On the taxonomy and zoogeography of some Palaearctic Aleochara species of the subgenera Xenochara Mulsant & Rey and Rheochara Mulsant & Rey (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae).

Abstract

Based on a study of types and additional material of Palaearctic Aleochara species currently attributed to the subgenera Xenochara Mulsant & Rey, 1874 and Rheochara Mulsant & Rey, 1875, four species groups are established: the A. cuniculorum group, the A. parvicornis group, the A. laevigata group, and the A. maculata group. Twenty-five species are (re-)described and illustrated, ten of them new to science: Aleochara (Xenochara) gontarenkoi sp. n. (Ukraine, Turkey) and A. (X.) utriculata sp. n. (Mongolia) of the A. cuniculorum group; A. (X.) suslica sp. n. (Ukraine) of the A. parvicornis group; A. (X.) grandeguttata sp. n. (Turkey, Armenia, Hungary), A. (X.) brevilaminata sp. n. (Middle Asia), and A. (X.) falcata sp. n. (Russia) of the A. laevigata group; A. (X.) cristata sp. n. (Western Mediterranean) and A. (X.) hamulata sp. n. (Eastern Mediterranean) of the A. maculata group; A. (X.) himalayanae sp. n. (China: Gansu, Qinghai) and A. (X.) digitulata sp. n. (China: Gansu) of the A. sparsa group. The external and sexual characters of several additional species are illustrated. The following synonymies are proposed: Xenochara Mulsant & Rey, 1874 = Dyschara Mulsant & Rey, 1874, syn. n., = Ophiochara Bernhauer, 1901, syn. n., = Euryodma Reitter, 1909, syn. n.; Aleochara cuniculorum Kraatz, 1858 = A. peusi Wagner, 1949, syn. n.; A. parvicornis Fauvel, 1900 = A. bobaci Krása, 1933, syn. n., = A. gracilis Likovský, 1965, syn. n., preoccupied. Three names are revalidated: A. dalila Likovský, 1984 (previously a synonym of A. peusi); A. lonae Gridelli, 1924 (previously a synonym of A. laevigata Gyllenhal, 1810); A. accepta Likovský, 1972 (previously a synonym of A. signata (Sahlberg, 1876)). Lectotypes are designated for A. cuniculorum Kraatz, 1858, A. breiti Ganglbauer, 1897, A. bisignata Erichson, 1837, A. cornuta Fauvel, 1886, A. peeziana Lohse, 1961, A. tenuicornis Kraatz, 1856, and A. pernigra Schubert, 1906. Additional records of Aleochara species are reported from the Palaearctic region, among them numerous new country records. The distributions of fourteen species are mapped.

Keywords

Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae, Aleochara, Xenochara, Rheochara, Palaearctic region, taxonomy, new species, new synonymies, revalidations, lectotype designations, distribution, ecology.

Nomenclatural Acts

Dyschara Mulsant & Rey, 1874 (Aleochara), syn. n. of Aleochara (Xenochara) Mulsant & Rey, 1874
Euryodma Reitter, 1909 (Aleochara), syn. n. of Aleochara (Xenochara) Mulsant & Rey, 1874
Ophiochara Bernhauer, 1901 (Aleochara), syn. n. of Aleochara (Xenochara) Mulsant & Rey, 1874
gracilis Likovský, 1965 (Aleochara (Isochara)), syn. n. of Aleochara (Xenochara) parvicornis Fauvel, 1900
gridellii Bernhauer, 1936 (Aleochara (Polychara)), syn. n. of Aleochara (Xenochara) lonae Gridelli, 1924
peusi Wagner, 1949 (Aleochara (Polychara)), syn. n. of Aleochara (Xenochara) cuniculorum Kraatz, 1858
bobaci Krása, 1933 (Aleochara (Rheochara)), syn. n. of Aleochara (Xenochara) parvicornis Fauvel, 1900
accepta Likovský, 1972 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), stat. rev. hitherto a synonym of Aleochara signata (J. Sahlberg, 1876)
breiti Ganglbauer, 1897 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), Lectotype described as Aleochara (Polychara) breiti
brevilaminata Assing, 2009 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), spec. n.
cornuta Fauvel, 1886 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), Lectotype described as Aleochara cornuta
cristata Assing, 2009 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), spec. n.
cuniculorum Kraatz, 1858 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), Lectotype
dalila Likovský, 1984 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), stat. rev. hitherto a synonym of Aleochara (Polychara) peusi Wagner, 1949
digitulata Assing, 2009 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), spec. n.
falcata Assing, 2009 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), spec. n.
gontarenkoi Assing, 2009 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), spec. n.
grandeguttata Assing, 2009 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), spec. n.
hamulata Assing, 2009 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), spec. n.
himalayanae Assing, 2009 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), spec. n.
laevigata Gyllenhal, 1810 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), Lectotype described as Aleochara laevigata
lonae Gridelli, 1924 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), stat. rev. described as Aleochara laevigata lonae
peeziana Lohse, 1961 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), Lectotype described as Aleochara peeziana
pernigra Schubert, 1906 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), Lectotype described as Aleochara pernigra
suslica Assing, 2009 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), spec. n.
tenuicornis Kraatz, 1856 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), Lectotype described as Aleochara tenuicornis
utriculata Assing, 2009 (Aleochara (Xenochara)), spec. n.