Oxypoda (Bessopora) lesbia ASSING 2005

Assing, V., 2006, New species and records of Staphylinidae from Greece, with two new synonymies (Insecta: Coleoptera), Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (1), pp. 333-379 : 361

Oxypoda (Bessopora) lesbia ASSING 2005 ( Figs 72-79 , Map 3 )

Material examined: 4 exs., Kato Olympos , E Kallipefki, 39°58N, 22°29E, 1500-1580 m, 6.IV.1998, leg. Assing, Wunderle (cAss, cWun) ; 2 exs., Evritania , W Lamia, N Karpenisi, Timfristos, ski resort, 38°57, 21°48E, 1900 m, 14.IV.2000, leg. Assing, Wunderle (cAss, cWun) ; 1 ex., Fokis , 45 km SSW Lamia, Oros Giona, 38°40N, 22°20E, 1700 m, 17.IV.2000, leg. Assing (cAss) .

C o m m e n t s: The species was only recently described from the Greek island Lesbos ( ASSING 2005g). A comparative study of the external and sexual characters of the above material and of the holotype male of O. lesbia revealed some differences between populations (microsculpture, puncturation, shape of median lobe of aedeagus and of spermatheca), but no convincing evidence that they should represent distinct species. The intraspecific variation of the aedeagus and of the – previously unknown – spermatheca are illustrated in Figs 72-74 and Figs 77-79 . The species is closely related to O. brachyptera (STEPHENS) , as can be inferred from the highly similar morphology of the aedeagus (shape and internal structures of median lobe, apically bifid ventral process of the median lobe, shape and chaetotaxy of the apical lobe of the paramere, shape of the spermatheca). For comparison, the median lobe of the aedeagus of O. brachyptera is illustrated in Fig. 71 . All the specimens seen so far have hind wings of reduced length (approximately 1.5 times as long as elytra and distinctly projecting from under the posterior elytra margins when unfolded). However, the presence of a palisade fringe at the posterior margin of the abdominal tergite VII, as well as the wide distribution suggest that O. lesbia may be wing-dimorphic.

Figures

Map 3: Distribution of Oxypoda lesbia ASSING (filled circles), O. praecisa sp.n. (open circles), and O. afimbriata sp.n. (square) in Greece.

Figs 71-83: Oxypoda brachyptera (STEPHENS) (71), O. lesbia ASSING (72-79), O. afimbriata sp.n. (80-82), and O. praecisa sp.n. (83). (71-74) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (72, 74: Timfristos; 73: Kato Olympos); (75) apical lobe of paramere; (77-79, 82-83) spermatheca (77: Timfristos; 78: Oros Giona; 79: Kato Olympos; 83: Panahaiko); (76, 81) ♀ sternite VIII; (80) 3 sternite VIII. Scale bars: 76, 80-81: 0.2 mm; 71-75, 77-79, 82-83: 0.1 mm.