Ischnosoma caucasicum KOCIAN, 1997

Assing, Volker & Schülke, Michael, 2017, On the Ischnosoma fauna of Georgia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Tachyporinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology (Beitr. Entomol.) 67 (2), pp. 195-206 : 199-200

Ischnosoma caucasicum KOCIAN, 1997

( Figs 19–23 , 34–35 , Map 1 )

Type material examined: Paratype : “Caucasus. Swanetien. Leder. Reitter. / 878, 78 / Mycetoporus spelaeus , det. J. Frivaldszky / Paratypus  Ischnosoma caucasicum, M. Kocian des. 1996” ( HNHM).

Additional material examined: Russia: Krasnodarskiy Kray: 1 , 4 km NNW Krasnaya Polyana, Atchishkho Mt. , 43°43'N, 40°10'E, 1150 m, beech forest, leaf litter sifted, 19.VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss); 3  , 4 km NNW Krasnaya Polyana, Atchishkho Mt. , 43°42'N, 40°10'E, 1130 m, beech forest with rhododendron, leaf litter sifted, 19.VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss); 2 exs., Aibgo [Mt. Aibga]

( NMP, cSch); 1 , ex., Kavkazsky Nature Reserve, Azishsky pass, 14.–26.VIII.2013, leg. Chumachenko (cKha, cSch); 1 , 2 exs., Kavkazsky Nature Reserve, Instruktorskaya Shchel gorge, 23.VIII.–11.IX.2013, leg. Chumachenko (cKha, cSch); 1 , 1 ex., Lagonaksky mountain range, Matazyk Mt. , 6 km S Guamka, 44°20'N, 39°55'E, 1000 m, 20.V.2014, leg. Pütz (cPüt, cSch) ; 1 ex., Lagonaksky mountain range, Matazyk Mt. , 8 km S Guamka, 44°09'N, 39°55'E, 1080 m, sifted, 21.V.2014, leg. Pütz (cPüt) ; 1 ex., right bank of Malaya Laba river, Chernoechie env., 43°59'N, 40°43'E, 770 m, sifted and pitfall traps, 21.V.2014, leg. Pütz (cPüt) ; 1 ex., left bank of Shedok river, Shedok env., 44°05'N, 40°44'E, 670 m, pitfall traps and sifted, 24.V.2014, leg. Pütz (cPüt) ; 6 exs., right bank of Malaya Laba river, Burnaya env., 44°02'N, 40°44'E, 740 m, 24.V.2014, leg. Pütz (cPüt, cSch); 1 , 3 exs., S slopes of Chernogorie mountain range, Otdalyrennyi env., 44°05'N, 39°44'E, 780 m, 23.V.2014, leg. Pütz (cPüt, cSch); 1 , Sochi , Alek mountain range , upper course of river Khota , 750 m, VIII.2001, leg. Koval (cSch); 1 , 1 , 1 ex., Mt. Chernogor, 20 km NW of Mt. Fisht, 700 m, in forest litter, 11.VI.1999, leg. A. Solodovnikov ( ZMUC, cSch). Republic of Adygea: 1 , Belaya river env., 420 m, 15.VII.1997, leg. Kopecký & Švarc (cKrá). Locality not specified : 2 exs., “Circassien, Leder, Reitter” ( MMB) .

Comment: The original description of I. caucasicum is based on material from “Circassien” (type locality), “Helenendorf ”, “Swanetien”, “Caucasus”, and “Krasnaja Poljana” ( KOCIAN 1997), i.e., from the Russian part of the West Caucasus, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, the species is listed in the Palaearctic Catalogue ( SCHÜLKE & SMETANA 2015) only for Russia. Subsequent records were published from several localities in Krasnodarskiy Kray and the Republic of Adygea, as well as from “Circassien” and “Caucasus” without further specification SCHÜLKE (2001, 2003).

According to the original description, there should be four paratypes of I. caucasicum from “Helenendorf ” and one from “Swanetien” in the collections of the natural history museum in Budapest. These specimens were looked for by the curator in charge. There is no material from “Helenendorf ” in these collections (MAKRANCZY e-mail, 29 September 2017). The sole paratype found is an undissected male from “Swanetien”. An examination of this specimen revealed that it is conspecific with the recently collected material from Krasnodarskiy Kray and Adygea. Nevertheless, in view of the revised distribution of I. caucasicum , the records of two other closely related species in Svaneti, and of other evidently mislabelled, old Caucasian specimens of the I. spelaeum group, the presence of I. caucasicum in Svaneti requires confirmation.

Based on recent records and on the distributions of the closely related I. acutum and I. barbigerum , the range of I. caucasicum is confined to the West Caucasus ( Map 1 ). The record from Göygöl (“Helenendorf ”) in Azerbaijan (see grey circle in Map 1 ) is clearly based on mislabelled or misidentified material. Reliable records of I. caucasicum from Georgia are at present unknown. Its presence in West Abkhazia, however, would not seem unlikely.

The male sexual characters are illustrated in Figs 19–23 , 34–35 .

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of species of the Ischnosoma spelaeum group in the Caucasus region, based on revised and reliable records: I. caucasicum (white circles); I. barbigerum (black triangle); I. acutum (white diamonds); I. myops (black circles). Grey circle: doubtful locality “Helenendorf” (today Göygöl).

Figs 11–23: Ischnosoma barbigerum spec. nov. (11–18) and I. caucasicum from Krasnaya Polyana (19–23): forebody (11); male sternite VII (12); male sternite VIII (13, 19); postero-median portion of male sternite VIII (14, 20); (15–16, 21–22) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; apex of ventral process of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (17–18, 23). Scale bars: 11: 0.5 mm; 12–16, 19–22: 0.2 mm; 17–18, 23: 0.1 mm.

Figs 24–35: Ischnosoma molle spec. nov. (24–32), I. barbigerum spec. nov. (33), and I. caucasicum, paratype (34–35): forebody (24); male sternite VII (25, 34); postero-median portion of male sternite VIII (27, 33, 35); male sternite VIII (27); postero-median portion of male sternite VIII (28); median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view (29–30); apex of ventral process of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (31–32). Scale bars: 24: 0.5 mm; 25–30, 33–35: 0.2 mm; 31–32: 0.1 mm.