Anaulacaspis gratilla ( ERICHSON, 1839 )

Assing, Volker, 2016, Revision of the Anaulacaspis species of the Palaearctic region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 66 (2), pp. 201-255 : 233-235

Anaulacaspis gratilla ( ERICHSON, 1839)

( Figs 121–131 , Map 4 )

Falagria gratilla ERICHSON, 1839: 54 f.

Falagriola lutzi REITTER, 1909: 75 ; syn. n.

Type material examined: Falagria gratilla : Syntype ♀ [damaged; head, pronotum, and abdominal segments V–X missing]: “5298 / gratilla Er., Mesopot. Helfer / Syntypus Falagria gratilla Erichson, 1839 , labelled by MNB 2011 / Anaulacaspis gratilla ( Erichson) , det. V. Assing 2016” ( MNB) .

Falagriola lutzi : Lectotype ♂, present designation: “Margelan. Reitter. / coll. Reitter / Holotypus Falagriola Lutzi Reitter [curator label] / Falagriola lutzi m. 1908. / Falagria lutzi (Rtt.) ♂, V.I. Gusarov det. 1996 / Lectotypus ♂ Falagriola lutzi Reitter , desig. V. Assing 2016 / Anaulacaspis gratilla (Erichson) , det. V. Assing 2016” ( HNHM) . Paralectotypes: 3 ♀♀: same data as lectotype.

Comment: The original description of Falagria gratilla is based on an unspecified number of syntypes from “ Mesopotamia, Dr. Helfer” ( ERICHSON 1839). The sole syntype located in the Erichson collection at the MNB is severely damaged (only meso- and metathorax and base of abdomen left), which is why it is not designated as the lectotype. Falagriola lutzi was described in a footnote, based on an unspecified number of syntypes from “Transkaspien, Margelan” ( REITTER 1909). Four syntypes, a male and three females, were located in the collections of the HNHM. They had been dissected by V. Gusarov (Oslo), who attached (para-) lectotype labels to them without ever publishing the designation.

In view of the poor condition of the type specimen of Anaulacaspis gratilla , an interpretation of this species is problematic. Nevertheless, it is hypothesized to be conspecific with the type material of A. lutzi for three reasons. First, “ Mesopotamia ” is unlikely to host a species not treated in the course of the present revision. Second, material of only one Anaulacaspis species has been recorded from this region, and these specimens are conspecific with A. lutzi . Finally, a comparison of material of A. lutzi with what is left of the type specimen of A. gratilla revealed no morphological differences. Consequently, A. lutzi is placed in synonymy with A. gratilla .

Additional material examined: Ukraine: 4 ♂♂, 4 ♀♀, Odessa, 28.IV., leg. Lgocki ( NHMW, cAss) .

Iran: Azarbayjan-e Gharbi: 6 ♂♂, 3 ♀♀, road Tabriz– Marand , 4 km S Ivand, 38°19'N, 46°08'E, 1560 m, 28.VIII.2008, leg. Frisch & Serri ( MNB, cAss) . Semnan: 4 ♂♂, 8 ♀♀, 17 km N Shahmirzad , 5 km S Chashm, 35°51'N, 53°18'E, 2040 m, 22.V.2006, leg. Frisch & Serri ( MNB, cAss) . Mazandaran: 1 ♂, Farahabad , 36°49'N, 53°12'E, 9.VII.1975, leg. Senglet (cAss) .

Iraq: 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, “Mesopotamien” ( MNB).

Azerbaijan: 2 ♂♂, 2 ♀♀, Ordubad [“Araxesthal”], leg. Leder & Reitter ( NHMW, cAss); 1 ♀, Xanlar [“Helenendorf ”], leg. Reitter ( NHMW).

Uzbekistan: 3 ♂♂, 1 ♀, Marghilon [“Margelan”], leg. Staudinger, Reitter ( MNB, NHMW, cAss); 1 ♀, Taškent ( NHMW).

Kazakhstan: 1 ♂, Džambul (“Aulie Ata”) ( MNB).

Afghanistan: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Kandahar, E Kandahar, 31°37'N, 65°36'E, 31.VII.1975, leg. Senglet (cAss); 1 ♂, Baghlan Prov., Doshi District, N Salang, Kilagi , 1200 m, 2.VIII.2010, leg. Reuter (cFel) .

Locality not specified: 2 ♀♀, “Caucasus”, leg. Leder & Reitter ( NHMW) ; 1 ♀, “Turcmenien”, leg. Leder & Reitter ( NHMW).

Redescription: Body length 1.8–2.3 mm; length of forebody 0.9–1.1 mm. Coloration: head dark-brown; pronotum yellowish-red to reddish-brown; elytra reddish with a medio-lateral infuscate spot of very variable size, sometimes leaving only the humeral angles and the posterior margins of the elytra yellowish; abdomen dark-brown to blackish-brown, with segments I–II or I–III sometimes paler; legs pale-yellowish; antennae pale-brown to darkbrown, with antennomeres I–III yellowish.

Head approximately 1.1 times as broad as long, with more or less weakly pronounced sexual dimorphism; punctation very fine and sparse. Eyes longer than postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna approximately 0.9 mm long; antennomeres IV approximately as long as broad, V transverse, VI–X increasingly transverse and of gradually increasing width, X approximately twice as broad as long or nearly so.

Pronotum approximately 1.1 times as broad as long and as broad as head, with distinct sexual dimorphism.

Elytra 1.10–1.15 times as long as pronotum; punctation moderately dense and very fine. Hind wings fully developed.

Abdomen narrower than elytra; posterior margin of tergite VIII ( Fig. 121, 128 ) truncate to weakly convex, postero-laterally with a (sometimes indistinct) cluster of long setae; marginal setae rather short and unmodified.

♂: head somewhat flattened or weakly impressed in postero-median portion; pronotum with moderately fine and distinct punctation, in postero-median portion with extensive shallow impression; sternite VIII ( Fig. 122, 129 ) distinctly transverse, posterior margin obtusely pointed in the middle; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 123–126, 130–131 ) 0.30–0.36 mm long; ventral process short and strongly curved in lateral view, narrowly triangular and apically acute in ventral view; crista apicalis strongly developed, long and sinuate.

♀: head not flattened in postero-median portion; pronotum without extensive impression and with extremely fine punctation; sternite VIII ( Fig. 127 ) strongly transverse, posterior margin broadly convex, in the middle weakly concave.

Intraspecific variation: Like many other species of the genus, A. gratilla is subject to pronounced intraspecific variation of size, coloration, and other characters. The aedeagus, too, is rather variable, not only regarding size, but also with respect to the shape of the ventral process of the aedeagus. The primary and secondary sexual characters of a nanistic male from Azerbaijan are illustrated in Figs 128–131 .

Comparative notes: Anaulacaspis gratilla is somewhat transitional between the species allied to A. nigra (in that it has the postero-lateral clusters of long thin setae on tergite VIII) and those allied to A. desertorum , with which it shares a similar shape of the male (not distinctly produced posteriorly) and female sternite VIII (weakly concave in the middle). This species is reliably distinguished from the highly similar and sympatric A. seclusa only by smaller average body size, the flat male head and the completely different shape of the ventral process of the aedeagus.

Distribution: The vast distribution of A. gratilla ranges from Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Iran into Middle Asia ( Map 4 ), where it appears to be rather common. The altitudes indicated on the labels range from 1200 to 2040 m.

Figures

Map 4: Distributions of Anaulacaspis desertorum (black circles), A. naevula (white circles), A. iberica (white stars), A. laevigata (white diamonds), A. gratilla (black diamonds), and A. excisa (black stars) in the West Palaearctic and Middle Asia, based on revised records. The question mark indicates the records without specified locality of A. gratilla from Iraq.

Figs 113–135: Anaulacaspsis seclusa (113–120; 115–116: holotype of A. klapperichi; 113–114, 117–120: Iran), A. gratilla (121–131; 121–124: lectotype of A. lutzi; 128–131: nanistic male from Azerbaijan), and A. cristata (132–135): male tergite VIII (113, 121, 128, 132); male sternite VIII (114, 122, 129, 133); median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (115–118, 123–126, 130–131, 134–135); female tergite VIII (119); female sternite VIII (120, 127). Scale bars: 0.1 mm.