Sunius kuehnelti ( SCHEERPELTZ 1963) Assing, V., 2010

Assing, V., 2010, A revision of Palaearctic Sunius. XII. New species, new synonymies, and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 42 (2), pp. 1045-1061 : 1052-1053

Sunius kuehnelti ( SCHEERPELTZ 1963) , nov.comb. ( Figs 7-11 )

Tetracanthognathus kuehnelti SCHEERPELTZ 1963: 437 ff.

M a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d Greece, Pelopónnisos: 1, 15 km SW Megalopoli, river at Paradisia, 9.IV.1993, leg. JØrum (cAss).

C o m m e n t: The genus Tetracanthognathus and the type species T. kuehnelti by monotypy and original designation were described by SCHEERPELTZ (1963), based on a single female holotype collected "am Ufer eines Baches bei Ano Trikkala im Ziria- (Kyllene-)Massiv bei Lakka im nordöstlichen Peloponnes ". To my knowledge, the species has not been recorded since. Systematically, SCHEERPELTZ (1963) placed the genus "zwischen die Gruppen der Medoniformes und Stiliciformes". Today, it is attributed to the subtribe Astenina ( SMETANA 2004) .

The above male is doubtlessly conspecific with the holotype, as can be inferred from the habitus illustration and the descriptive details provided by SCHEERPELTZ (1963). An examination, including its primary and secondary sexual characters, revealed that the species refers to the S. viator group of the genus Sunius STEPHENS 1829 (see ASSING 2008a). In general habitus (size, habitus, punctation), it is somewhat similar to S. wrasei (SCHÜLKE 1989) . These findings not only result in a new combination, but also in the following new synonymy: Sunius STEPHENS 1829 = Tetracanthognathus SCHEERPELTZ 1963, nov.syn.

The macropterous species of the S. viator group are characterised as follows: habitus slender (elongated legs and antennae); mandibles long and apically very acute; anterior margin of labrum with long and slender tooth-like processes on either side of the median notch (in other species groups of Sunius shorter); rather coarse and dense punctation of the forebody; a usually more or less distinctly oblong head; aedeagus with an apically - often extremely - acute apex both in lateral and in ventral view and with two long dark rows of numerous spines in the internal sac. The external characters indicated above are mostly not shared by three small micropterous species from Tajikistan ( ASSING 2008a). Despite the obvious differences between the S. viator group and other species groups, it is currently unclear if the S. viator group is the adelphotaxon of all other Sunius or not.

Most of the species of the S. viator group are distributed in Middle Asia and adjacent regions, one of them is known only from North Africa. Thus, Sunius kuehnelti considerably expands the previously known distribution of this species group towards the northwest. All the species have been collected rarely or extremely rarely, possibly owing

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to the presumable association with subterranean mammal nests. Like the examined specimen of S. kuehnelti , some species have been collected near water.

Sunius kuehnelti is readily distinguished from other Sunius species by the conspicuous coloration (body blackish, with the posterior margins of the elytra rather broadly yellowish), the slender habitus ( Fig. 7 ); the dense punctation of the head and pronotum ( Fig. 8 ), and by the shape and internal structures of the aedeagus ( Figs 9-10 ). The male sternite VIII is illustrated in Fig. 11 .

Figures

Figs 7-10: Sunius kuehnelti (SCHEERPELTZ): (7) habitus; (8) forebody; (9-10) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view. Scale bars: 7-8: 1.0 mm; 9-10: 0.2 mm.

Figs 11-18: Sunius kuehnelti (SCHEERPELTZ) (11) and S. manasluensis nov.sp. (12-18; 17-18: holotype): (11, 15) male sternite VIII; (12) habitus; (13) forebody; (14) male sternite VII; (16-17) aedeagus in lateral view; (18) aedeagus in ventral view. Scale bars: 12: 1.0 mm; 11, 13-15: 0.5 mm; 16-18: 0.1 mm.