Graptodytes varius var. pauper (O. SCHNEIDER , 1903)

Fery, Hans & Bouzid, Slimane, 2016, Notes on Graptodytes SEIDLITZ, 1887, re-instatement of G. laeticulus (SHARP, 1882) as valid species and description of Tassilodytes nov. gen. from Algeria (Coleoptera, Dytiscidae, Hydroporinae, Siettitiina), Linzer biologische Beiträge 48 (1), pp. 451-481 : 461-462

Graptodytes varius var. pauper (O. SCHNEIDER, 1903)

Hydroporus varius var. pauper O. SCHNEIDER, 1903:51 ; SAINTE-CLAIRE DEVILLE 1914: 53.

Hydroporus ignotus var. pauper O. SCHNEIDER ; GOZIS 1914: 116.

Graptodytes varius ab. pauper (O. SCHNEIDER); ZIMMERMANN: 1920: 117, 1932: 82; LUIGIONI 1929: 157; GUIGNOT 1959: 400.

Graptodytes varius var. pauper (O. SCHNEIDER) ; GUIGNOT 1947: 119; ROCCHI 1989: 86.

Graptodytes varius pauper (O. SCHNEIDER); SCHAEFER 1964: 122; GIUDICELLI & TALIN 1977: 39.

Graptodytes varius ( AUBÉ, 1838) ; FRANCISCOLO 1979: 405; BAMEUL & QUENEY 2014: 95; NILSSON 2001: 152, 2016: 158; NILSSON & HÁJEK 2016: 36.

T y p e l o c a l i t y: Corsica.

T y p e m a t e r i a l: We have not been able to trace any type material of this taxon.

In many publications not only G. laeticulus , but also Graptodytes varius var. pauper (O. SCHNEIDER, 1903) are treated as synonyms of G. varius . This is why we want to add also some notes on this taxon. First, it shall be mentioned that SCHNEIDER (1903) differentiated well between varieties (var.) and aberrations (ab.) (see e.g. l.c., p. 44, third line). Thus, according to article 45.6.4 of the ICZN (1999) his taxon must be regarded as having originally subspecific rank and, accordingly, pauper O. SCHNEIDER is an available name.

We have studied many specimens from Corsica and Sardinia. Most of them are indeed much darker ( Fig. 6 ) than the continental G. varius ( Fig. 5 ) and the elytral pattern often resembles that of G. ignotus (collecting data of the pauper in Fig. 6 (a male): 27.5.2012, France, Corse, ca. 6 km SSE Zonza, ca. 41.70N 9.21E, 950 m, little brook, Fery leg.). Several specimens are even slenderer than "normal" G. varius and in this respect also come closer to G. ignotus . We have also observed that in several specimens the protarsal claws are slightly longer than in continental specimens, but by far not as long as in G. laeticulus . The shape of the median lobe as well as that of the parameres, however, are clearly equal to those of the continental G. varius .

At present we come to the conclusion that all characters of the variety are in the range of variation of continental European and Moroccan G. varius . We want to add that G. varius often comes very close to G. ignotus . Additionally, we were surprised that in some localities G. varius and G. ignotus occur together and both species can easily be separated, but in other localities we found not only both species, but also many specimens which show all transitional stages between them. We have no explanation for these observations and hope that future investigations will reveal a solution to this problem. Such studies must include also the two taxa Graptodytes fractus ( SHARP, 1882) and Graptodytes kuchtae ( BREIT, 1908) .

M e a s u r e m e n t s: The range of body size of specimens from Corsica and Sardinia is the same as that of continental G. varius .

Figures

Figs 3-6: Habitus of (3) Graptodytes laeticulus (SHARP, 1882), male from Aïn Damous, Algeria; (4) G. laeticulus, female from same locality; (5) G. varius (AUBÉ, 1838), male from Riunogues, southern France; (6) G. varius var. pauper (O. SCHMIDT, 1903), male from Zonza, Corsica, France (scale bar 2.0 mm).