Quedius (Raphirus) nivicola KIESENWETTER, 1858

Assing, Volker, 2016, On some species of the Quedius obliqueseriatus group, with notes on Q. nivicola (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (2), pp. 1137-1148 : 1147

Quedius (Raphirus) nivicola KIESENWETTER, 1858

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Greece:566, Atikí, Oros Kithairón , 1210 m, VI.2004 - VI.2005, leg. Giachino & Vailati (cAss) ; 566, same data, but V.2003 - VI.2004 (cAss) ; 16, 1♀, same data, but VI.2002 - V.2003 (cAss) ; 16, 2♀♀, Pelopónnisos, Lakonía, Oros Taygetos, Prof. Elías , 1940 m, VI.1999 - VI.2000, leg. Giachino & Vailati (cAss). Turkey: S a m s u n: 16, 33 km SW Samsun, 7 km SE Kavak , 41°03'N, 36°07'E, 470 m, 20.VII.2008, leg. Assing (cAss). O r d u: 16, ca. 25 km SSE Gölköy, 40°29'N, 37°43'E, 980 m, dry north slope, litter sifted 14.VII.2008, leg. Assing (cAss). S i v a s: 266, 19 km W Suşehri, Karabay Geçidi , 40°10'N, 37°52'E, 1800 m, 17.VII.2008, leg. Assing (cAss). A y d ı n 16, Dilek Dağı , 37°41'N, 27°09'E, 15 m, 27.IV.2006, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 1♀, Dilek Dağı, Kanyon, 37°41'N, 27°10'E, 70-200 m, 29.IV.2006, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss). I s p a r t a: 16, 12 km N Sütçüler, 37°36'N, 30°59'E, 1100 m, oak forest, litter and grass, mostly between stones, sifted, 26.IV.2011, leg. Assing (Ass).A f y o n: 1♀, Emir Dağları , 20 km S Emirdağ, 38°54'N, 31°08'E, 1230 m, Nslope with oak, sifted, 18.IV.2011, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 16, 1♀, Sultan Dağları, 15 km SE Çay, 38°32N, 31°11'E, 1430 m, oak forest, litter and bark sifted, 18.IV.2011, leg. Assing (cAss). K o n y a:266, 1 ♀, Sultan Dağları, NW Dereçine , 38°29'N, 31°15'E, 1320 m, oak forest, litter sifted, 21.IV.2011, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 1♀, Sultan Dağları, SW Sultandağı, 38°30'N, 31°12'E, 1730 m, 19.IV.2008, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss). K a h r a m a n m a r a ş: 1♀, Başkonuş Yaylaşı , 37°34'NB, 36°34'E, 1250 m, 24.IV.2007, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) .

C o m m e n t: SCHÜLKE & SMETANA (2015) list this species for Greece, Lebanon, Israel, and Iran. Recently it was reported from the Greek island Samos, close to the Turkish coast ( ASSING 2015). Quedius nivicola was previously unknown from Turkey, from where it is here reported for the first time.

The above specimens from Greece were collected in greater numbers (14 and three specimens, respectively) in two localities with subterranean pitfall traps. The material from Turkey, by contrast, is mostly represented by singletons, on rarer occasions also by two or (in one case) three specimens per locality and was found exclusively by sifting. These observations suggest that Q. nivicola is not a typical inhabitant of the leaf litter like most of its congeners, but lives in a subterranean habitat of unknown identity.