Sunius adanensis ( LOKAY 1919)

Assing, V. & A, North, 2008, A revision of the Sunius species of the Western Palaearctic region and Middle Asia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 40 (1), pp. 5-135 : 49

4.15. Sunius adanensis ( LOKAY 1919) ( Map 9 )

Medon (Hypomedon) adanensis LOKAY 1919: 23 .

Hypomedon phasianum [sic] BORDONI 1980a: 77 f.; nov.syn.

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d M. adanensis : see ASSING (2001a).

H. phasianus: Holotype 3 [brachypterous]: " Turquie, Erzurum, Erzurum-Tortum , 2000 m, 12.V.1967, Cl. Besuchet / Holotypus / Hypomedon phasianum [sic] n. sp., Det. A. Bordoni 1975 / Sunius adanensis (Lokay) det. V. Assing 2007" ( MHNG).

A d d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d Turkey [see also ASSING 2001a, 2005a, 2005c, 2005d]: E r z u r u m: 3 exs., SW Erzurum, Gölyurt Geçidi, 2350 m, leg. Franz (NHMW, cAss). A n k a r a: 3 exs., SE Ankara, N-Elma Dağı, 1300 m, hollow Salix trunk, 31.X.1995, leg. Vit (cAss); 3 exs., SE Ankara, N-Elma Dağı, 1200 m, Crataegus litter, 31.X.1995, leg. Vit (cAss). A d a n a: 1 ex. [macropterous], Feke env., 21.-24.VII.2000, leg. Smatana (cSch). K a h r a m a n m a r a ş: 1 ex., Andırın-Geben, 11 km from Geben, 37°42'N, 36°27'E, 1320 m, 27.IV.2007, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss); 2 exs., Andırın-Geben, 12.5 km from Andırın, 37°39'N, 36°25'E, 1500 m, 27.IV.2007, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss); 1 ex., Andırın-Geben, 12.5 km from Andırın, 37°39'N, 36°26'E, 1500 m, 27.IV.2007, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss); 3 exs., Geben-Göksun, 17 km from Göksun, 37°53'N, 36°27'E, 1550 m, 27.IV.2007, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss); 2 exs., 3 km SW Tekiri, 37°51'N, 36°37'E, 1100 m, 29.IV.2007, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss). Iran [see also ASSING 2006a]: K o h g i l u y e h & B o y e r a h m a d: 1 ex., road Yasuj-Sepidan, 20 km S Yasuj, 30°28'N, 51°41'E, 2230 m, 10.VII.2004, leg. Ziegler et al. (cAss). L o r e s t a n: 1♀, SE Dorud, Saravand, Oshtoran Kuh, 33°23'N, 49°10'E, 2000 m, 26.VI.2004, leg. Frisch (MNHUB).

C o m m e n t s: The original description of M. adanensis is based on exclusively female syntypes from Adana, Turkey, and Aleppo, Syria ( LOKAY 1919). GUSAROV (1994) designated the syntype from Adana as the lectotype. Several attempts at locating this lectotype were unsuccessful. According to GUSAROV (pers. comm.), it was returned to the Natural History Museum in Prague many years ago, but two curators have been unable to find it (JELÍNEK pers. comm., FIKÁČEK pers. comm.). Nevertheless, the evidence now available leaves little doubt that the types of S. adanensis and S. phasianus are conspecific. According to the original description of S. adanensis , the pronotum and the elytra are reddish, and the elytra are distinctly longer than the pronotum ("thorace valde longioribus"), characters confirmed by an examination of the paralectotype from Aleppo. The macropterous morph of the wing-dimorphic species previously referred to a S. phasianus is the only Sunius species matching this description and distributed in central southern Anatolia and adjacent regions. All other congeners occurring in this region are either of different coloration or have much shorter elytra. In the meantime, the staphylinid fauna of central southern Anatolia has been studied rather thoroughly, and the chances that a fully winged Sunius should have been overlooked are negligible. Consequently, S. phasianus is here placed in the synonymy of S. adanensis . The interpretation of S. adanensis by COIFFAIT (1961, 1984) is incorrect and refers to an undescribed species (see below).

D i a g n o s i s: seeASSING (2001a).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: Confirmed records of S. adanensis (mostly as S. phasianus) have been reported from Turkey, Syria, and Iran ( ASSING 2001a, 2005a, 2005c, 2005d, 2006a; BORDONI 1980a; LOKAY 1919); the known distribution is illustrated in Map 9. SMETANA (2004) also lists the species for Lebanon and Israel, but these records are almost certainly based on the erroneous interpretation of this species by COIFFAIT (1961, 1984).

The species has been collected in various habitats at intermediate to higher altitudes (1000-2350 m). The examined specimens were found in March (3 records/ 16 specimens), April (11/67), May (7/14), June (8/23), July (3/3), and October (2/6).

Figures

Map 9: Distributions of Sunius adanensis (LOKAY) (open circles) and S. falsus nov.sp. (filled circles), based on examined records.