Euconnus (Cladoconnus) denticornis Müller & Kunze

Hlaváč, Peter & Stevanović, Miroslav, 2013, A review of the subgenus Cladoconnus Reitter of the genus Euconnus Thomson (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae) from the Balkan Peninsula, Turkey and Caucasus, Zootaxa 3646 (4), pp. 401-425 : 416-417

Euconnus (Cladoconnus) denticornis Müller & Kunze

( Figs. 29–30 )

Scydmaenus denticornis Müller & Kunze, 1822: 196 . Type locality: Bei Leipzigunter [near Leipzig] and also near Odenbach and Norwich.

Euconnus (s.str.) denticornis Müller & Kunze : Ganglbauer, 1899: 49; Reitter, 1882: 574

Euconnus (Cladoconnus) denticornis Müller & Kunze : Franz, 1971b: 301, Fig. 23 ; Karaman, 1974: 140, Figs. 25, 26, 26 a;

Euconnus denticornis Müller & Kunze : Castellini, 2006: 89.

Scydmaenus dennii Stephens, 1832: 83 . Type locality: in the vicinity of London, synonymized by Reitter, 1909: 227.

Scydmaenus ruficornis Denny, 1825: 59 . Type locality: near London, in Norfolk, Barham and Epping Forest, synonymized by Croissandeau, 1898: 121.

Euconnus solarii Reitter, 1904: 152 . Type locality: Italien: Vallo Lucano (S. Biase), synonymized by Karaman, 1974: 127.

Euconnus (s. str.) suramensis Reitter, 1882: 574. Type locality: Kaukas [Caucasus], synonymized by Croissandeau, 1898: 121; synonymy confirmed by Karaman, 1974: 127 and by Davies, 2004: 26.

Euconnus denticornis a. uredineus Trella, 1924: 22. Type locality: Przemyśl, Poland [aberration, not available name]

Material examined (10 3, 2 Ƥ): CZECH REPUBLIC: 1 Ƥ: Moravia bor., Suchdol nad Odroum M. Mantič leg. (PHKS). 1 Ƥ: Moravia, Brno – Sobĕšice, 3.vi.1988, P. Průdek. (PHKS). 13: Mor. Mer. Pavlovské kopce, Klausem (53), 23.v.1962, lgt. Lauterer. (PHKS). SLOVAKIA: 1 3: Muránska Planina, v. Strelnica, 14.vi.2009, fagetum.

(SBPC). 1 3: Nesvády, 2 km JV, 8074, Líščie diery, písčiny, 24–25.v.1995, M. Mantič leg. (PHKS). SLOVENIA: 2 3: Slovenia bor., Peċovnik, 5.v.2001, J. Vávra leg. (JVOC). 1 3: Sajevce, Krakovski Gozd forest, Kostanjevica na Krki env, 24.iv.2004, Tomáš Sitek lgt. (PHKS). 1 3: Poljane env, Polina pečina, 27.vi.2002, V. Zieris lgt. (VZPC). BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: 1 3: Bosnia, Mojmilo, 1929. vi.10, leg. Dr. J. Fodor. (HNHM). TURKEY: 1 3: Sinop, 20 km SW Ayancuk, 895 m, 41°49'34''N, 34°24'14''E, fir and beech forest, 2.iv.2009, V. Assing. (HMGG). 1 3: Sinop, 25 km S Sinip, W Lala, 41°53'15''N, 35°01'46''E, 240m, oak forest, 31.iii.2009, V. Assing. (HMGG).

Description: Body shiny, pitchy brownish-black, body length 1.75–1.80 mm, body width 0.75–0.80 mm; with long, golden pubescence, sparse on elytra, erect on sides of pronotum and posterior part of head. Head about 1.25 times as wide as long, tempora evenly convergent posteriorly; eyes protuberant; supra-antennal tubercles strongly protuberant. Antennae ( Fig. 29 ) 0.95–1.05 mm long; antennomeres III–V subquadrate and subequal; VI subtapezoidal; 1.15 as wide as long; VII subtrapezoidal, 1.50 as wide as long; antennomere VIII about 1.30 times as long as wide, about 2.70 times as long as VII and 1.30 times as long as IX; antennomere X 1.15 times as wide as long; terminal antennomere 1.90 times as long as wide and 1.80 times as long as X. Pronotum about as long as wide. Elytra about 1.40 times as long as wide, sutural striae reaching basal fourth of elytral length. Aedeagus 0.38 mm in length, as in Fig. 30 .

Distribution: Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Great Britain, Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Russia (South European Territory), Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Serbia, Montenegro and Turkey.

Differential diagnosis: Euconnus denticornis differs from other species of denticornis group by small body, 1.75–1.85 mm long, antennomeres III–V subquadrate and subequal, VII subtrapezoidal 1.50 times as wide as long, antennomere VIII about 1.30 times as long as wide, IX 1.20 times as wide as long, X 1.15 as wide as long and by terminal antennomere 1.90 times as long as wide. E. denticornis is similar to E. puniceus but it differs from late in darker colour, smaller size and longer terminal antennomere which is 1.90 times as long as wide, only 1.80 times as long as wide in E. puniceus .

Note I: Castellini (2006) discussed a possible synonymy of E. robustus , E. dodecanicus , E. pararobustus and E. pseudorobustus with E. denticornis based on the similar structure of aedeagi. Illustrations of Herbert Franz, in general, are of very poor quality and we are of the opinion that it is not possible to synonymyze any of his species without studying the material and just on the basis of his illustrations. Euconnus robustus , E. dodecanicus and E. pararobustus belong to a different group of species than E. denticornis and all three seem to be distinct species although no material of E. pararobustus was available for our study. These species are clearly different from E. denticornis in external characters and in the structure of the aedeagus. The aedeagus of E. pseudorobustus is very similar to that of E. denticornis , but we decided to maintain it as a separate species (see discussion in remarks for C. pseudorobustus ).

Note II: The aberration uredineus of Euconnus denticornis was described by Trella (1924), this name is infrasubspecific and it is not available (ICZN, 45.5.). This name was incorrectly used as a synonym of E. denticornis by Davies (2004: 207).

Figures

FIGURES 23 – 30. 23, Euconnus schlosseri, antennae of male (scale: 0.2 mm); 24, E. schlosseri, aedeagus, dorsal aspect (scale: 0.1 mm); 25, E. brachati, antennae of male (scale: 0.2 mm); 26, E. brachati, aedeagus, dorsal aspect (scale: 0.1 mm); 27, E. croaticus, antennae of male (scale: 0.2 mm); 28, E. croaticus, aedeagus, dorsal aspect (scale: 0.1 mm); 29, E. denticornis, antennae of male (scale: 0.2 mm); 30, E. denticornis, aedeagus, dorsal aspect (scale: 0.1 mm).