Stenohelops Reitter, 1922

Nabozhenko, Maxim V., Mpamnaras, Athanasios & Kalaentzis, Konstantinos, 2020, Contribution to the knowledge of Mediterranean lichen-feeding darkling beetles of the genus Stenohelops Reitter, 1922 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Zootaxa 4896 (2), pp. 292-300 : 297

Subgenus Stenohelops Reitter, 1922

= Gunarellus Reitter, 1922 , syn. n.

Taxonomy and synonymy. Recently Leo (2020) discussed about the subgeneric system of Stenohelops and noted that the nominotypical subgenus and Gunarellus are difficult to distinguish. Español (1957) also mentioned these difficulties. Both subgenera are different only by the presence or the absence of the fine rim along the apex of the elytral suture. This unclear character was used by Reitter (1922) both for species and for subgenera in different groups of Helopini , but it can be variable even in different population of one species. For example, Reitter (1922) indicated the apically un-rimmed elytral suture in Stenohelops (Gunarellus) gratus (J. Frivaldszky, 1894) . Kaszab (1937) also mentioned this character, but later ( Kaszab 1957) he wrote, that elytral suture apically is rimmed and transferred this species to the nominotypical subgenus. In fact, this species has left sutural margin rimmed and right one un-rimmed ( Fig. 3A ).

The other question is that Stenohelops gratus , which was described from Serbia and designated as the type species of the subgenus Gunarellus ( Nabozhenko 2008) is mentioned as doubtful and little-known species, which occurs far from the main range of this Western Mediterranean subgenus ( Español 1957, Leo 2020).

We studied one syntype (male) of Stenohelops gratus and confirm that this species distinctly belongs to the genus Stenohelops and has elongated, but distinctly separated deep punctures on prothoracic hypomera as in subgenera Stenohelops and Gunarellus . The character of rimmed elytral suture at apex cannot be used for subgeneric division as indistinct and variable. As a result the following synonymy is proposed: Stenohelops Reitter, 1922 = Gunarellus Reitter, 1922 , syn. n.

In conclusion, we suggested that the sculpture of prothoracic hypomera is also formal character, and the future molecular phylogeny may show completely different branches for this genus.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Stenohelops gratus (J. Frivaldszky, 1894), lectotype, male (© photographs, Hungarian Natural History Museum): A—habitus, B—aedeagus, lateral view, C—labels.