Valgus Scriba, 1790

Alekseev, Vitalii I., 2018, Scarabaeoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) Of The Kaliningrad Region (Russia): The Commented Actual Checklist, Assessment Of Rarity And Notes To Regional Protection, Acta Biologica Universitatis Daugavpiliensis 18 (2), pp. 111-152 : 141-143

Genus Valgus Scriba, 1790

83. V. hemipterus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Lentz 1879; Bercio & Folwaczny 1979; Alekseev & Sakhnov 2000; Alekseev 2006, 2014.

Voucher specimens: 8 [Yantarny, 05 May 2008, 3 exp.; ibidem, 24 May 2010; Otradnoe, 01 July 2010; 1312 km, 21 May 2013; 23 km of the Curonian Spit, 15 June 2015].

Kaliningrad Region: Zel. (Pillau); Bagr., Chern., Gur., Zel.

Comments: Larvae develop in the white rotten stumps of deciduous trees, beetles feed on flowers (mostly Apiacea) in May-June. The species is considered “least concern” at the European level ( Nieto & Alexander 2010). Widely distributed throughout the Region and occasional species, can be found in suburbs, parks (4- 5 specimens yearly in 2015-2017 in Kaliningrad) and mixed forests .

So far, 98 species of five families ( Trogidae , Lucanidae , Geotrupidae , Bolboceratidae and Scrabaeidae) are known from the Kaliningrad Region. The occurrence of 29 species is not certain and needs confirmation by current data. Stenotopic character of some species, resulting their insular and strictly seasonal occurrence and difficulties in observation, make the possibility of finding these “secretive” species quite probable.

Four species were incorrectly determined and later erroneously cited for the Kaliningrad Region (Alekseev & Sakhnov 2000; Alekseev 2002, 2003): Trox cadaverinus ; Aphodius pubescens ; Hoplia dilutipes ; H. hungarica . These beetles should be removed from the list of the regional fauna. Two species known in the northern part of the former Eastern Prussia ( Lentz 1879) were excluded from the recent regional fauna too. There are Typhaeus typhoeus and Aphodius quadrimaculatus . Both these species were reported in XIX century only, first of them is possible erroneously labeled, and second species seems to be regionally extinct similarly as in Poland ( Pawłowski et al. 2002).

The actual presence in the regional fauna of nine other species ( Trox hispidus , Aphodius bimaculatus , A. quadriguttatus , Euheptaulacus sus , Euoniticellus fulvus , Caccobius schreberi , Onthophagus medius , Amphimallon ruficorne , Hoplia pulverulenta ) is especially under question and in need of confirmation. These species probably do not occur now in the Kaliningrad Region as the result of oscillations in their overall ranges. Additional field surveys (especially across southern parts of the Region) are needed to verify if these species still inhabit the Kaliningrad Region.

Five species names of the listed Kaliningrad Region fauna are replaced by the new systematically correct for the regional fauna species names: Rhyssemus puncticollis , Onthophagus medius , Omaloplia nigromarginata , Potosia metallica , and Osmoderma barnabita . Such a decision was made on the base of the species distribution in the adjacent territories and the collected specimens from the Kaliningrad Region. In this way, the species Rhyssemus germanus , Onthophagus vacca , Omaloplia ruricola , Protaetia cuprea , and Osmoderma eremita are removed from the Kaliningrad Region fauna. The authorship of the genera Aphodius and Oryctes was changed according to Alonso-Zarazaga & Krell (2011).

Ten species ( Ochodaeus chrysomeloides , Aphodius piceus , A. paracoenosus , A. lividus , A. punctatosulcatus hirtipes , Euheptaulacus villosus , Onthophagus joannae , O. similis , Chaetopteroplia segetum , Protaetia speciosissima ) are listed between the potential faunal components. The findings of these beetles are quite probable in the Kaliningrad Region and, may be, more probable, than rediscovery of several historical species.

One species, not reported in the Kaliningrad Region earlier, is added to the regional checklist in this paper. There is Platycerus caprea ( Lucanidae ). The regional occurrence of two inaccurately identified (Alekseev & Sakhnov 2000) species of Aphodius [ brevis and coenosus ] is confirmed in present study by reliable material.

The above discussed categories and listed species can be tabularly presented ( Table 1).

According to the comparative estimation scale of distribution and abundance in the Kaliningrad Region, the sampled in the research period 69 species were grouped into eleven clusters: