Stenosis (Stenosis) angusticollis ( Reiche, 1861 )

Leo, Piero, 2009, Observations on some Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) from Sardinia, with description of three new Asida *, Zootaxa 2318, pp. 400-420 : 410-413

Stenosis (Stenosis) angusticollis ( Reiche, 1861)

Tagenia angusticollis Reiche, 1861: 209

Stenosis angusticollis elongatissima Koch, 1940: 702 , syn. nov.

Stenosis angusticollis Reiche : Sainte-Claire Deville 1914: 341, 549; Reitter 1916: 149; Luigioni 1929: 706; Porta 1934: 111; Gridelli 1949: 270; Gardini 1968: 71; Canzoneri 1972: 296; Lanza 1972: 360; Ardoin 1973: 258; Gardini 1976: 645

Stenosis angusticollis angusticollis Reiche : Gardini 1995: 5; Lo Cascio et al. 2000: 158; Lo Cascio 2001: 220; Soldati and Coache 2004: 7; Soldati and Coache 2005: 83; Aliquò et al. 2006; Soldati 2007: 52

Stenosis angusticollis ssp. elongatissima Koch : Gardini 1995: 5; Aliquò et al. 2006

Stenosis (Stenosis) angusticollis angusticollis Reiche : Löbl et al. 2008: 178

Stenosis (Stenosis) angusticollis ssp. elongatissima Koch : Löbl et al. 2008: 178

Material examined (1408 specimens). France. Corsica. Corse-du-Sud dep.: Bonifacio, Capo Pertusato ( CDS) ; id., Plage de Tonnara ( CPL) ; Porto-Vecchio ( CPL) ; Sartene, Foce F. Ortolo ( MZUR) ; Zicavo ( CPL) . Haute-Corse dep.: Bastia, Pineto ( MSNV) ; id., Serra di Pigno (CPL) ; L’Ile-Rousse ( CPL) . Mainland France. Var dep.: Toulon , Mont Faron , 2.V.1994, leg. C. Bellò, 4 ex. ( CPL) ; Esterel , La Napoule, 31.III.1993, leg. C. Bellò, 2 ex. ( CPL) . Italy. Sardinia. Cagliari prov. : Cagliari, Cala Mosca ( CCM) ; id., Colle Sant’Elia ( CPL) ; Domusdemaria ( CPL) ; Esterzili , Monte Santa Vittoria ( CPL) ; Maracalagonis, Torre delle Stelle ( CCM) ; Nurri, Taccu de Nurri ( CCM) ; Pula ( CPL) ; id., Santa Margherita ( CPL) ; Quartu Sant’Elena, Cala Regina (CCM) ; id., Geremeas ( CCM) ; id., Is Mortorius ( CCM) ; Sarroch ( CCM, CPL) ; Serri , Sa Giara ( CCM) ; Sinnai, Monti dei Sette Fratelli ( CCM, CPL) ; Villaputzu , Quirra ( CPL) ; Villasimius ( CPL) . Carbonia-Iglesias prov. : Buggerru, spiaggia di Portixeddu ( CPL) ; Carloforte , Capo Sandalo ( CPL) ; Gonnesa , Fontanamare ( CPL) ; id., Monte Coremò ( CCM) ; id., Porto Paglia ( CCM) ; Portoscuso, Isola dei Meli ( CPL; MZUF) ; Sant’Antioco , Cala Sapone ( CPL) ; id., Coaquaddus ( CPL) ; id., Isola il Toro ( CPL; MSNG) ; id., Isola la Vacca ( CPL, MSNG) . Medio Campidano prov. : Arbus, Flumentorgiu ( CPL; MSNM) ; Gonnosfanadiga , Genna Mirrata ( CCM; CPL) ; id., Punta Cammedda ( CCM; CPL) ; id., Punta Nuraxi de Togoro ( CCM) . Nuoro prov. : Aritzo ( MSNG) ; Bolotana , Badde Salighes ( CPL) ; Borore ( CPL) ; Desulo ( CPL) ; Fonni , Monte Spada ( CCM, CPL) ; Irgoli , Monte Senes ( CCM) ; Lula , Monte Albo ( MSNG) ; Macomer, Bara ( CCM; CDS; CPL) ; id., Sa Serra ( CCM; CPL); Orgosolo , Fiume Cedrino ( MSNG) ; id., Monte Novo San Giovanni ( CPL; MSNG) ; Orune ( MSNG) ; Sindia ( CPL) ; Siniscola , Capo Comino ( CPL) ; Sorgono ( MSNV) . Ogliastra prov. : Arzana, Ruinas ( CPL) ; Seui , Foresta Mont’Arbu ( CCM) ; id., Monte Tonneri ( CCM; CPL) ; Urzulei , Genna Silana ( CCM) ; id., Planu Oddeu ( CCM) . Olbia-Tempio prov. : Arzachena, Isolotto settentrionale dei Poveri ( CPL;

MSNG); Golfo Aranci ( CPL; MSNG); La Maddalena, Isola Barrettini ( MSNG); id., Isola Budelli ( MSNG); id., Isola Caprera ( CPL); id., Isola Orientale delle Camere ( MSNG); id., Isolotto dell’Aglio ( CPL); id., Isolotto Pecora ( CPL); id., Isolotto Stramanaro Orientale ( MZUF); Olbia ( MZUR); id., Golfo di Marinella ( CPL); id., Lido di Pittulongu ( MSNG); id., Isola Molara ( MSNG); id., Isola Molarotto ( MSNG); id., Isola Tavolara ( MSNG; MSNM); Santa Teresa di Gallura, Capo Testa ( CCM; CPL); San Teodoro ( CPL). Oristano prov.: Cabras, Is Arutas ( CCM); id., San Giovanni di Sinis ( CCM; CDS; CPL); id., Tharros ( MSNG); Cuglieri, Monte Ferru ( CCM); id., Santa Caterina di Pittinuri ( CPL); Magomadas, Santa Maria del Mare ( CPL); Morgongiori, Monte Arci ( CCM; CPL). Sassari prov.: Alghero ( CPL; MSNG); Portotorres, Isola Asinara ( MSNG); Sassari, Stagno di Pilo ( CDS); Semestene ( CPL); Sorso, Platamona ( CDS); Torralba ( CPL).

Tuscany. Grosseto prov.: Alberese, Parco dell’Uccellina ( CPL); Isola del Giglio ( MSNG); Grosseto, Marina di Grosseto (CPL) . Livorno prov.: Isola d’Eba, Seccheto ( CPL).

Remarks. The distribution and systematics of this highly variable species are still poorly known. Described from Corsica (type locality Bastia), it was later recorded also from Sardinia by Baudi di Selve (1875) and Sainte-Claire Deville (1914); Reitter (1916) mentioned it from Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, SW mainland Italy and Crimea; Luigioni (1929) and Porta (1934) mentioned it from Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily. Koch (1940), on the basis of specimens from Alghero (NW Sardinia) collected by A. Dodero, described the subspecies Stenosis angusticollis elongatissima and mentioned the nominal subspecies from Corsica, Sardinia and the French department of Var (St. Raphael); he also excluded its presence in Crimea and considered its occurrence in mainland Italy and Sicily as doubtful. Gridelli (1949) again reported the species from Corsica, Sardinia, Giglio Island (Tuscan Archipelago) and St. Raphael, as well as specimens from Alghero corresponding to the description of S. angusticollis elongatissima . Marcuzzi (1965) recorded the species from the “Etna region” (E Sicily), Gardini (1968) from Elba Island (Tuscan Archipelago) and Canzoneri (1972) from Tavolara Island (NE Sardinia). Ardoin (1973) recorded Stenosis angusticollis from Alghero without referring to S. a. ssp. elongatissima , described from the same locality. Gardini (1976) discussed the distribution of Stenosis angusticollis , provided a map of known localities for the species (from previously unpublished data and data from the literature) and recorded it for the first time from a precise locality in peninsular Italy (Tuscany, Grosseto prov., Lago dell’Accesa) and from the island of Montecristo (Tuscan Archipelago); the same author highlighted the great morphological variability of the species, drawing the copulatory organs of specimens from various localities, and considering the validity of S. a. ssp. elongatissima as doubtful. Later however, Gardini (1995) still considered the two taxa as distinct. Lo Cascio et al. (2000) recorded Stenosis angusticollis angusticollis from the small island of La Scola, near Pianosa Island (Tuscan Archipelago), and considered its presence in Sicily as doubtful. Lo Cascio (2001), dismissing the old, never re-confirmed record for Var, considered the species as endemic of Sardinia, Corsica, Tuscany and the Tuscan Archipelago. Aliquò et al. (2006) also doubted the records from Var and Sicily and suggested that the occurrence of the species in localities of continental Tuscany could be due to passive transport; the same authors recorded S. angusticollis elongatissima from a new locality in W Sardinia, even though they considered the validity of this taxon as doubtful. Soldati (2007) cited Stenosis angusticollis angusticollis from various localities in Corsica and published a new locality for the species in Var (Sainte-Maxime, leg. G. Tempère, pre-1960 record), stating that the present-day occurrence of the species in the French department needs confirming. Finally, Löbl et al. (2008) cited S. angusticollis angusticollis from France (Var and Corsica) and Italy, and S. angusticollis elongatissima from Sardinia.

I personally examined a large material of Stenosis angusticollis from various places (about 1,400 specimens from approximately 100 localities), which allowed me to study its morphological variability and geographical distribution. The species is morphologically very variable both in the external characters (size, shape of head, pronotum and elytra, sculpture of dorsal integuments and punctuation of metasternum and abdominal sternites) and in the shape and size of the male copulatory organ (cf. Gardini 1976, fig. 3a–h); this variability seems not to be particularly driven by geographical factors: generally, single populations are morphologically quite stable, although specimens of neighbouring areas can be quite different and specimens from disjunct areas can be morphologically indistinct.

Specimens from some coastal localities of western Sardinia (Alghero, type locality of Stenosis angusticollis elongatissima , and Cabras-San Giovanni di Sinis) are characteristic in possessing an elongated and more parallel head, pronotum and elytra, compared to most other populations, coinciding with Koch’s (1940) description of ssp. elongatissima ; these specimens also show a particularly robust punctuation of the abdominal sternites and a male copulatory organ larger in proportion, with a ventrally very concave parameric capsule (cf. Gardini 1976, fig. 3g –h). However, specimens from intermediate coastal areas (Cuglieri-Santa Caterina di Pittinuri and Magomadas-Santa Maria del Mare) do not possess such features, while other populations from different areas of Sardinia, but also from Corsica and Tuscany, possess – more or less evidently – at least some of the above-listed characters. For these reasons, given the wide morphological instability and the difficulty of assigning a precise geographic distribution to the various phenotypes, I consider S. angusticollis elongatissima merely a synonym of S. angusticollis , which is to be considered monotypic.

Distribution and ecology. According to the data in my possession and those taken from reliable literature sources, the species shows a typically Tyrrhenian distribution ( Fig. 16). It is widespread in the whole of Sardinia (including many satellite islands) and Corsica, known from the islands of Elba, Giglio, Montecristo and the small island of La Scola in the Tuscan Archipelago (cf. Gardini 1976; Lo Cascio et al. 2000), and from the Grosseto province (Tuscany) in mainland Italy with some populations which are not, in my opinion, the result of passive transport; I can also confirm its presence in the French department of Var ( Koch 1940), with recent records from two localities (see above); on the other hand, I consider erroneous the record from Sicily ( Marcuzzi 1965), which probably arose from confusion with another species. The following literature records are known besides the previously unpublished ones listed above: France. Corsica. Corse-du-Sud dep.: Porto- Vecchio, Isole Cerbicali, Scoglio Secondo del Toro Piccolo ( Lanza 1972); Bonifacio, faro di Pertusato; Sartene, Roccapina ( Soldati & Coache 2004); Bonifacio, Isole Lavezzi; Sagone ( Soldati 2007). Haute Corse dep.: Bastia ( Reiche 1861); Corte; Folelli ( Sainte-Claire Deville 1914); Bastia, Pineto; id., stagno di Biguglia ( Gardini 1976); Lumio, Punta Spano ( Soldati & Coache 2005); Aleria, Caterragio; Calenzana, col de Marsulinu; Castellare-di-Casinca; Ghisonaccia; Linguizzetta, Marina di Bravone ; Penta-di-Casinca, San Pellegrinu; Serra-di-Fiumorbo, stagno di Palo ( Soldati 2007). Mainland France. Var dep.: St. Raphael ( Koch 1940); Sainte-Maxime ( Soldati 2007). Italy. Sardinia. Carbonia-Iglesias prov.: Isola la Vacca ( Gardini 1976). Nuoro prov.: Aritzo ( Gardini 1976). Ogliastra prov.: Passo Arquerì; Talana ( Gardini 1976). Olbia-Tempio prov.: Isola Tavolara ( Canzoneri 1972); Golfo Aranci ( Gardini 1976). Oristano prov.: Asuni ( Koch 1940); San Giovanni di Sinis ( Aliquò et al. 2006, as S. angusticollis elongatissima ). Sassari prov.: Alghero ( Koch 1940, as S. angusticollis elongatissima ; Ardoin 1973). Tuscany. Grosseto prov.: Isola del Giglio ( Gridelli 1949; Gardini 1976); Isola di Montecristo; Massa marittima, Lago dell’Accesa ( Gardini 1976); Isolotto La Scola ( Lo Cascio et al. 2000); Alberese; Scarlino ( Aliquò et al. 2006, as S. angusticollis angusticollis ). Livorno prov.: Isola d’Elba, Marina di Campo ( Gardini 1968, 1976).

Stenosis angusticollis can be found all year round in various habitats, from sea level to at least 1,400m; it shows a clear preference for xeric habitats such as sandy backdunes, coastal and mid-elevation garrigues, dry meadows and degraded Mediterranean maquis. Despite being considered “rare and localized” by Aliquò et al. 2006, it is in fact rather common, often found in numbers under stones or by sieving at the base of vegetation.