Tetartopeus ciceronii ZANETTI 1998

Assing, V., 2008, On the taxonomy and zoogeography of some Palaearctic Paederinae and Xantholinini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 40 (2), pp. 1237-1294 : 1261

Tetartopeus ciceronii ZANETTI 1998 , revalidated

Tetartopeus ciceronii ZANETTI 1998: 158 ff.

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d Paratypes: 1: "Lama ( FO), m 712, 15/12/91, G. Campadelli / Paratypus / Tetartopeus ciceronii mihi, det. Zanetti 1997 / Tetartopeus ciceronii Zanetti det. V. Assing 2007" (cZan) ; 1: same data, but "30/XI/91" (cZan). 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: Italy: 1 ex., Basilicata, Abentina Laurenzana

natural reserve ( PZ), 1150 m, 31.VII.1997, leg. Angelini (cZan) ; 4 exs., Basilicata, Abentina

Laurenzana natural reserve (PZ), 11.X.1998, leg. Montemurro (cZan, cAss).

C o m m e n t: The original description of T. ciceronii is based on type material from various Italian localities, from Liguria in the north, to Calabria in the south ( ZANETTI 1998). Having examined specimens from the type locality (Romagna: Passo Muraglione), BORDONI (2004) placed T. ciceronii in the synonymy of T. rufonitidus ( REITTER 1909) ; this synonymy is given also in the recent Palaearctic catalogue ( SMETANA 2004).

An examination of the illustrations, descriptions, and conclusions by BORDONI (2004) in the context of a study of several Tetartopeus species from central and southern Europe gave rise to the suspicion that the synonymy of T. ciceronii with T. rufonitidus was erroneous. A subsequent examination of types and additional specimens of T. ciceronii , which were kindly made available to me by Adriano Zanetti, eventually confirmed this suspicion, so that T. ciceronii is revalidated. In fact, the species is distinguished from T. rufonitidus by so many characters that it seems quite remarkable that a synonymy should have been seriously considered in the first place ( Tab. 1). In general appearance, T. ciceronii bears a greater similarity to T. terminatus (GRAVENHORST) than to T. rufonitidus . Confirmed records of T. rufonitidus from Italy are unknown to me.