Geostiba (Sibiota) medea PACE , 1996

Assing, Volker, 2016, A revision of Geostiba of the West Palaearctic region. XXIII. On the Sibiota species of the Caucasus region exclusive of Turkey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (2), pp. 1097-1117 : 1106-1107

Geostiba (Sibiota) medea PACE, 1996 , revalidated ( Map 1 )

Geostiba (Ditroposipalia) medea PACE 1996: 28

C o m m e n t: The original description of G. medea is based on a single female in poor condition from " Turchia 'Schellusdag', 3000 m, 8.VII.1989, Hoth leg." ( PACE 1996). A revision of the holotype and its labels, however, revealed that the type locality is not in Turkey, but identical to the Schalbusdag (41°20'N, 47°48'E) in the East Caucasus ( Map 1 ) ( Russia: Republic of Dagestan) ( ASSING 2005).

Since the type localities of both G. carinicollis and G. medea were believed to be in the East Caucasus and a comparison of the type material revealed no significant morphological differences, G. medea was placed in synonymy with G. carinicollis by ASSING (2005). This synonymy, as well as the correction of the type locality escaped the notice of SCHÜLKE & SMETANA (2015), who list G. medea as a valid species in the subgenus Sipalotricha SCHEERPELTZ, 1931 and distributed in the Turkish province Adana.

A re-examination of the type locality of G. carinicollis (see the preceding section) revealed that it is not situated in the East Caucasus, but in Kvemo Kartli, South Georgia ( Map 2 ), so that G. medea undoubtedly represents a distinct species. In consequence, the name is revalidated. However, its affiliations with other Caucasian Sibiota species are currently unclear, as the male sexual characters are unknown.

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of Geostiba zerchei PACE (white triangle), G. medea PACE (black triangle), and of the species of the G. bituberculatus group: G. recta nov.sp. (white circles), G. largata nov.sp. (black circles), G. artifistula nov.sp. (white asterisk), G. bituberculata (EPPELSHEIM) (black squares), G. kobrisensis PACE (white squares).

Map 2: Distributions of the species of the G. carinicollis group: G. articarinata ASSING (black square), G. convergens ASSING (white square), G. uniplicata ASSING (black diamond), G. krzysztofi (ROUBAL) (white diamonds), G. carinicollis (EPPELSHEIM) (white circles), G. unituber nov.sp. (black circle), G. pambakica nov.sp. (white triangles), G. unicuneata nov.sp. (black star), G. meghruica nov.sp. (white star).