Meotica filaria (FAUVEL, 1898)

(Figs 32-38)

Atheta filaria FAUVEL, 1898: 103 .

Meotica meridiogallica SCHEERPELTZ, 1954a: 154; nov.syn.

Type material examined: Atheta filaria: Lectotype ♂, present designation: " Porto Vecchio / Coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Meotica filaria Fvl., R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479 / Syntype / Lectotypus ♂ Atheta filaria Fauvel, desig. V. Assing 2018 / Meotica filaria (Fauvel), det. V. Assing 2018" (IRSNB). Paralectotypes: 3♀♀: same data as lectotype (IRSNB); 1♂, 1♀ [dissected by R. Pace]: same data, but with additional label "vidit R. Pace 1982" (IRSNB); 1♀ [dissected by R. Pace]: "Hyères / Coll. et det. A. Fauvel, Meotica filaria Fvl., R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479 / Syntype / vidit R. Pace 1982" (IRSNB) .

Meotica meridiogallica: Syntypes: 1♂ [damaged, dissected by R. Pace], 1♀ [without forebody; attached to the same pin]: "♂ / Béziers, El Puel / ex coll. Scheerpeltz / Typus Meotica meridiogallica O. Scheerpeltz / Meotica meridiogallica m. / vidit R. Pace 1982 / Meotica pallens (Redtenbacher), det. V. Assing 2017" (NHMW) ; 1♂ [damaged, dissected by R. Pace]: same data (NHMW); 1 ex. [dissected prior to present study; heavily damaged; genitalia and part of abdomen missing]: same data, but "Cotypus" (NHMW); 1 ex. [dissected prior to present study; damaged; genitalia missing]: same data (NHMW) .

Additional material examined: SPAIN: 2♀♀, Tarragona, Aldover, 28.IX.1966, leg. Comellini (cVog) . FRANCE: 3♀♀, Pyrénées-Orientales, Salse, 8.VI.1964, leg. Comellini (MHNG) ; 1♂, 1♀, Camargue, Albaron, Arles, 3.IV.1926, leg. Thérond (cVog) ; 1♀, Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, Rhône, 19.IV.1964, leg. Comellini (MHNG) ; 7 exs., La Garde, IV. & XII.1957, leg. Ochs (MHNG) ; 7 exs., Hyères, XII.1959, leg. Ochs (MHNG) ; 2♂♂, 1♀, Var, Fréjus env., Argens river, III.1956 & XII.1958, leg. Ochs (MHNG, cVog) ; 1♂, Var, Cannes env., Siagne river, XI.1951, leg. Ochs (cVog) ; 1♂, Nice env., Var river, XII.1957, leg. Ochs (MHNG) . AUSTRIA: 1♂, Niederösterreich, Bruck, oak litter, leg. Bernhauer (cVog) . ITALY: 1♂, Sardegna, Oristano, Laconi, 5.XI.2013, leg. Fancello (cTro) .

Comment: Atheta filaria was originally described based on an unspecified number of syntypes from "Province d'Oran: Tiaret. - Espagne: Pozuelo de Calatrava! - Corse: Porto-Vecchio, Bastia! - Var: Hyères!" (FAUVEL 1898). When examining the type material PACE (1983) noticed that the type series was composed of two species. He did not explicitly designate a lectotype, but illustrated the primary sexual characters of the "lectoholotypus e lectoallotypus di Monzaia (Algeria)". However, since this locality is not mentioned in the original description, these specimens do not qualify as syntypes and, if Pace meant to designate a lectotype, this designation cannot be regarded as valid. When requesting a loan of the type material of M. filaria at the IRSNB, the specimens from Algeria were not in the material received on loan and consequently not studied. However, based on previous experience with material dissected by R. Pace there is little doubt that the Algerian specimens are in very poor condition. Therefore, one of the males (the only one that had not been dissected previously) from Porto Vecchio is designated as the lectotype.

The original description of Meotica meridiogallica is based on an unspecified number of paratypes from "Tarbes, Bezières [sic], Marseille, Hyères, Korsika " (SCHEERPELTZ 1954a). The genitalia of the previously dissected syntypes in the Scheerpeltz collection are damaged or missing, so that they cannot be assessed any more. However, an examination of a previously undissected female, of which only an abdomen was left, revealed that it is conspecific with M. filaria . The same applies to two paratypes from Porto Vecchio, whose primary sexual characters were illustrated by PACE (1983). Hence the synonymy proposed above.

Diagnosis: ♂: posterior margin of tergite VIII truncate (Fig. 32); sternite VIII distinctly transverse, posterior margin with conspicuous projection of trapezoid shape in the middle (Fig. 33); median lobe of aedeagus relatively small, of compact shape (Figs 34-35); apical lobe of paramere blackish.

♀: sternite VIII moderately transverse, posterior margin of similar shape as in male (Fig. 36); spermatheca of distinctive shape (Figs 37-38).

Confirmed distribution: Spain, South France (including Corsica), Austria, Italy: Sardinia.