M. samothracicus expands the known range of both the genus and the subgenus southeastwards by a distance of more than 1,000 km and suggests that at least Agnotyphlus is far more widespread and diverse than presently known.

The new species differs from other Agnotyphlus species by the distinctive male primary and secondary sexual characters, particularly the internal structures of the aedeagus. For illustrations of the previously described species see COIFFAIT (1972) and PACE (1997).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: Metrotyphlus samothracicus is most likely endemic to Samothraki. Despite extensive soil washing in numerous localities, only a single male was found. It was collected in the north of the island in a moist Platanus forest at an altitude of 110 m. The locality is illustrated in Fig. 33 .

Figures

Figs 9-18: Cyrtotyphlus samothracicus (9-14) and Metrotyphlus samothracicus (15-18): (9, 15) habitus; (10, 16) male sternite VIII; (11-14, 17-18) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view. Scale bars: 0.1 mm.

Figs 19-26: Metrotyphlus samothracicus (19), Cephennium samothracicum (20-22), Scydmoraphes samothracicus (23-24), and Apimela procera (25-26): (19) hind leg; (20) habitus; (21-24) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (25) male tergite VIII; (26) male sternite VIII. Scale bars: 20: 0.5 mm; 25-26: 0.2 mm; 19, 21-24: 0.1 mm.

Figs 33-34: Type localities of Metrotyphlus samothracicus (sample number 20) (above) and of Tychobythinus assingi (sample number 14) (below). In the latter locality, Cyrtotyphlus samothracicus was found, too.