Carcinocephalus merkli ( EPPELSHEIM 1883)

Assing, V., 2009, On the Western Palaearctic species of Carcinocephalus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 41 (1), pp. 463-469 : 464-468

Carcinocephalus merkli ( EPPELSHEIM 1883) ( Figs 1-11 , Map 1)

Homalium merkli EPPELSHEIM 1883: 305 ff.

Astacops mehadiensis BERNHAUER 1902: 62 ; nov.syn.

Carcinocephalus bosnicus SCHEERPELTZ 1934: 86 ff.; nov.syn.

Carcinocephalus mandli SCHEERPELTZ i. l.

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d C. merkli : Lectotype 3 [brachypterous], present designation: "33 / Merkli mihi, Kodscha Balkan. Merkl. / Merkli Epp., Wien. ent. Zeit. II.1883. p. 305 / c. Epplsh. Steind. d. / Typus / Lectotypus 3 Omalium merkli Eppelsheim , desig. V. Assing 2008 / Carcinocephalus merkli (Eppelsheim) , det. V. Assing 2008 " (NHMW). Paralectotype ♀ [brachypterous]: "Merkli mihi, Kodscha Balkan. Merkl. / c. Epplsh. Steind. d. / Typus / Paralectotypus 3 Omalium merkli Eppelsheim , desig. V. Assing 2008 / Carcinocephalus merkli (Eppelsheim) , det. V. Assing 2008 " (NHMW). C. bosnicus : Lectotype 3 [macropterous], present designation: "3 / Ilidže [=Ilidža, W Sarajevo], V. Zoufal / Typus Carcinocephalus bosnicus O. Scheerpeltz / ex coll. Scheerpeltz / probably = Carcinocephalus merkli (Epp.) , det. M. K. Thayer 1989 / Lectotypus 3 Carcinocephalus bosnicus Scheerpeltz , desig. V. Assing 2008 / Carcinocephalus merkli (Eppelsheim) , det. V. Assing 2008 " (NHMW). Paralectotype ♀ [macropterous]: same data 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 Romania: 13 [brachypterous], Băile

Herculane, leg. Breit ( NHMW) ; 1♀ [brachypterous], lake Motrul , leg. Winkler ( NHMW) ; 1♀

[brachypterous; det. Zanetti], Munţii Codru Moma, Borz-valea, Haigaşului, 600-700 m, 26.V.1986,

leg. Moravec (cZan). Serbia: 13 [brachypterous; det. Zanetti], Mt. Radan, Sokolovica, 1200 m,

17.V.1989, leg. Popović (cZan); Macedonia: 13 2♀♀ [brachypterous], Perister, Sveta Petka, leg .

Rambousek (cZan, NHMW). Bulgaria: 13 [macropterous], Botev ["Jumruktschal"], 1200-1600 m,

V-VI.1941, leg. Mandl [" Typus Carcinocephalus mandli O. Scheerpeltz "] ( NHMW) ; 1♀

[macropterous], Rhodope mts., Vasil Kolarov ["Pamporovo"], 28.VI.1966, leg. Ermisch [" Typus

Carcinocephalus mandli O. Scheerpeltz "] (NHMW); 1 ex. [brachypterous], Vitosha [locality

illegible], 26.VIII.1909, leg. Rambousek ( NHMW) ; 1♀ [brachypterous], Kalofer env., leg. Breit

(NHMW); 1♀ [brachypterous], Sofia, Germanski monastir ["Germ. mon."], VIII.1908, leg .

Rambousek (NHMW). Macedonia: 2♀♀ [brachypterous], Perister, Sveta Petka, leg. Rambousek

(NHMW). Greece: 433, 3♀♀ [brachypterous], Grevená, Smixi, Vasilitsa, 1630 m, endogean

pitfall trap, VI.2006 - VI.2007, leg. Giachino & Vailati (cAss); 1♀ [macropterous], Ioánina, Pindos

National Park, road to Vália Kálda, 1550 m, endogean pitfall trap, VI.2005 - VI.2007, leg. Giachino

& Vailati (cAss); 13 [brachypterous; det. Zanetti], Ioánina, Oros Lákmos, road Anílio-Haliki,

endogean pitfall trap, VI.1991 - VI.1992, leg. Giachino & Vailati (cZan); 1 ♀ [brachypterous; det.

Zanetti], Imathía, Oros Vérmio, road Séli-Náoussa, 1100 m, endogean pitfall trap, VI.1992 -

VI.1993, leg. Giachino & Vailati ( MRSN) ; 1♀ [brachypterous; det. Zanetti], Tríkala, road

Kalambáka-Kastanéa-Kranéa, near Amáranto, Fagus forest near pass, 1300 m, 20.VI.1993, leg.

Giachino & Vailati ( MRSN) ; 13, 1♀ [brachypterous; det. Zanetti], Tríkala, road Píli-

Stournaráiika-Mesohóra, Fagus forest near pass, S-slope, 1220 m, endogean pitfall trap, VI.1992 -

VI.1993, leg. Giachino & Vailati ( MCSNB, cZan) ; 1♀ [brachypterous], Evritanía, ca. 15 km SW

Karpenísion, Oros Helidó, 1530 m, endogean pitfall trap, VI.2005 - VI.2006, leg. Giachino & Vailati

(cAss); 233, 2♀♀ [macropterous; det. Zanetti], Fokída, Oros Gióna, N-slope above Kaloskopí,

VI.1992 - VI.1993, endogean pitfall trap, leg Giachino & Vailati (cZan); 1♀ [brachypterous; det.

Zanetti], Lárissa, Oros Ossa, 1000 m, 17.VII.1976, leg. Casale (cZan); 3♀♀ [brachypterous; det.

Zanetti], Lárissa, Oros Ossa, 1220 m, 7.VI.1993, leg. Giachino & Vailati ( MCSNB) ; 1♀

[brachypterous], Taygetos, Maganiari, Vavaras Bk., 36°58'N, 22°23'E, 1030 m, 15.V.2007, leg.

Starke (cFel).

C o m m e n t: The original description of Omalium merkli is based on "zwei Exemplaren im Kodscha-Balkan in Gesellschaft von Anophthalmen aufgefunden" ( EPPELSHEIM 1883). Both of them, a male and a female, were located in the collections of the NHMW. The male is designated as the lectotype.

Astacops mehadiensis was described from a single holotype specimen from "Mehadia in Südungarn" (today in southwestern Romania) ( BERNHAUER 1902). The holotype was not examined, but the description perfectly matches a male specimen seen from Băile Herculane, which is only some 5 km from the type locality.

The original description of Carcinocephalus bosnicus is based on "ein Pärchen (13, 1♀ Typen)" from "Ilidže, Bosnien " ( SCHEERPELTZ 1934). Both specimens were examined ; the male is designated as the lectotype.

A comparative study of the types and additional material revealed that the distinguishing characters emphasised by SCHEERPELTZ (1934) (shape of pronotum, size of eyes, length of elytra, coloration) are all subject to pronounced, but not unusual intraspecific variation ( Figs 1-7 ). The primary and secondary male sexual characters are identical ( Figs 8-11 ), so that both Carcinocephalus mehadiensis and C. bosnicus are placed in synonymy with C. merkli . The suspicion that all three names referred to the same species was only recently expressed by ZANETTI et al. (2008). The species is wing-dimorphic ( Figs 1-5 ), which is not uncommon in the Omaliinae ( ZANETTI 2006) . What is remarkable, however, is that the macropterous morph has much larger and more convex eyes ( Figs 4, 6 ) than the brachypterous morph ( Figs 5, 7 ). A certain correlation of eye size and wing development has been observed for some omaliine species, e. g., Omalium caesum GRAVENHORST 1806 , O. littorale KRAATZ 1857 , and Arpedium quadrum (GRAVENHORST 1806) ( ZANETTI 1987, 2008), but I am not aware of other omaliine examples of a pronounced ophthalmo-dimorphism like the one in Carcinocephalus merkli . Similarly extreme cases of eye dimorphisms or polymorphisms, however, have been shown for species of Staphylinidae from other subfamilies, e. g., for Platyola MULSANT & REY 1875 of the Aleocharinae , for Vulda JACQUELIN DU VAL 1853 of the Staphylininae , and for Micrillus RAFFRAY 1873 of the Paederinae ( ASSING 2007, 2008, 2009). The eye- and wingdimorphism in C. merkli is evidently not sex-related. The macropterous morph appears to be rarer than the brachypterous morph.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s Carcinocephalus merkli is rather widespread in the Balkan region and in southern Romania (Map 1); the macropterous morph is evidently capable of long-distance dispersal by flight. The species, including its synonyms, is listed by SMETANA (2004) for Bulgaria, Romania, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. SCHEERPELTZ (1934), however, reported the species also from Macedonia. ZANETTI et al. (2008) report it from two localities in Serbia (including Kosovo), and from Greece (without specifying localities). The geographically closest congener – and only other Western Palaearctic representative of the genus – is C. blandus (LUZE) , of which only few records from northern Italy are known ( ZANETTI 1987).

As can be inferred from the rarity of records, from the adaptive reductions of pigmentation, wings, and eye size of the brachypterous morph, as well as from the fact that a considerable number of the examined specimens were collected with subterranean pitfall traps, C. merkli evidently has an endogean habitat. RAMBOUSEK (1916) states that he collected the species from leaf litter in moist localities. Adult beetles have been found at altitudes of 600-1630 m during the period from May through August.

Figures

Figs 1-7: Carcinocephalus merkli (EPPELSHEIM) (1, 4, 6: macropterous lectotype of C. bosnicus SCHEERPELTZ; 2: brachypterous male from Băile Herculane; 3, 5, 7: brachypterous male from northern Greece): (1-3) habitus; (4-5) forebody; (6-7) head in lateral view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm.

Figs 8-11: Carcinocephalus merkli (EPPELSHEIM): aedeagus of lectotype of C. merkli (8), of lectotype of C. bosnicus (9), of male from Băile Herculane (10), and of male from northern Greece (11). Scale bars: 0.5 mm.