Oxypoda (Oxypoda) wankai BERNHAUER 1936

Assing, V., 2006, On some species of Oxypoda MANNERHEIM from Turkey and adjacent regions (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 38 (1), pp. 277-331 : 303-304

Oxypoda (Oxypoda) wankai BERNHAUER 1936 ( Map 8 )

Oxypoda (Oxypoda) wankai BERNHAUER 1936: 253 f. Oxypoda (Oxypoda) laeviuscula BERNHAUER 1936: 253 ; syn.n. Oxypoda (Oxypoda) laeviuscula TRONQUET 1998: 73 f.; syn.n. Type material examined: Holotype 3 [teneral, dissected prior to present study]: Mazedonien, Salonichi, don. Wanka / Wankai Bernh. Typus unic. / Chicago NHMus, M.Bernhauer Collection / Oxypoda wankai Bernhauer rev. V. Assing 2006 (FMNH). Additional material examined: Turkey: Gaziantep: 5 exs., Kartal Dağı, W Isikli, 37°08N, 37°11E,

1120 m, 25.IV.2004, leg. Besuchet, Brachat & Meybohm (cAss); 1 ex., N Birecik, 37°04N,

37°58E, 380 m, 24.IV.2004, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss). Antakya: 1 ex., Ziyaret Dağı, W

Şenköy, 36°02N, 36°07E, 750 m, 21.IV.2004, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss). Syria: 1 ex.,

Samaan Qualaat, Simeons monastery, 28.IV.1996, leg. Sprick (cAss); 1 ex., Nubbol, orchard,

27.IV.1996, leg. Sprick (cAss).

C o m m e n t s: BERNHAUER (1936) described O. wankai based on a single holotype male from Thessaloniki, Greece. In a footnote on the same page, he also described another similar species from "Kars-er-Rabbat" ( Jordan), O. laeviuscula - a name omitted from the Palaearctic catalogue (LÖBL & SMETANA 2004). TRONQUET (1998) studied material from the Peyerimhoff collection and some additional specimens from Syria and Iran in the Fauvel collection, and, probably believing that the description of O. laeviuscula was invalid, described O. laeviuscula as a new species again. He designated a specimen from the Peyerimhoff collection, which was apparently collected together with the type material of O. laeviuscula BERNHAUER , as the holotype and the remaining specimens from the Fauvel and Peyerimhoff collections as paratypes. Shortly afterwards, however, realising that O. laeviuscula BERNHAUER was a valid species, TRONQUET (1999) designated the holotype of O. laeviuscula TRONQUET as the lectotype and a female from the same locality as paralectotypes of O. laeviuscula BERNHAUER , without formally establishing the homonymic synonymy of the former with the latter. According to TRONQUET (pers. comm., January 2006), who also studied the holotype of O. wankai , the type material of O. laeviuscula is conspecific with O. wankai . A photograph of a type specimen of O. laeviuscula sent to me by Tronquet confirms this synonymy. Consequently, both O. laeviuscula BERNHAUER and O. laeviuscula TRONQUET are synonyms of O. wankai BERNHAUER (see synonymic list above).

D i s t r i b u t i o n: Oxypoda wankai is apparently very rare, but widespread ( Map 8 ). It was previously known from Greece (Thessaloniki, holotype of O. wankai ), Jordan, and Syria ( TRONQUET 1999); the record from Syria is not indicated by LÖBL & SMETANA (2004). TRONQUET (1999) also reports the species from Iran based on two labels attached to a male from the Fauvel collection: 'Perse méridionale, ... (étiquette supplémentaire " Baku ")'. However, these labels probably refer to two different specimens, one of them apparently given away by Fauvel without removing the label, since Baku is in Azerbaijan and not even close to southern Iran. In view of the uncertainty regarding this locality, the record is omitted from Map 8 . Oxypoda wankai is here reported from Turkey (Gaziantep, Antakya) for the first time.

Figures

Map 8: Distribution of Oxypoda wankai in the Eastern Mediterranean region, based on revised (filled circles) and literature records (open circles). The doubtful literature records from "Perse meridionale" and "Baku" are omitted (see text).