Nepalota gansuensis PACE , 1998

Assing, Volker, 2015, On the Nepalota fauna of China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Athetini), Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (1), pp. 207-248 : 211-212

Nepalota gansuensis PACE, 1998

( Map 2 )

Nepalota gansuensis PACE, 1998: 943 ff.

Nepalota qinlingmontis PACE, 2011: 170 ; nov.syn.

Type material exmined N. gansuensis : Holotype ♂: " CHINA, Gansu, Xinlong Shan, ca. 70 km S Lanzhou , 2225-2380 m, 7.VIII.1994, A. Smetana [C32] / Holotypus Nepalota gansuensis m., det. R. Pace 96 / Nepalota gansuensis sp. n., det. Pace 1996 / Nepalota gansuensis Pace , det. V. Assing 2014" ( MHNG). Paratypes: 1♂, 1♀: same data as holotype ( MHNG).

N. qinlingmontis : Holotype ♂: " China: Shaanxi, Qin Ling Shan, 108.47E, 33.51N, Mountain W Pass at Autoroute km 70, 47 km S Xian, 2300-2500 m, sifted, 26.- 30.08.1995, leg. A. Pütz / Holotypus Nepalota qinlingmontis mihi, det. R. Pace 2009 / Nepalota qinlingmontis n. sp., det.. Pace 2009 / Nepalota gansuensis Pace , det. V. Assing 2014" ( cPüt). Paratypes: 1♂: same data as holotype ( cPüt) ; 1♀: " China: Shaanxi, Qin Ling Shan, 110.06E, 34°25'N, Hua Shan Mt. , S.-top, 1950-2000 m, Forrest [sic], sifted, 19.08.1995, leg. A. Pütz " ( cPüt) ; 1♀ [possibly conspecific with N. yunnanensis ]: " China: Sichuan, Daxue Shan, Gongga Shan Mt. , Hailougou [sic] glacier park, above Camp III, 3000 m, 30.V.1997, leg. A. Pütz " ( cPüt).

Additional material examined: China: Shaanxi: 3♂♂, 3♀♀, 3 exs., SW Meixian , Qinling Shan , 34°02'N, 107°24'E, 1870 m, N-slope, secondary deciduous forest, near stream, litter and grass sifted, 26.VII.2012, leg. Assing, Schülke & Wrase ( cAss, cSch, MNHUB) ; 1♀, Micang Shan, 34 km S Hanzhong , 32°44'N, 106°52'E, 1460 m, W-slope, deciduous forest margin with bamboo, litter, grass, and moss sifted, 14.VIII.2012, leg. Assing ( cAss) ; 1♀, Micang Shan, 33 km S Hanzhong , 32°45'N, 106°53'E, 1360 m, stream valley, forest margin, litter and soil sifted, 15.VIII.2012, leg. Schülke ( cSch) ; 1♀, Qinling Shan, mountain west autoroute 70, 33°51'N, 108°47'E, 2500-2600 m, 26.-27.VIII.1995, leg. Schülke ( cAss) ; 2♂♂, 1♀, Qinling Shan , pass on road Zhouzhi - Foping , 33°44'N, 107°59'E, 1990 m, stream valley with mixed deciduous forest, sifted, 2. & 4.VII.2001, leg. Wrase & Schülke ( cSch) ; 1♂, Qinling Shan , 45 km SSW Xi'an , mountain range W pass on road Xi'an - Shagoujie , 33°52'N, 108°46'E, 2675 m, N-slope with Abies, Betula, Larix, and Rhododendron, sifted, 25.VII.2001, leg. Schülke ( cSch) ; 1 ex., Daba Shan, mountain range N pass 22 km NW Zhenping , 32°01'N, 109°21'E, 2850 m, litter of fir and bushes sifted, 13.VII.2001, leg. Wrase ( cAss). Border Shaanxi - Chongqing : 1♀, Daba Shan, pass 20 km SSE Zhenping , 31°44'N, 109°35'E, 1700-1800 m, young dry mixed forest, 9.VII.2001, leg. Schülke ( cSch). Hubei: 4♂♂, 2♀♀, 10 exs., Daba Shan, mountain range NE Muyuping , pass 12 km N Muyuping , 31°32'N, 110°26'E, 2380 m, young deciduous forest, sifted, 17.-21.VII.2001, leg. Schülke & Wrase ( cSch, cAss) ; 1♂, 12 km NW Muyuping , pass E Da Shennongjia , 31°30'N, 110°21'E, 1950-2050 m, mixed deciduous forest, sifted, 19.VII.2001, leg. Schülke ( cAss). Gansu: 5♂♂, 4♀♀, N Chengxian , W-Qinling Shan, 34°10'N, 105°43'E, 1850 m, mixed secondary forest margin, litter sifted, 29.VII.2012, leg. Assing & Wrase ( cAss, cSch, MNHUB) ; 18 exs., N Chengxian , W-Qinling Shan, 34°10'N, 105°42'E, 1830 m, stream valley with secondary deciduous forest, moist litter sifted, 29.VII.2012, leg. Assing ( cAss, MNHUB) ; 19 exs., mountains SE Longnan, 33°13'N, 105°15'E, 2170 m, N-slope with shrubs and scattered coniferous trees, litter sifted, 31.VII.2012, leg. Assing ( cAss) ; 16 exs., mountains SE Longnan , 33°11'N, 105°14'E, 2030 m, N-slope with scree, moss, fern roots, and moist litter sifted, 31.VII.2012, leg. Assing ( cAss) ; 4♂♂, 3♀♀, 6 exs., W-Qinling Shan, NW Longnan, Lazikou pass, 34°15'N, 103°54'E, 3000 m, N-slope, pasture with shrubs, litter sifted, 2.VIII.2012, leg. Assing & Schülke ( cAss, cSch) ; 3♂♂, 4♀♀, 1 ex., W-Qinling Shan, NW Longnan, Lazikou pass, S-side, Zhuli valley , 34°08'N, 103°56'E, 2260 m, N-slope, mixed forest with oak and pine near stream, litter and dead wood sifted, 3.VIII.2012, leg. Assing & Wrase ( cAss, cSch) ; 14♂♂, 9♀♀, W Longnan, Min Shan, 33°26'N, 104°36'E, 1470 m, deep cleft with scree, shrubs at N-slope, litter sifted, 5.VIII.2012, leg. Assing ( cAss, MNHUB) ; 2♂♂, 2♀♀, S Longnan, Min Shan, 33°03'N, 104°41'E, 2200 m, secondary pine forest with hazelnut, moist litter and roots sifted, 6.VIII.2012, leg. Assing ( cAss) ; 2♂♂, 5♀♀, 3 exs., mountains SE Longnan , 33°11'N, 105°14'E, 2130 m, Nslope with scree, stony soil sifted, 7.VIII.2012, leg. Assing & Wrase ( cAss, cSch). Sichuan: 9♂♂, 15♀♀, 9 exs., N Songpan, road S 301, above Gan lake , 33°15'N, 103°46'E, 2700 m, spruce forest with birch, litter, mushrooms, moss, and dead wood sifted, 12.VIII.2012, leg. Assing & Wrase ( cAss, cSch, MNHUB) ; 2♀♀ [identification uncertain], Gongga Shan, Hailuogou Glacier Park, Camp 1, 29°36'N, 102°04'E, 2100 m, 27.-31.V.1997, leg. Schülke ( cSch, cAss). Yunnan: 32exs., Dehong Dai Aut. Pref. , mountain range 31 km E Luxi , 24°30'N, 98°53'E, 2280 m, secondary pine forest with old deciduous trees, litter sifted, 3.VI.2007, leg. Schülke ( cSch, cAss) ; 2♂♂, 1 ex., Gaoligong Shan, Baoshan Pref. , 29 km ESE Tengchong, 24°56'N, 98°45'E, 2350 m, degraded deciduous forest, litter sifted, 1.VI.2007, leg. Schülke ( cSch, cAss) ; 1♂, 1♀, Gaoligong Shan, Nujiang Lisu Aut. Pref. , pass 21 km NW Liuku , 25°58'N, 98°41'E, 3150 m, bamboo with shrubs, litter sifted, 9.VI.2007, leg. Schülke ( cSch, cAss) ; 7♂♂, 2♀♀, same data, but 2.-3.IX.2009 ( cSch, cAss) ; 3♀♀, Gaoligong Shan, Nujiang Lisu Aut. Pref. , 19 km NW Liuku , 25°59'N, 98°42'E, 2730 m, degraded primary forest, 9.-10.VI.2007, leg. Wrase ( cSch) ; 2♂♂, 3 exs., Lijiang Naxi Aut. Co., 30 km N Lijiang , E Yulongxue Shan , 27°09'N, 100°15'E, 2800-2900 m, stream valley, secondary mixed forest, 13.VIII.2003, leg. Schülke ( cSch, cAss) ; 1♂, 1♀, Zhongdian Co., 36 km ESE Zhongdian , 27°41'N, 100°02'E, 3500-3550 m, old mixed forest with bamboo, litter sifted, 23.-24.VIII.2003, leg. Schülke & Wrase ( cSch, cAss) ; 1♂, 13 exs., Lincang Pref., Laobie Shan, Wei Bo Shan pass, 24°08'N, 99°43'E, 2375 m, degraded secondary deciduous forest, litter and moss sifted, 8.IX.2009, leg. Schülke ( cSch, cAss).

Comment: The original description of N. gansuensis is based on 18 type specimens from " Gansu, Xinlong Shan, ca. 70 Km S Lanzhou" ( PACE 1998). PACE (2004, 2011) subsequently reported the species from additional localities in Hubei, Yunnan, Chongqing, and Sichuan.

In the description of N. qinlingmontis , which is based on several type specimens (males and females) from the Qinling Shan (Shaanxi) and a single female from the Gongga Shan in Sichuan, PACE (2011) compares the species only with N. franzi from Nepal (sic). The median lobe of N. gansuensis is of highly distinctive morphology (see PACE 1998: figures 136-137). Based on the illustrations of the aedeagus of N. qinlingmontis provided by PACE (2011: figures 74-76), there was little doubt that N. qinlingmontis was a junior synonym of N. gansuensis . A revision of the type material eventually confirmed this suspicion.

As is shown by the records above, N. gansuensis is common and widespread from Hubei and Shaanxi in the north and northeast to Yunnan in the southwest ( Map 2 ). In numerous localities it was collected together with N. smetanai , in some also with N. martensi , N. franzi , and N. cuneata . The specimens were sifted from litter in various forest (both coniferous and broad-leaved) and shrub habitats at altitudes of 1360-3550 m.

Figures

Map 2: Distributions of Nepalota gansuensis PACE (circles) and N. guangdongensis PACE (stars) in China, based on examined (filled symbols) and reliable literature records (open symbols).