Quedius meridiocarpathicus Smetana, 1958

Solodovnikov, Alexey, 2012, Rove beetle subtribes Quediina, Amblyopinina and Tanygnathinina: systematic changes affecting Central European fauna (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylinini), ZooKeys 162, pp. 25-42 : 30-32

Quedius meridiocarpathicus Smetana, 1958

Type material examined

Lectotype (here designated): ♂, Slovakia: "Slovakia mer. Kamen. Most 5.5.1955 Smetana 1955/ Quedius meridiocarpathicus s. Smetana det. 1957/ Lectotype Quedius meridiocarpathicus Smetana A. Solodovnikov des. 2009/ Quedius meridiocarpathicus Smetana A. Solodovnikov det. 2009" (cAS); paralectotypes: 3 ♂, 6 ♀, same data as in lectotype (2 ♂, 5 ♀ in cAS; 1 ♂, 1 ♀ in ZMUC); 1 ♂, "Slovakia mer. or. Slanec Smetana 1953/ Quedius meridiocarpathicus spec. n. det. A. Smetana/ Paralectotype Quedius meridiocarpathicus Smetana A. Solodovnikov des. 2009/ Quedius molochinus (Grav.) A. Solodovnikov det. 2009" (cAS).

Additional material examined

Italy: 1 ♂, Istria, Noghera (ZMUC); Greece: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Parnass (ZMUC); 1 ♂, Janina, IV.1927, leg. C. Purkyně (ZMUC); Turkey: 1 ♂, Saray, 30 km W of Ankara, 23.II.1973 (ZMUC); Bulgaria: 1 ♂, Macedonia, Sandanski, 6-11.V.1984, leg. Wrase (cSch); 1 ♂, "Bulgaria, July 1975" (cSch); Romania: 1 ♂, 2 ♀, Eastern Romania, Mamaia/ Black Sea, 12-16.VII.1981, Wrase/Fietzke (cSch); Ukraine: 1 ♂, 1 ♀, Crimea, Simferopol, 30.III.1999 (cSch); 2 ♂, 2 ♀, Environs of Odessa, right bank of Kujalnitskij estuary, 10.VI.2005, under stones, leg. A. Gontarenko (ZMUC); Russia: Krasnodar territory: 2 ♂, 15 km S of vill. Taman’, 15.V.1995, sandy sea shore, under logs; 1 ♀, Karabetova Gryada 5 km SE of vill. Taman’, in litter at the bank of the permanent pond; 1 ♂, Mt. Tkhab, valley of river Zhene, 21.VI.1992, in forest litter, leg. M. Savitsky; 1 ♂, distr. of Tuapse, env. of vill. Massazhay, 15.III.1999, bank of river Tuapse, under stone, leg. K. Egorov; 1 ♀, distr. of Tuapse, env. of vill. Krasnoe, 17.III.1999, bottomland meadow of river Tuapse, under stone, leg. K. Egorov (ZMUC).

Discussion

Quedius meridiocarpathicus Smetana, 1958 is very similar to Quedius molochinus (Gravenhorst, 1906). Both species can be reliably distinguished only by the shape of their aedeagi (Figs 1-8) and mostly by the shape of the largest (C-like) sclerite of the internal sac (cf. Figs 2 and 6). External characters hitherto used for separation of these species (details of punctuation of the elytra and abdomen, slight difference in the proportions of the body parts), as well as details of the shape of the aedeagus are variable in both species. Since some specimens of Quedius meridiocarpathicus in the collections are misidentified as Quedius molochinus and vice versa, the hitherto published distribution records for both of them (for a summary of literature see Herman 2001) in Central, Southern and Eastern Europe need revision. In fact, even the type series of Quedius meridiocarpathicus includes one male specimen of Quedius molochinus , an ambiguity here eliminated by designation of the lectotype (see below). Based on the material which I have examined (listed above, and more), Quedius meridiocarpathicus is reliably known from the south of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as from the Balkan Peninsula and Turkey.

Lectotype designation

The only information about the type material published in the original description of Quedius meridiocarpathicus is that it was collected at “Kamenný most" and “Slanec” in southern Slovakia ( Smetana 1958). Aleš Smetana kindly sent me 11 specimens as a type series of Quedius meridiocarpathicus , all of them were collected by himself: 10 (4 males, 6 females) at Kamenný Most on 3.V.1955, and one male at Slanec in 1953. All these specimens are considered as syntypes. Of them, a single male from Slanec is undoubtedly Quedius molochinus , but all males from Kamenný Most belong to Quedius meridiocarpathicus . Females from Kamenný Most are also identified as Quedius meridiocarpathicus based on the association with the respective males. To avoid future ambiguity about the identity of Quedius meridiocarpathicus one male from Kamenný Most is here designated as a lectotype of this species.