Alevonota (Alevonota) vitalei ( BERNHAUER , 1932)

Wunderle, Volker Assing Paul, 2008, On the Alevonota species of the Western Palaearctic region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Athetini), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 58 (5), pp. 145-189 : 161-162

Alevonota (Alevonota) vitalei ( BERNHAUER, 1932) ( Figs 64-68 )

Aleuonota vitalei BERNHAUER, 1932: 238 f.

Type material examined:

Lectotype  [damaged, both antennae missing], here designated: “ Sizilien, 30.1.10, P. Empedocle, Vitale / aurantiaca det. Bernh. / Elytris brevibus / Aleuonota Vitalei Brh. Typus / Chicago NHMus.

M.Bernhauer Coll. / Lectotypus  Aleuonota vitalei Bernhauer desig. V. Assing 2007 / Alevonota vitalei (Bernhauer) det. V. Assing 2007 ” ( FMNH).

Comment:

The original description is based on at least two syntypes - both sexes are described - from “Sizilien: Porto Empedocle” collected by F. Vitale ( BERNHAUER 1932). The above male from the Bernhauer collection is here designated as the lectotype. In external morphology, it is indistinguishable from the females seen from Israel (see below).

Additional material examined:

Israel: 1 , Galilee , Mt. Meron, 900 m, 21.IV.1982, leg. Besuchet & Löbl ( MHNG); 1 , coast, Mt. Carmel, 500 m, 17.IV.1982, leg. Besuchet & Löbl (cAss) .

Diagnosis:

3.0- 3.2 mm (abdomen extended); RL: 1.3-1.4 mm. In external morphology ( Figs 64-65 ) and sexual characters highly similar to small specimens of A. rufotestacea , but distinguished as follows:

Abdominal tergite VI with distinct anterior transverse impression, this impression almost as deep as those of tergites III-V.

: aedeagus with ventral process more strongly bent and apically more acute in ventral view ( Fig. 66 ); ML: 0.30 mm.

: spermatheca of similar shape as that of A. rufotestacea ( Figs 67-68 ).

Distribution and bionomics:

The species is known only from Sicily and Israel. However, the records from Israel are based only on females and require confirmation. The types and additional specimens were collected in January and April .

Figures

Figs 64-73: Alevonota vitalei (BERNHAUER) (64-68) and A. hierroensis sp. n. (69-73): forebody of specimen from Israel (64); head of lectotype in lateral view (65); median lobe of aedeagus of lectotype in lateral view (66); spermathecae of females from Israel (67-68); habitus of holotype (69); head and pronotum of holotype (70); antenna of paratype (71); median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view (teneral and somewhat deformed) (72); spermatheca of holotype (73). Scale bars: 64, 69-70: 0.5 mm; 65, 71: 0.2 mm; 66-68, 72-73: 0.1 mm.