Geostiba (Geostiba) sororcula ASSING , 2001

Assing, Volker, 2017, On the Geostiba fauna of Armenia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 49 (2), pp. 1075-1092 : 1076-1077

Geostiba (Geostiba) sororcula ASSING, 2001 ( Map 1 )

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Armenia: 2 exs., N Yerevan, W Hrazdan , 40°32'N, 44°33'E, 2130 m, secondary forest margin, litter and roots sifted, 25. VI.2016, leg. Schülke (MNB) ; 13, 4♀♀, 9 exs., N Yerevan, W Hrazdan , 40°30'N, 44°34'E, 1870 m, meadow, roots of grass and herbs sifted, 25. VI.2016, leg. Assing & Schülke (cAss, MNB) ; 13, S Martuni, Sulema Pass , 39°58'N, 45°14'E, 2340 m, slope with small stream and scattered bushes, litter and roots near stream sifted, 29. VI.2016, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 1833, 29 ♀♀, 21 exs., 35 km NW Sisian , 39°41'N, 45°47'E, 2070 m, stream valley, litter beneath bushes near stream sifted 3.VII.2016, leg. Assing & Schülke (cAss, MNB) ; 1♀, WSW Kapan, Meghri Pass , 39°07'N, 46°10'E, 2520 m, moist grassy slope with scattered bushes, litter and grass roots sifted, 6.VII.2016, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 333, 7♀♀ [4 ♀♀ macropterous], 15 exs., Gavar , 40°21'N, 45°08'E, 1950 m, old poplar trees near river, litter and roots of herbs sifted, 25. VI.2017, leg. Assing & Schülke (cAss, MNB) ; 833, 12♀♀, 4 exs., mountain range W Gavar , 40°21'N, 45°01'E, 2330 m, grassy slope, litter and roots sifted, 26. VI.2017, leg. Assing & Schülke (cAss, MNB) ; 1 ex., mountain range W Gavar , 40°20'N, 44°59'E, 2490 m, grassy slope, litter and roots sifted, 26. VI.2017, leg. Schülke (MNB) ; 1 ex., mountain range W Gavar , 40°21'N, 45°01'E, 2250 m, grassy slope, tall herbs and roses, roots and debris sifted, 26. VI.2017, leg. Schülke (MNB) ; 733, 9♀♀, 5 exs., Vardenis mountain range SE Vardenis, 40°05'N, 45°49'E, 2330 m, stream valley with Salix, litter and roots beneath Salix sifted, 27. VI.2017, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 733, 11 ♀♀, 1 ex., NE Sevan Lake, Karmir pass, 40°34'N, 45°18'E, 2150 m, debris, grass, and roots beneath scattered Sorbus sifted, 30. VI.2017, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 13, S Martuni, Sulema Pass , 39°58'N, 45°14'E, 2340 m, slope with small stream and scattered bushes, litter and roots near stream sifted, 8.VII.2017, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 233, 6 ♀♀, 2 exs., 40 km NW Sisian, Vorotan Pass , 39°42'N, 45°41'E, 2090 m, grassy slope with scattered bushes, litter, debris, and moss sifted, 8.VII.2017, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 1♀, pass N Goris , 39°35'N, 46°20'E, 2110 m, grassy slope with stones, under stones, 9.VII.2017, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 833, 10♀♀, pass N Goris , 39°36'N, 46°19'E, 1990 m, N-slope with small stream valleys with water, litter, debris, and moss sifted, 10.VII.2017, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 333, 4 ♀♀, 10 exs., 40 km NW Sisian, Vorotan Pass, 39°41'N, 45°45'E, 2140 m, stream valley with Salix , litter and roots sifted, 10.VII.2017, leg. Assing (cAss) .

C o m m e n t: Geostiba sororcula was originally described based on four specimens from a locality in the south of Gümüşhane province and subsequently recorded also from a locality in Ardahan province, Northeast Turkey ( ASSING 2001, 2003). The currently known distribution is illustrated in Map 1 . The above material represents the first records from outside Turkey and from Armenia, where the species appears to be rather common at higher elevations. The altitudes of the Armenian localities range from 1870 to 2730 m. The specimens were usually sifted from litter and roots in forest margins, bush habitats (often near streams), floodplain forests, and various types of montane grassland. Interestingly, like G. circellaris , G. sororcula is wing-dimorphic: four females collected in Gavar are macropterous, whereas the remaining specimens collected by myself are micropterous. Aside from G. circellaris and G. sororcula , wing dimorphism has been observed in only three other species of the genus, G. oertzeni (EPPELSHEIM, 1888) , G. maxiana (TIKHOMIROVA, 1973) , and G. lucens (BENICK, 1970) ( ASSING 2009, 2015).

Figures

Map 1: Distribution of Geostiba sororcula.