Vulda ottomana ( Cameron , 1912)

Assing, Volker, 2007, On the Xantholinini of Turkey and adjacent regions (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Zootaxa 1474, pp. 1-54 : 8-10

Vulda ottomana ( Cameron, 1912)

( Figs. 1–6 , 13–15 , 99–100 )

Xantholinus (Vulda) ottomanus Cameron, 1912: 1 f.

Xantholinus (Leptophallus) anatolicus Coiffait, 1965: 121 f.; syn. n.

Type material examined. V. o t t o m a n a: Holotype: ɗ, "Beikos, 8.'03 M C. / 8448 / Type / M. Cameron Bequest, B.M. 1955–147 / Syntype Xantholinus (Vulda) ottomanus Cameron, 1912 , det. R. G. Booth 2007 / Holotype Xantholinus ottomanus Cameron rev. V. Assing 2007 / Vulda ottomana ( Cameron) det. V. Assing 2007 " ( BMNH).

X. anatolicus : Holotype: ɗ, "Abant Geb. bei Bolu, 30.V.1964 / leg. H. Korge, Anatolia bor. / X. (Leptophallus) anatolicus n. sp. H. Coiffait det. 1964 / Holotype / Vulda anatolica (Coiffait) det. V. Assing 2006" (cKor).

Additional material examined. TURKEY: Istanbul: 1ɗ, "Belgrader Wald", 1.–7.VII.1954, leg. Schubert ( NHMW).

Comment. The original description of Xantholinus ottomanus is based on a single " type " "taken at Beikos, in August, 1903, under a stone" ( Cameron 1912). The male holotype was studied and its habitus and sexual characters were illustrated by Coiffait (1971), who assigned it to the nominal subgenus of the genus Vulda .

Xantholinus anatolicus was originally described based on a single holotype male from the Abant Daġları near Bolu. Coiffait (1965, 1972) assigned the species to the subgenus Leptophallus Coiffait, 1956 a (now a synonym of Megalinus Mulsant & Rey, 1877 ) of the genus Xantholinus . Bordoni (1985) subsequently transferred it to the subgenus Neoleptophallus Bordoni, 1985 . An examination of the holotype revealed that it refers to the genus Vulda Jacquelin du Val, 1853 and that the illustration of the aedeagus provided by Coiffait (1965, 1972) is highly misleading.

At first glance, the holotypes of V. ottomana and V. anatolica appear to refer to different species. The former has large and bulging eyes, a posteriorly somewhat tapering head, long elytra, and fully developed hind wings ( Fig. 99 ), whereas the latter has small eyes not distinctly projecting from the lateral contours of the head, a head with subparallel lateral margins (dorsal view), distinctly shorter elytra, and reduced hind wings. The primary and secondary sexual characters, however, are practically identical and, moreover, other external characters (coloration, size, proportion, microsculpture, etc.) are highly similar, suggesting that both holotypes belong to the same dimorphic species. There is also zoogeographic evidence supporting this conclusion: the male specimen listed above as additional material resembles the holotype of V. anatolica both in external and in sexual characters, but was found in Istanbul close to the type locality of V. ottomana ( Fig. 13 ). Since the latter is the senior name, it takes precedence, and V. anatolica is here placed in synonymy with V. o t t o m a n a.

Redescription. Measurements (in mm) and ratios (holotype of V. ottomana , holotype of V. anatolica , additional specimen): AL: 2.14, 2.17, 1.98; HL: 1.27, 1.43, 1.34; HW: 0.89, 1.00, 0.95; PW: 0.71, 0.84, 0.80; PL: 1.11, 1.31, 1.22; EL: 1.03, 0.88, 0.76; EW: 1.18, 1.03, 0.92; AW: 0.95, 1.01, 0.94; TiL: 0.76, 0.83, 0.79; TaL: 0.68, 0.65, 0.63; ML: 0.72, 0.74, 0.72; TL: 6.9, 8.3, 7.3; HL/HW: 1.42, 1.44, 1.41; PW/HW: 0.80, 0.84, 0.84; PL/PW: 1.56, 1.57, 1.53; EL/PL: 0.93, 0.67, 0.62; EW/PW: 1.45, 1.23, 1.15; AW/EW: 0.93, 0.99, 1.02; TiL/TaL: 1.0 6, 1.28, 1.24.

Habitus of brachypterous morph as in Fig. 1 . Coloration: head blackish brown to blackish; pronotum reddish to dark brown; elytra yellowish to pale reddish; abdomen yellowish brown to brown; legs yellowish to reddish; antennae dark brown, with the basal 3 antennomeres reddish to reddish brown.

Head distinctly oblong (see measurements and ratio HL/HW) and of subrectangular shape (brachypterous morph, Fig. 2 ) or tapering posteriad (macropterous morph, Fig. 99 ); eyes small ( Fig. 3 ), not projecting from lateral outline of head, approximately 1/4 the length of postocular region in dorsal view (brachypterous morph), or large and distinctly bulging ( Fig. 99 ), approximately half the length of postocular region in dorsal view (macropterous morph); dorsal surface with rather sparse fine punctures and interspersed larger punctures; microsculpture absent. Antenna with antennomere I approximately as long as the combined length of antennomeres II–V; II and III oblong and of subequal length; IV weakly transverse; V–X weakly to moderately transverse ( Fig. 4 ).

Pronotum slender, distinctly narrower and smaller than head (see ratio PW/HW), weakly tapering posteriad; lateral margins straight or shallowly sinuate in dorsal view; dorsal series composed of 10–11 punctures; whole surface with very fine and rather sparse punctures, lateral areas with interspersed coarse punctures; microsculpture absent ( Figs. 2 , 99 ).

Elytra distinctly shorter and slightly wider than pronotum (brachypterous morph) or almost as long and distinctly wider than pronotum (macropterous morph) (see ratios EL/PL and EW/PW); puncturation more or less well-defined and moderately dense ( Figs. 2 , 99 ). Hind wings completely reduced (brachypterous morph) or fully developed (macropterous morph). Legs moderately slender (see measurements and ratio TiL/TaL).

Abdomen approximately as wide as (brachypterous morph) or narrower than elytra (macropterous morph), widest at segments VI/VII; puncturation fine, sparser on posterior than on anterior tergites; surface with shallow, but distinct microsculpture; posterior margin of tergite VII with (macropterous morph) or without palisade fringe (brachypterous morph).

ɗ: aedeagus slender and relatively small, with moderately sclerotised internal tube ( Figs. 5–6 , 14–15 , 100 ).

Comparative notes. Aside from V. ottomana , two species of Vulda have been described from Turkey: Vulda (Typhlodes) brignolii Bordoni, 1973 a (Amasya), and V. (T.) vignai Bordoni, 1973 a (Bolu). From the latter, whose description is based on a single female, V. ottomana is readily distinguished by much smaller size ( V. vignai : 13 mm), bicoloured body (in V. vignai uniformly pale brown), and larger eyes. From V. brignolii it is separated by the bicoloured body (in V. brignolii uniformly brown), a distinctly more slender head and pronotum, and a completely different morphology of the aedeagus. For illustrations of the habitus and male sexual characters of these species see Bordoni (1973a).

Subgeneric placement. Based on the reductions of eye size, elytral length, hind wings, and palisade fringe at the posterior margin of the abdominal tergite VII, the brachypterous morph would have to be attributed to the subgenus Typhlodes Sharp, 1873 , whereas the macropterous morph is currently in the subgenus Vulda . The fact that, based on the current subgeneric concept, one of the two morphs would have to be placed in Vulda and the other in Typhlodes , suggests that this subgeneric system is highly artificial. Therefore, this and the followings species are attributed to neither of these subgenera.

Distribution and bionomics. The species has become known from three localities in northwestern Turkey, one in Bolu (type locality of V. anatolica ) and two in Istanbul province ( Fig. 13 ). The three specimens were collected in May, July, and August. The non-type specimen from Istanbul is apparently slightly teneral. The holotype of V. ottomana was found under a stone.

Figures

FIGURE 13. Distribution of the genus Vulda in Turkey: V. ottomana (Cameron) (filled circles), V. vignai Bordoni (open circle), V. cangalica sp. n. (filled squares), and V. brignolii Bordoni (open square). Since the type locality of V. brignolii (" Boraby gölü ") was not identified (misspelling?), the respective square is placed in the centre of Amasya province.

FIGURES 14 – 21. Vulda ottomana (Cameron) (14 – 15; holotype of Xantholinus anatolicus Coiffait) and Xantholinus gridellii Coiffait (16 – 21; 20: paratype): 14, 20 – 21 — aedeagus; 15 — internal structures of aedeagus; 16 — habitus; 17 — forebody; 18 — male tergite VIII; 19 — male sternite VIII. Scale bars: 16 – 17: 1.0 mm; 18 – 21: 0.5 mm; 14: 0.2 mm; 15: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 1 – 6. Vulda ottomana (Cameron): 1 — habitus; 2 — forebody; 3 — head in lateral view; 4 — antenna; 5 — aedeagus; 6 — internal structure of aedeagus. Scale bars: 1 – 3: 1.0 mm; 4: 0.5 mm; 5: 0.2 mm; 6: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 94 – 100. Xantholinus chersonesicus sp. n. (94 – 97), X. reitteri Coiffait, holotype (98), and Vulda ottomana (Cameron), holotype (99 – 100): 94, 99 — forebody; 95, 98, 100 — aedeagus; 96 — internal structures of aedeagus in squeeze preparation; 97 — distal part of internal structures of aedeagus in squeeze preparation. Scale bars: 94, 99: 1.0 mm; 95 – 98: 0.5 mm; 100: 0.2 mm.