Zyras (Zyras) castaneus ( MOTSCHULSKY, 1861 )

Assing, Volker, 2017, On Zyras sensu strictu in the East Palaearctic and Oriental regions, with a focus on the faunas of the Himalaya, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Sulawesi (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Lomechusini), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 67 (1), pp. 117-192 : 132-133

Zyras (Zyras) castaneus ( MOTSCHULSKY, 1861)

( Fig. 27 , Map 5 )

Hygroptera castanea MOTSCHULSKY, 1861: 150 .

Drusilla adulescens PACE, 1987b: 212 ; syn. n.

Zyras (Zyras) britannorum PACE, 1992: 140 ff.; syn. n.

Zyras (Zyras) fratrumkadooriorum PACE, 1998: 968 ; syn. n.

Zyras (Zyras) chumphonensis PACE, 2004: 292 ; syn. n.

Zyras (Zyras) dibrugarhensis PACE, 2011: 36 f.; syn. n.

Type material examined: H. castanea : Lectotype ♂, present designation: “[red quadrangular label] / [yellow round label] / Type / Hygroptera castanea Motsch, Ind. or. Ceyl. M. Patans [sic] / Lectotypus ♂ Hygroptera castanea Motschulsky , desig. V. Assing 2016 / Zyras castaneus (Motschulsky) , det. V. Assing 2016” ( ZMM).

D. adulescens : Paratype ♂: “ SABAH, Pangi 29-VIII-82, de Rougemont / Paratypus Drusilla adulescens m., det. R. Pace 1983 / Drusilla adulescens n. sp., det. R. Pace 1983 / Zyras castaneus (Motschulsky) , det. V. Assing 2017” (cRou) .

Z. britannorum : Holotype ♀: “ NEPAL: 4500', Kathmandu, British Embassy , 20.v.–23.vi.1983. / At light / M.J.D. Brendell, 1983-222 / Holotype / Holotypus Zyras britannorum mihi, det. R. Pace 1988 / Zyras britannorum sp. n., det. R. Pace 1988” ( BMNH).

Z. fratrumkadooriorum : see ASSING (2016a).

Z. chumphonensis : see ASSING (2016b).

Z. dibrugarhensis : Holotype ♂: “ INDIA Assam, Dibrugarh , 3.vi.2006, G. de Rougemont / Flight interception trap / Holotypus Zyras dibrugarthensis [sic] mihi, det. R. Pace 2010 / Zyras dibrugarthensis [sic] sp. n., det. R. Pace 2010 / Zyras britannorum Pace , det. V. Assing 2016” ( cRou) . Paratype ♀: same data as holotype (cRou).

Comment: MOTSCHULSKY (1861) based the original description of Hygroptera castanea on an unspecified number of syntypes from “la sommité du Mont Patannas” ( Sri Lanka). HLAVÁČ et al. (2011) erroneously give Myrmedonia castanea as the original combination. The sole syntype in the Motschulsky collection at the ZMM, a male in fair condition, is designated as the lectotype. An examination of this specimen revealed that it is conspecific with the type material of Z. britannorum , Z. fratrumkadooriorum , Z. chumphonensis , and Z. dibrugarhensis .

Drusilla adulescens was described based on a male holotype and a male paratype from “ Sabah, Pangi” ( PACE 1987b). The species was moved to Zyras by PACE (2008). An examination of the paratype revealed that it is conspecific with Z. castaneus .

The original description of Z. britannorum is based on a unique female holotype from “ Nepal, Kathmandu, British Embassy” ( PACE 1992). In the original description of Z. dibrugarhensis , which is based on a male holotype and three female paratypes from “ India, Assam, Dibrugarh”, PACE (2011) compares the species with “ M. [sic] tianmumontis PACE, 1998 from China ”, but not with Z. britannorum or any other geographically close species; moreover, the name tianmumontis is unavailable and Pace never described any Zyras (s. str.) species from Tianmu Shan.

Zyras fratrumkadoorium PACE, 1998 , a species described from Hong Kong, was revised by ASSING (2016a) and has a junior synonym, Z. chumphonensis PACE, 2004 , which was described from Thailand ( ASSING (2016b). An examination of the type specimens of Z. britannorum and Z. dibrugarhensis revealed that not only are they conspecific with each other, but also with Z. fratrumkadooriorum and Z. castaenus . In consequence, Z. adulescens , Z. britannorum , Z. fratrumkadooriorum , Z. chumphonensis , and Z. dibrugarhensis are all placed in synonymy with Z. castaneus .

For a detailed description and illustrations of external and the male sexual characters see ASSING (2016a) (as Z. fratrumkadooriorum ).

Additional material examined: India: 2 ♀♀, Arunachal Pradesh, 8 km S Jamiri, Sessa env., 27°07–09'N, 92°34'E, 350 m, 26.V.–4.VI.2005, leg. Dembický (BMNH, cAss). Thailand: see paratypes of Z. drugmandi in the section on Z. proximus . Laos: 1 ex., Kham Mouan province, ca 70 km NNE Muang Khammouan, Nakai village, 560 m, V.2002, leg. Štrba (cAss). Malaysia: 1 ♀, W. Pahang, Genting Tea Estate, 600 m, Malaise trap by stream, XI.1981 ( BMNH); 1 ♀, Pahang district, 30 km NE Raub, Laba Lembik , 3°56'N, 101°38'E, 300 m, 22.IV.–15.V.2002, leg. Jendek & Šauša (cHla); 1 ♀, Sabah, Sandakan, S Lokan , flight interception trap, IX.1996, leg. Chung (cAss). Brunei: 1 ♀, Rampayoh R., Upper waterfall, 1–4.III.1982, leg. Day ( BMNH). Indonesia: 3 exs., Jawa Barat, Cianjur, Kebun Raya , Cibodas , 1400 m, flight interception trap, 29.I.–4.II.2004, leg. Maruyama (cMar, cAss); 1 ♂, E Kalimantan, 55 km W Balikpapan, PT Fajar Surya Swadaya [area], 01°18'S, 116°21'E, 100 m, 24–29. XI.2011, leg. Hájek et al. (cAss).

Intraspecific variation: The above females from Pahang and Brunei have the abdominal tergite VI reddish, but are otherwise identical to specimens seen from other regions. Moreover, the coloration of the elytra may be rather variable, ranging from dark with only the humeral angles yellow to yellowish with only the postero-lateral portions dark.

Distribution and natural history: The known distribution of Z. castaneus now ranges from Nepal, India, and Sri Lanka across Southwest China (Yunnan), Thailand, and Laos eastwards to Hong Kong and southeastwards to Peninsular Malaysia, Java, and Borneo ( Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia) ( Map 5 ). Most, if not all, specimens known at present were collected with flight interception, Malaise, and light traps at altitudes from near sea level to 1400 m, often near running water.

Figures

Map 5: Revised distributions of Zyras castaneus (black circles) and Z. novinversus (white circles) in the southern East Palaearctic

Figs 1–41:Antennae of Zyrasspp.:kraatzi(1),exasperatus(2),pindarae (3–5),perforatus(6),championi(7),pallipes (8),condignus (9), nitens (10), truncatus (11), nilgiriensis (12), hirsutiventris (13), russiceps (14), brignolii (15), hastatus (16), parageminus (17–18), latilobatus (19), alternans (20), hirtus (21), nigroaeneus (22), luteipes (23), longilobatus (24), morvani (25), gratellus (Malaysia) (26), castaneus, lectotype (27),proximus (28–29),novinversus (30–31), brevilobatus(32), parvicollis(33), ambulans (34),matangensis (35), densissimus (36), densihirtus (37), nigrihirtus (38), gratellus (Sulawesi) (39), gardneri (40), titan (41). Scale bar: 1.0 mm.