Sunius fulgocephalus (COIFFAIT, 1970)

Assing, Volker, 2017, A revision of Sunius XVI. Two new species from Iran and Iraq (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology (Beitr. Entomol.) 67 (2), pp. 247-254 : 248-250

Sunius fulgocephalus (COIFFAIT, 1970)

( Map 2 )

Material examined: Armenia: 1 ex., Dashtakar env., bank of Vedi river, 39.02°N, 44.78°E, 1000 m, 18.V.2015, leg. Kocian (cKoc) .

Comment: This species is widespread in the Caucasus region ( Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran). Its currently known distribution is illustrated in Map 2 .

Sunius reuteri spec. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:2E7291CB-C82F-4970-80A2-CD2134094330

( Figs 1–3 , Map 1 )

Type material: Holotype : “N-IRAQ, S Rawandoz, Akoian valley , ~ 1400 m, ~ 36°30'N, 44°36'E, 17.–25.IV. 2017, pitfall trap, leg. Reuter / Holotypus  Sunius reuteri sp. n. det. V. Assing 2017” (cAss).

Etymology: The species is dedicated to Christoph Reuter, journalist and collector of the holotype, in appreciation of his efforts collecting Staphylinidae during his travels to regions that are practically inaccessible for most entomologists.

Description: Body length 3.8 mm; length of forebody 1.8 mm. Coloration: head dark-brown; pronotum and elytra reddish; abdomen blackish-brown; legs and antennae reddish.

Head ( Fig. 1 ) approximately as long as broad; lateral margins behind eyes subparallel; punctation moderately coarse, rather dense in anterior portion and sparse in posterior portion of dorsal surface; interstices without microsculpture. Eyes of moderate size, approximately 0.7 times as long as postocular region in dorsal view. Antenna 1.1 mm long.

Pronotum ( Fig. 1 ) approximately 1.05 times as long as broad and 0.95 times as broad as head; punctation dense, slightly finer than that of head; interstices without microsculpture; midline with broad impunctate median band.

Elytra ( Fig. 1 ) 0.88 times as long as pronotum; punctation shallow, not very defined, and very dense. Hind wings reduced.

Abdomen broader than elytra; punctation dense and fine, only slightly sparser on posterior than on anterior tergites; interstices with very shallow microreticulation; posterior margin of tergite VII without palisade fringe.

: sternite VII unmodified; sternite VIII with broadly and rather deeply V-shaped posterior excision, otherwise unmodified; aedeagus ( Figs 2–3 ) 0.4 mm long; ventral process stout, subapically with acute lateral process in ventral view; internal sac with a pronounced rod-like structure.

Comparative notes: As can be inferred from the morphology of the aedeagus (shape of ventral process, internal sac with sclerotized rod-like structure), S. reuteri belongs to the S. melanocephalus group sensu lato, which includes the S. melanocephalus , S. adanensis , and S. bicolor groups (see ASSING 2008, 2011) and which is represented in the Middle East and the Caucasus region by numerous externally similar species. It shares the subapical lateral projections of the ventral process of the aedeagus with some species of the S. adanensis group. Based on external characters, S. reuteri is indistinguishable from the micropterous morph of the widespread and geographically close S. khnzoriani . It differs from this and other species of the S. melanocephalus group sensu lato by the shape of the ventral process of the aedeagus (both in lateral and in ventral view) and by the shape of the rod-like structure in the internal sac, from most species also by the absence of a distinct palisade fringe at the posterior margin of tergite VII.

Distribution and natural history: The type locality is situated in Northeast Iraq, approximately 65 km to the northeast of Arbil ( Map 1 ). The holotype was collected with pitfall traps on a calcareous slope with small oak trees, bushes and grass (REUTER pers. comm.) at an altitude of approximately 1400 m ( Fig. 10 ).

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of Sunius khnzoriani (black circles) and S. reuteri spec. nov. (open star) based on revised records.

Map 2: Distributions of Sunius fulgocephalus (black circles) and S. concurvatus spec. nov. (open star) based on revised records.

Figs 1–9: Sunius reuteri spec. nov. (1–3) and S. concurvatus spec. nov. (4–9): forebody (1, 4); aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view (2–3, 7); male sternite VII (5); male sternite VIII (6); apical portion of ventral process of aedeagus in ventral view (8); internal structures of aedeagus in lateral view (9). Scale bars: 1, 4: 1.0 mm; 2–3, 5–7: 0.2 mm; 8–9: 0.1 mm.

Fig. 10: Type locality of Sunius reuteri spec. nov. (photo: Christoph Reuter).