Quedius (Raphirus) nemoralis, Baudi di Selve, 1848

Assing, Volker, 2018, On the taxonomy and zoogeography of some West Palaearctic Quedius species, with a focus on the East Mediterranean and the species allied to Quedius umbrinus and Q. nivicola (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 149-182 : 162

Quedius (Raphirus) nemoralis BAUDI DI SELVE, 1848

Quedius nemoralis BAUDI DI SELVE, 1848: 131 .

Quedius marginalis KRAATZ, 1857: 512; preoccupied.

Quedius mutatus KRAATZ, 1868: 104; replacement name.

Quedius ovaliceps MULSANT & REY, 1876: 744.

Quedius safaensis FAGEL, 1968b: 8 ff.; nov.syn.

Quedius safaensis ormanus FAGEL, 1971: 129 f.; nov.syn.

Quedius nemoralis erinci KORGE, 1971a: 55; nov.syn.

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Q. safaensis: Paratypes: 31 exs.: " LIBAN: Ain Zhalta, Jabal el Jaidi, cédraie, 1750 m, V.1966 G. Fagel / G. Fagel det., safaensis nov. sp. / Quedius nemoralis Baudi di Selve , det. V. Assing 2018 " (IRSNB); 26 exs.: " LIBAN: Nabeh Safa, humus sous cistes [or "bois marécageux" or "mousses gorges d'eau"], 1000 m, V.1966 G. Fagel / G. Fagel det., safaensis n. sp. / Quedius nemoralis Baudi di Selve , det. V. Assing 2018 " (IRSNB); 16 exs.: " LIBAN, Maasser ech Chouf, cédraie, 1850 m, V.1966 G. Fagel / G. Fagel det., safaensis n. sp. / Quedius nemoralis Baudi di Selve , det. V. Assing 2018 " (IRSNB); 2 exs.: " LIBAN: El Barouk, bois de Lab Houl, 1700 m, V.1966 G. Fagel / G. Fagel det., safaensis n. sp. / Quedius nemoralis Baudi di Selve , det. V. Assing 2018 " (IRSNB); 3 exs.: " LIBAN: Ain Dara, Nahr Jesâyer, 900 m, V.1966 G. Fagel / G. Fagel det., safaensis n. sp. / Quedius nemoralis Baudi di Selve , det. V. Assing 2018 " (IRSNB); 17 exs.: " Liban: Kartaba, 1200-1400 m, V.1964 - G. Fagel / G. Fagel det., safaensis n. sp. / Quedius nemoralis Baudi di Selve , det. V. Assing 2018 " (IRSNB).

Q. safaensis ormanus: Paratypes: 18♂♂, 14♀♀: "Anatolie occ., Uludagh, 1800-1900 m [or 2000 m], VI.1970 G. Fagel / G. Fagel det., safaensis ormanus nov. / Paratype / R. I. Sc. N. B. / Quedius nemoralis Baudi di Selve , det. V. Assing 2018 " ( IRSNB) ; 1♂, 1♀: "Anatolie occid., Abant Dagh. 1400-1550 m, V.1967 G. Fagel / G. Fagel det., safaensis ormanus nov. / Paratype / R. I. Sc. N. B. / Quedius nemoralis Baudi di Selve , det. V. Assing 2018 " ( IRSNB) .

C o m m e n t: The original description of Q. nemoralis is based on an unspecified number of syntypes from Piemonte, North Italy ("in provincia Montisferrati (Pedemontium)" ( BAUDI 1848). Quedius marginalis, Q. mutatus, and Q. ovaliceps had been synonymized with Q. nemoralis prior to the present paper (see HERMAN 2001).

Quedius safaensis was originally described based on a male holotype and numerous paratypes from " Liban: Nabeh Safa" and on additional paratypes from "Maasser ech Chouf" and from "Kartaba" ( FAGEL 1968b).

The original description of Q. safaensis ormanus is based on a holotype and twelve paratypes from "Anatolie occidentale: vilayet de Bursa, Uludagh, 1800-1900 m " and two paratypes from "vilayet de Bolu, Abant Dagh, 1400-1500 m " ( FAGEL 1971). Strangely, as many as 27 specimens labelled as paratypes from the type locality were found in the Fagel collection at the IRSNB. The pr i nciple difference indicated in the description as distinguishing Q. ormanus from Q. safaensis and Q. nemoralis is the coloration.

According to the original description of Q. nemoralis erinci, which is based on a holotype and six paratypes from "Bosburun-Gebirge im Pisidischen Taurus", this subspecies is distinguished from the nominal subspecies by slight differences in head shape, coloration, and the size of the aedeagus ( KORGE 1971a). A study of abundant material from various localities both in South and North Anatolia, however, revealed that the Turkish populations are within the range of intraspecific variation of Q. nemoralis . Moreover, a zoogeographically plausible distribution pattern was not observed.

The known range of Quedius nemoralis ranges from the Iberian Peninsula across Central and South Europe eastwards to the Caucasus region, Turkey, Cyprus, and Iran (SCHÜLKE & SMETANA 2015). Additional material from numerous localities in Spain, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon was examined. Based on personal observations it is one of the most common Raphirus species in the East Mediterranean, and can be found in leaf litter and debris in various shrub and forest habitats, often in large numbers. It is subject to considerable intraspecific variation of coloration (sometimes even within populations). The variability of the aedeagus is moderate, i.e., not as pronounced as in Q. umbrinus .