Quedius maurorufus (Gravenhorst, 1806)

Solodovnikov, Alexey, 2012, Rove beetle subtribes Quediina, Amblyopinina and Tanygnathinina: systematic changes affecting Central European fauna (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylinini), ZooKeys 162, pp. 25-42 : 32-35

Quedius maurorufus (Gravenhorst, 1806)

Quedius richteri Korge, 1966, syn. n.

Type material examined

Quedius richteri : Holotype: Germany: female, "Stolpe a. Oder Uckermark, 1986/ Quedius (Sauridus) richteri Korge ♀ - Holotypus"; paratype: 1 male, "Stolpe/ Mark leg. D. Richter / Glykolfallen August 1965/ Paratypus Quedius richteri Korge" (cKrg). Additional specimen: 1?female [apex of the abdomen missing], same data as in paratype, marked as paratype [but not listed in the type series in the original description].

Remarks

The female holotype, the damaged male paratype (Figs 12, 13), and the unsexed specimen (without apex of abdomen, marked as “paratype” but not listed in the original description) are the only specimens known as Quedius richteri Korge, 1966. As stated in the original description of Quedius richteri ( Korge 1966), and confirmed by the study of the type material here, externally this species is identical with Quedius maurorufus (Grav.). The only available male of Quedius richteri differs from Quedius maurorufus (Grav.) in the shape of the aedeagus (Figs 12, 13). The aedeagus of that single male of Quedius richteri shares the same structural plan with the aedeagus of Quedius maurorufus, and, at the same time, it displays some abnormal asymmetry. These facts, combined with the somewhat deformed external morphology of the corresponding male paratype of Quedius richteri , suggest that it is a teratological specimen of Quedius maurorufus (Grav.). Therefore, the name Quedius richteri Korge, 1966 is placed in synonymy with Quedius maurorufus (Gravenhorst, 1806), a wide-spread European species that is rather common in Central Europe. Lack of any other collecting events of Quedius richteri , described from the area of very strong entomological attention, is additional strong evidence for the mentioned teratology of Quedius maurorufus and resulting synonymy.