Chthonius ischnocheles ( Hermann, 1804 )

Novák, János, 2024, An updated checklist for the pseudoscorpion fauna of Hungary (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones), Zootaxa 5433 (1), pp. 51-95 : 81

Chthonius ischnocheles ( Hermann, 1804)

Chelifer ischnocheles Hermann, 1804: 118–119 .

Chthonius rayi : Tömösváry 1882a: 240–241.

Chthonius ischnocheles : Szalay 1968: 34–35; Farkas et al 2009: 69; Červená et al. 2020a: 221; Gardini 2021; WPC 2023. Chthonius (Chthonius) ischnocheles : Harvey 1991: 149–151; Harvey 2013.

Not Chthonius ischnocheles (Hermann) : Kárpáthegyi 2007: 82 (misidentification; see Chthonius cf. alpicola ).

Occurrence: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, St. Helena, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA (WPC 2023).

Reported localities in Hungary: Gyűrűfű ( Farkas et al. 2009).

New data: nil.

Habitat preference: Beier (1963a) reported this species from humid habitats, like in leaf litter or under stones. Legg & Jones (1988) reported its occurrence from beneath stones, bricks and other debris, from woodland soil and litter, and occasionally from birds or other animal nests. In Hungary, it has been reported from oak forest ( Kárpáthegyi 2007).

Remarks: Chthonius ischnocheles was recently redescribed by Gardini (2021). Tömösváry (1882a) recorded C. rayi L. Koch 1873 from Mehádia and although this taxon was later synonymized with C. ischnocheles by Chamberlin (1929), the locality is now located within Romania. There have been two recent records of C. ischnocheles from Hungary: one specimen from Bőszénfa ( Kárpáthegyi 2007) and one from Gyűrűfű ( Farkas et al. 2009). I have identified the specimen from Bőszénfa as C. aff. alpicola (see above). The other one from Gyűrűfű was also identified by Kárpáthegyi, but it could not be found in his collection, therefore I assume that it have been lost. Altogether, I consider the presence of C. ischnocheles in Hungary doubtful.