Quedius (Microsaurus) atricapillus REITTER

Assing, Volker, 2007, Two new species and additional records of " small " - eyed Quedius from the Eastern Mediterranean (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 57 (2), pp. 335-345 : 339-341

Quedius (Microsaurus) atricapillus REITTER ,, 1900 ( Figs 11-19 )

Material examined: Turkey, Antalya: 2 exs., 16 km NE Demirtaş , 36°30'N, 32°20'E, 800-1100 m, 26.V.2006, leg. Weigel (cApf, cAss) ; 1 ex., 18 km NE Demirtaş , pass, 36°40'N, 32°23'E, 1550 m, 26.+ 28. V.2006, leg. Skale (cApf) .

Redescription:

Measurements (in mm) and ratios (range; n=3): HL: 1.04-1.14; HW: 1.46 (), 1.23-1.30 (); PW:1.65-1.79;PL:1.53-1.60;EL:1.14-1.21;TiL:1.23-1.25;TaL:1.02-1.14;ML:1.21;TL:7.4-10.7; HW/HL: 1.29 (), 1.17-1.18 (); PW/HW: 1.22 (), 1.32-1.34 (); PL/PW: 0.90-0.93; EL/PL: 0.72-0.76; TiL/TaL: 1.08-1.23.

Habitus as in Fig. 11 . Conspicuously colourful species: Head black; pronotum and prosternum bright reddish; elytra reddish yellow; scutellum, mesosternum, and metasternum black; abdomen with segments III-VII and anterior third of segment VIII bright reddish and posterior two thirds segment VIII blackish; legs reddish; antennae blackish brown, with the basal 4 antennomeres reddish.

Head transverse, more so in  than in  (see ratio HW/HL and Figs 12-13 ); anterior margin of frons broadly concave; dorsal surface with fine transverse microsculpture and rather sparse micropuncturation. Dorsal puncturation (one side only; all punctures setiferous): 1 puncture at anterior margin frons of near antennal pit, 1 puncture at posterior margin of antennal pit; dorsal margin of eye with 3 punctures, 2 of them near anterior margin of eye and one approximately in the middle of dorsal margin; 1 temporal puncture at about 1/3 the distance from posterior margin of eye to posterior margin of head; 2 punctures near posterior margin of head. Eyes ( Fig. 14 ) slightly longer than postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna as in Fig. 15 .

Pronotum transverse and distinctly wider than head (see ratios PW/HW and PL/PW); maximal width approximately in the middle; lateral and posterior margins smoothly rounded ( Figs 12-13 ). Dorsal rows composed of 1+2 punctures; dorso-laterally without puncture behind long lateral seta. Microsculpture similar to that of head; whole surface with fine transverse microstriae.

Elytra wider and at suture somewhat shorter than pronotum (see ratio EL/PL); puncturation moderately dense, interstices on average wider than diameter of punctures; microsculpture absent ( Figs 12-13 ). Scutellum impunctate and with distinct transverse microstriae. Hind wings fully developed. Legs of moderate length (see measurements and ratio TiL/TaL).

Abdomen only with traces of barely noticeable microsculpture; puncturation distinct and not very dense; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe.

: posterior margin of sternite VIII with broad, rather shallow, and in the middle not distinctly acute posterior excision, on either side of middle with row of long black submarginal setae; aedeagus of distinctive morphology ( Figs 16-19 ).

: posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly and weakly convex, row of submarginal setae black, but shorter than in .

Comparative notes:

Among other MicrosaurusMicrosaurus species, Q. atricapillusatricapillus is characterised especially by the distinctively bicoloured body and by the morphology of the aedeagus. The latter somewhat resembles that

of Q. abietum both in shape and in chaetotaxy, but is distinctly smaller. For illustrations of the aedeagi of its Western Palaearctic consubgeners see COIFFAIT (1978).

Distribution and bionomics:

The species was originally described from several ["in einiger Anzahl"] syntypes from "Ober-Syrien: Akbes" (REITTERREITTER 1900), which is probably identical to what is Akbez [=Akboz or Akbaz] in northern Antakya province, Turkey, today. Since no further records had been published, the previously known distribution was confined to Turkey, not to Syria ( HERMAN 2001, SMETANASMETANA 2004). The additional specimens listed above represent the first record after the original description. They were collected in two localities near Demirtaş , eastern Antalya province, southwestern Anatolia, at an altitude of about 800-1550 m. One of the beetles is slightly teneral .

Figures

Figs 11-19: Quedius atricapillus REITTER:  habitus (11);  forebody (12);  forebody (13); head in lateral view (14); antenna (15); median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (16-17); paramere (18); apex of paramere (19). Scale bars: 11-15: 1.0 mm; 16-18: 0.5 mm; 19: 0.1 mm.