Lomechusoides strumosus (Fabricius, 1792)

Jászay, Tomáš, Hlaváč, Peter & Baňař, Petr, 2023, A taxonomic revision of the myrmecophilous genus Lomechusoides Tottenham, 1939 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae). Part II. The revision of the strumosus species group, Zootaxa 5343 (6), pp. 539-593 : 541

The Lomechusoides strumosus species group

Diagnosis: Head trapezoidal, quadratic or rectangular, slightly longer than wide or slightly wider than long, eyes shorter than temples, frontal impression with characteristic O, U or V shape, with sparser punctation and sparser setation as on rest of head, posterior corners of temples rounded. Antennomere III clavate, longer than pedicel and longer or at least as long as antennomere IV, terminal antennomere always longer than scape, all antennomeres matt, with dense microsculpture. Pronotum strongly transverse, rectangular or trapezoidal in shape, with excavation on anterior margin, lateral margins matt, with tubercles and setae and with well-defined microsculpture; median longitudinal groove well-defined, pronotal disc with punctures bearing erect setae, microsculpture variable; anterior part and lateral sides with macrosetae, the number of which is a useful diagnostic species character ( Maruyama 2006). Metaventral process with sharp anterior angles, with or without impression, punctate and with long setae, median longitudinal groove punctate and setose. Abdomem with visible tergites I–IV finely punctate, posterior margin with fine setation and about 14–18 macrosetae, visible tergites V–VIII more or less punctate, surface with uneven microsculpture and setation. Ventrites III–VIII with long setae, setae on ventrites III–IV exceeding posterior margin of respective ventrite, setae on remaining ventrites not exceeding their posterior margin. Aedeagus with robust median lobe, basal bulb with well-developed distal crest and basal ridge. Spermatheca with basal and apical part connected by U-shaped arm, inner wall of apical part from sparsely to densely wrinkled, basal part attached to thin spermathecal duct.

Distribution. Almost the entire Palaearctic region but absent in northern Africa; known from the Iberian peninsula, central and northern Europe, the Caucasus, across Russia, Mongolia and China.

Notes. We were not able to study the type material of Lomechusoides strumosus strumosus ( Fabricius, 1792) , L. strumosus siculus ( Fiori, 1914) and L. strumosus caucasicus (Wasmann, 1896) . After the study of the material from the type locality of L. strumosus siculus (Sicily, Castelbuono) we came to the conclusion that this is a valid species. Lomechusoides strumosus caucasicus is treated here as a synonym of L. teres , as all Caucasian species which we were able to examine belong to L. teres .