Atheta (Oreostiba) altiviva BENICK, 1974

Assing, Volker & Vogel, Jürgen, 2017, On some Athetini from Armenia and adjacent regions (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 49 (1), pp. 341-368 : 354-359

Atheta (Oreostiba) altiviva BENICK, 1974 ( Figs 57-70 )

Atheta (Oreostiba) altiviva BENICK, 1974: 31 f.

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Holotype 3: "3 / 6 / Sevan, Ushtapalar, 3000 m, ASSR - 1-8-48/ Atheta altiviva G.Bek Typus 3" (cKal) . Paratypes: 1♀: "5 / Kaputdshukh Pass, 3500 m, ASSR. 4.8.50 / Atheta altiviva ♀ Allo-Typus / Paratypus Atheta semialba sp. n., det. V. Assing 2017" (cKal) ; 1♀: "Dzhermuk Sarzali, ASSR. 25.7.57 / Nr 6 / Atheta altiviva G.Bek Paratypus " (cKal) ; 1♀ [without spermatheca]: "Sisian, Kotshbekhsky Pass, ASSR. 23.7.50 / Atheta altiviva G.Bek Paratypus " (cKal) .

C o m m e n t: The original description is based on a male holotype from "Idstevan, Kloster Kiranz... an der nördl. Grenze von Armenien und Azerbeidshan" and an unspecified number of paratypes found "an verschiedenen Fundorten in Russisch-Armenien in Höhen zwischen 2000 und 3500 m ". Four type specimens were located in the Khnzorian collection (cKal): a male labelled as the holotype, a female labelled as the allotype, and two females labelled as paratypes. The status of the specimen labelled as the holotype is doubtful, since the locality label does not correspond to the type locality indicated in the original description. It is, however, conspecific with a male paratype in the Benick collection (MHNG), which was collected in the same locality as the allotype and which had been examined by the second author. The allotype is not conspecific with the holotype, but belongs to A. semialba . 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: Armenia: 333, S Martuni, Sulema Pass,

39°58'N, 45°14'E, 2340 m, slope with small stream and scattered bushes, litter and roots near

stream sifted, 29.VI.2016, leg. Assing (cAss); 13, 30 km NW Sisian, 39°47'N, 45°56'E, 2960 m,

grassy slope with rocks, roots and debris sifted, 2.VII.2016, leg. Assing (cAss); 3♀♀, 30 km NW

Sisian, 39°47'N, 45°56'E, 3000 m, snowfields, under stones and debris sifted, 2.VII.2016, leg.

Assing (cAss); 333, 11♀♀, N Sisian, near Mt. Tsugh , 39°41'10''N, 46°03'13''E, 3300 m, soil and

debris near snowfields sifted, 4.VII.2016, leg. Assing & Schülke (cAss, cVog, MNB) ; 1♀, N

Sisian, near Mt. Tsugh, 39°41'N, 46°03'E, 3300 m, meadows, partly near snowfields, under stones,

4.VII.2016, leg. Assing (cAss); 13, Aragazotn, Mt. Aragats , 40°26'N, 44°14'E, 2680 m ,

26.V.2016, leg. A. & J. Müller (cAss).

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Body length 3.2-3.9 mm; length of forebody 1.4-1.7 mm. Coloration: body black; legs blackish with paler tarsi; antennae black; maxillary palpi black with palpomere IV pale-yellowish.

Head weakly transverse; punctation fine and moderately dense, somewhat sparser in median dorsal portion; microsculpture distinct, composed of isodiametric meshes. Eyes approximately as long as distance from posterior margin of eye to posterior constriction of head (or nearly so). Antenna approximately 1.0- 1.1 mm long; antennomeres IV-V approximately as long as broad or weakly transverse, VI-X of gradually increasing width and increasingly transverse, X approximately 1.5 times as broad as long, and XI as long as, or slightly longer than, the combined length of IX and X.

Pronotum 1.15-1.20 times as broad as long and 1.15-1.20 times as broad as head, broadest in anterior half; punctation and microsculpture similar to those of head; pubescence

directed posteriad along midline, predominantly transversely laterad or diagonally postero-laterad in lateral portions (type II).

Elytra 1.05-1.10 times as long as pronotum; punctation dense and very fine, barely noticeable in the pronounced microsculpture. Hind wings fully developed. Metatarsomere I slightly longer than metatarsomere II.

Abdomen narrower than elytra; tergites III-V with, tergite VI without anterior transverse impressions; punctation moderately dense and distinct on anterior, sparse and fine on posterior tergites; microsculpture distinct, that of tergites VI and VII predominantly composed of short transverse, or a mix of short transverse and isodiametric meshes; posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe; tergite VIII subject to sexual dimorphism.

3: posterior margin of tergite VIII broadly projecting in the middle, median portion more or less truncate ( Fig. 57 ); sternite VIII ( Fig. 58 ) with strongly convex posterior margin; median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs 59-61 ) approximately 0.4 mm long, with bladeshaped ventral process and with more or less distinctly sclerotized internal structures; parameres 0.43-0.45 mm long.

♀: tergite VIII ( Fig. 62 ) strongly transverse, posterior margin broadly and rather weakly convex; posterior margin of sternite VIII broadly convex, in the middle with or without very shallow concavity ( Fig. 63 ); spermatheca of rather variable shape ( Figs 64-70 ), proximal portion often partly semitransparent.

C o m p a r a t i v e n o t e s: For characters distinguishing this species from similar Armenian congeners see the comparative notes in the following sections.

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d n a t u r a l h i s t o r y: The species is known from several localities in both North and South Armenia. The specimens were found primarily in grassland by sifting debris and roots (partly near streams), or by turning stones, at elevations of 2340-3300 m.

Figures

Figs 57-70: Atheta altiviva (64: paratype): (57) male tergite VIII; (58) male sternite VIII; (59-61) median lobe of aedeagus in lateral and in ventral view; (62) female tergite VIII; (63) female sternite VIII; (64-70) spermatheca. Scale bars: 57-58, 62-63: 0.2 mm; 59-61, 64-70: 0.1 mm.