Medon propinquus nigrinus EPPELSHEIM 1892: 337 Medon picinus BERNHAUER 1902: 245 Medon meuseli BERNHAUER 1905: 584 Medon lebedevi ROUBAL 1926: 244 A revision of the Sunius species of the Western Palaearctic region and Middle Asia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae) Assing, V. A, North Linzer biologische Beiträge 2008 2008-07-10 40 1 5 135 53GQR (EPPELSHEIM 1892) Eppelsheim 1892 [235,617,1096,1118] Insecta Staphylinidae Sunius Animalia Coleoptera 57 62 Arthropoda species nigrinus     Medon propinquus   nigrinus  EPPELSHEIM1892: 337.     Medon picinus  BERNHAUER1902: 245; nov.syn.     Medon meuseli  BERNHAUER1905: 584f.; nov.syn.     Medon lebedevi  ROUBAL1926: 244f.; nov.syn. Typ e material ex amined:    M. nigrinus:  Lectotype3; present designation: "propinqua Bris., Margalan, Turkestan, Staudinger/ nigrina / c. Epplsh. Steind. d. / Lectotypus3  Medon nigrinusEppelsheim, desig. V. Assing2007 / Sunius nigrinus (Eppelsheim)det. V. Assing2007" ( NHMW). Paralectotype: 13 [originally mounted on the same pin as the lectotype]: same data as lectotype(NHMW).   M. picinus:  Lectotype3; present designation: "3 / Margalan, Centralasien / picinus Brh.Type, Staudinger / Fauvel vidit / Chicago NHMus. M. Bernhauer Coll./ Sunius picinus (Bh.) V. I. Gusarovdet. 1993 / Lectotypus3  Medon picinusBernhauer, desig. V. Assing2007 / Sunius nigrinus (Eppelsheim)det. V. Assing2007" ( FMNH).  Paralectotypes: 1 ex.[heavily damaged by Anthrenussp.]: same data as lectotype ( FMNH);  1 ex.: Aulie Ata, Staudinger/ picinus Brh. Type, Centralasien/ ChicagoNHMus. M. Bernhauer Coll.( FMNH).   M. meuseli:  Holotype ♀: "Transcaspien, K. Aris/ Meuseli Brnh.Typus, det. Bernhauer/ Meuseli Bernh.Typus / Chicago NHMus. M. Bernhauer Coll./ Sunius nigrinus (Eppelsheim)det. V. Assing2007" ( FMNH). 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 Russia: 13, Wolgogradskaya Oblast, Krasnoarmeysk["Sarepta", 48°32N, 44°36E] (cAss). Kyrgyzstan: 13, 1♀, Osh region, Sarychelek Nat. Res.,  9.X.1989, leg. Gusarov(cTro); 1♀[external morphology as in holotypeof  S. meuseli], Osh region, Kitschi Alai, Abschir-Say valley, 40°05'N, 72°21'E,  2120 m,  13.IV.2006, leg. Schmidt(cAss); 1♀, Chatkalrange, Sarychelek lake,  6.VI.1996(cSch); 1♀, Karakol["Prshevalsk, Semiretsh. obl."],  IV.1901, leg. Kuzenko(cBoh). Turkmenistan: 1 ex., W Ashkhabad, Sulyukly["Transcaspia, Neu-Saratow", 38°02N, 57°25E] ( MNHUB); 1 ex., Loţfābād["Ljutfabad"] (cAss). Kazakhstan: 3 exs., Dzhambul["Aulie Ata"] ( HNHM, cAss); 1 ex., Dzhambul, "Syrdaria" ( SMNS); 6 ex., Karatal river,  30 kmTaldy-Kurgan,  1.VII.2004, leg. Kastcheev( MNHUB, cAss); 2 exs., Kok-pek, Chyngilsu river,  13.VI.2004, leg. Kastcheev( MNHUB, cAss); 1 ex., Ketmen mt., Rodgornoe,  22.VI.1984, leg. Kastcheev( MNHUB); 4 exs., Dzhetysay["Djetysai"], Syrdaria river,  6.VI.1980, leg. Kastcheev( MNHUB); 1 ex., Djungar mt., Aksu river, Dzhansugurov,  15.VIII.1987, leg. Kastcheev(cAss); 4 exs., Ile river, Kapchagai, Pristan Nauka,  21.IX.1981, leg. Kastcheev( MNHUB). Uzbekistan: 4 exs., Margil'on["Margelan"], leg. Reitter( HNHM, MNHUB); 1 ex., Margil'on( SMNS); 2 exs., Tashkent( NHMW, cAss); 4 exs., Buchara( MNHUB, cAss); 1 ex., E Tashkent, Chatkalskyirange, Shikaftar,  26.VII.2001(cSch); 1 ex., Syrdarjarange, Talass valley,  VI.-VII.1907, leg. Fischer& Willberg ( MNHUB); 1 ex., Talass valley, leg. Fischer(cBoh); 1 ex., "Ost-Buchara, Tschixschantan" ( MHNG). Tajikistan: 13, Alai, Dugoba river,  2000 m,  VII.1995(cAss). China: 1 ex., Xinjiang province, Tianshan mountains, north flank of Bogda Feng, ca.  110 kmE Urumqi, Tianchi, 43°53'N, 88°08'E,  2000 m,  VIII.1986, leg. Rougemont(cAss). Locality not specified, ambiguous, or not identified: 10 exs., "Turkestan", leg. Leder& Reitter ( HNHM, NHMW); 2♀♀, Alai, leg. Schröder( NHMW); 4 exs., "Turcmenien", leg. Leder& Reitter ( DEI, HNHM); 1 ex., "Andischan", leg. Aris( MNHUB); 8 exs.[without data] (cBoh). C o m m e n t s:  Medon nigrinuswas described as a variety of  Sunius propinquusfrom few syntypes("in wenigen Ex.") from "Taschkent" and "Margalan" ( EPPELSHEIM 1892). The name was previously listed as a synonym of  S. bicolor(e. g. COIFFAIT 1984; SMETANA 2004). Two male syntypesfrom Margalan were located in the Eppelsheim collection at the NHMW; one of them is here designated as the lectotype. The original description of  Medon picinusis based on a "grössere Anzahl von Stücken von Margelan und Turkestan (Aulie Ata)" ( BERNHAUER 1902). Three syntypes, two from Margelan and one from Aulie Ata were found in the Bernhauer collection; a male in good condition from the former locality is here designated as the lectotype. It is conspecific with the lectotypeof  Medon nigrinus.   Medon meuseliwas described from a single specimen ("ein einziges Stück") from "Transkaspien ohne nähere Fundortangabe" ( BERNHAUER 1905). The female holotypeof  S. meuseliis distinguished from the type material of  M. picinusby longer and broader elytra. However, since no further distinguishing characters were found, there is little doubt that it represents the macropterous morph of  S. nigrinus. The original description of  Medon lebedeviis based on an unspecified number of syntypesfrom "Rossia or.: Kazan" ( ROUBAL 1926). The aedeagus of a syntypefrom the Roubal collection was examined and figured by BORDONI (1980b). The illustration matches the aedeagus of  S. nigrinus; hence the synonymy proposed above. D i a g n o s i s  Sunius nigrinusis evidently wing-dimorphic or -polymorphic, and the relative length and width of the elytra are subject to considerable variation, as is shown by the following ratios: length of elytra/length of pronotum: 0.95-1.15; combined width of elytra/width of pronotum: 1.15-1.25. The coloration is highly variable, the colour of the pronotum and the elytra ranging from reddish to blackish.   Figs 50-54:  Sunius nigrinus( EPPELSHEIM): ( 50) male sternite VII; ( 51) male sternite VIII; ( 52-53) aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; ( 54) internal structures of aedeagus in lateral view. Scale bars: 50-51: 0.5 mm; 52-53: 0.2 mm; 54: 0.1 mm. The species is characterised by moderately large size, moderately long (submacropterous morph) to very long (macropterous morph) and broad elytra, and especially by the morphology of the aedeagus. 3: sternite VII with weakly modified pubescence, posterior margin weakly concave ( Fig. 50); sternite VIII with finely margined and distinctly U-shaped posterior excision, pubescence unmodified ( Fig. 51); aedeagus of distinctive shape, internal sac with two distinctly sclerotised spines, one of them long, slender, and more or less straight, and the other shorter, stouter, and apically curved ( Figs 52-54). I n t r a s p e c i f i c v a r i a t i o n: The species is subject to pronounced intraspecific variation affecting especially external characters such as coloration, size, the puncturation of the forebody, and the length and width of the elytra. D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s:  Sunius nigrinusis widespread in Middle Asia; records from Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistanare here confirmed. Previous records from Afghanistan( SMETANA 2004) are probably based on misidentifications and are likely to refer to  S. afghanicus. The species is here reported from Russiaand Chinafor the first time ( Map 13). The examined material with labels specifying ecological data and dates was collected mostly in river valleys at altitudes of approximately 2000 min spring, summer, and early autumn (April, July-October). NHMW V. Assing V. Assing 57 62 2 lectotype FMNH M. Bernhauer Coll. & V. Assing V. Assing 57 62 2 lectotype FMNH M. Bernhauer Coll. & V. Assing V. Assing 57 62 1 paralectotype FMNH Aulie Ata & Staudinger & Type & Centralasien & Chicago & M. Bernhauer Coll. 57 62 1 paralectotype 1901-04 2006-04-13 1901-04 FMNH, MNHUB, HNHM, SMNS, NHMW, MHNG, DEI K. Aris & M. Bernhauer Coll. & Gusarov & Schmidt & Kuzenko & Kastcheev & Reitter & Fischer & Rougemont & Leder & Schroder & Aris Russia Wolgogradskaya Oblast Bernhauer & V. Assing 2120 58 63 43.883335 Kitschi Alai 1140 88.13333 Krasnoarmeysk 57 62 70 7 Xinjiang Uygur holotype