Quedius josue SAULCY, 1865

Assing, V., 2014, On the Staphylinidae of Israel II, with a revision of some species of Dinusa SAULCY (Insecta: Coleoptera), Linzer biologische Beiträge 46 (2), pp. 1179-1210 : 1188-1189

Quedius josue SAULCY, 1865

Quedius josue SAULCY, 1865b: 636 f.

Quedius troodites FAGEL, 1968: 7 ff.; nov.syn. M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Israel: 1, Carmel , Nahal Oren, 32°43'N, 35°00'E, 150 m, pitfall ,

4.IV.2010, leg. Drees (cAss); 3 ex. [det. Feldmann], Upper Galilee , Meron env., 33°01'N, 35°24'E, flight interception trap, 15.V.-5.VI.2007, leg. Buse (cFel). Iraq: 12 exs. [det. Feldmann & Solodovnikov], Rawanduz env., 36°30'N, 44°36'E, 1400 m, pitfall, 14.-22.XI.2007, leg. Reuter (cFel) .

C o m m e n t: The original description of Quedius josue is based on a single female from "Arag-el-Emir" (SAULCY 1865), today Iraq al Amir (31°55'N, 35°45'E) in Jordan, that of Q. troodites FAGEL, 1968 on a male holotype from " Chypre: Mt. Troodos, vers le sommet" ( FAGEL 1968). In the introduction to the description of Q. troodites, FAGEL (1968) states that this species is highly similar to Q. josue , that it possibly represents a " race insulaire ", and that "seul un abondant matériel pourra permettre de trancher la question".

An examination of numerous specimens previously identified as Q. troodites from Cyprus, many of them from Troodos (see ASSING & WUNDERLE 2001), and Q. josue from central southern Anatolia and Israel revealed no significant differences in the morphology of the aedeagus whatsoever. The shape of the apex of the median lobe and the arrangement of the peg-setae on the paramere are subject to some variation, but the extremes are linked by transitional conditions. Consequently, Q. troodites is placed in synonymy with the senior name Q. josue .

The previously known distribution of Q. josue included Cyprus, central southern Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. The above specimens from Iraq represent a new country record.