Aleochara (Baryodma) intricata MANNERHEIM, 1830

Assing, Volker, 2007, On the Aleocharini of Turkey, with notes on some species from adjacent regions (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae), Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 57 (1), pp. 177-209 : 184-185

Aleochara (Baryodma) intricata MANNERHEIM, 1830

Material examined: Istanbul: 3 exs., “ Belgrader Wald ”, 1.-7.VII.1954, leg. Schubert ( NMW, cAss) . Konya: 1 ex., Akşehir env., 15.IV.1960, leg. Petrowitz & Ressl ( NMW) . Ankara: 1 ex., Beytepe , 9.X.2006, leg. Özdemir ( HUA) . Mersin: 1 ex., Çamlıyayla, 1200 m, V.1967, leg. Schubert (cAss) . Osmaniye: 1 ex. , Osmaniye, 1200 m, VI.1967, leg. Schubert (cAss) ; 1 ex., E Osmaniye, 1200-1700 m, leg. Schubert ( NMW) . Antakya : 2 exs., Yayladağı, 450 m, 17.V.1973, leg. Schubert ( NMW) . Urfa: 1 ex., Halfeti , 27.V.1987, leg. Schönmann & Schillhammer ( NMW) . Bitlis: 1 ex. , Bitlis, 1800 m, 28.V.1969, leg. Schubert ( NMW); 2 exs., S Tatvan, 1700-2000 m, 212.V.- 18.VI.1973, leg. Schubert ( NMW); 1 ex., S Tatvan, 1700-2000 m, 1971, leg. Schubert ( NMW); 1 ex., Tatvan , 1900 m, 20.V.1969, leg. Schubert ( NMW) . Van: 1 ex., E Van lake, 1800-2200 m, VI.1968, leg. Schubert ( NMW) .

For additional records and comments see ASSING (2007).

The Turkish species of Ceranota

The subgenus Ceranota STEPHENS, 1839 of the genus AleocharaAleochara currently includes 26 valid species, all of them confined to the Western Palaearctic region (( ASSING 2006a, SMETANASMETANA 2004). Seven of these species have become known from Turkish territory, one of them with unspecified type locality. There is little doubt that the CeranotaCeranota fauna of Turkey is much more diverse than currently known, not only because the material examined in the course of the present study included several undescribed species. The total number of specimens that have become available from Turkey so far amounts to some 30 beetles (including types and literature records). The real habitats of Ceranota species are cryptic and largely unknown, so that records by hand-collecting are usually accidental. Moreover, there is some evidence that at least some, if not the majority of species are active especially during the cold season (autumn to early spring), when collecting activity is generally much lower than in late spring and summer. Adult beetles have repeatedly been encountered on or near snow ( HORION, 1967). For a study and illustrations of the life histories of three Central European species see ASSING (1994).

Species identification is complicated by the fact that not only size-related parameters, but also other characters such as the coloration, the puncturation, and the modifications of the tergites of the male abdomen may be subject to considerable intraspecific variation and interspecific overlap. Moreover, the spermatheca and the shape and chaetotaxy of the paramere are rather uniform and consequently of little taxonomic use. The most reliable diagnostic character is the morphology of the median lobe of the aedeagus. Additional useful characters are the morphology of the clypeus and the antennae, the microsculpture of the forebody, the length of elytra and hind wings, the length of the legs, the puncturation of the abdomen, the modifications of the male abdominal tergites (including the shape and chaetotaxy of tergite VIII), as well as the modifications of the male abdominal sternites IV and V.