Quedius (Raphirus) boops (Gravenhorst, 1802)

Assing, Volker, 2018, On the taxonomy and zoogeography of some West Palaearctic Quedius species, with a focus on the East Mediterranean and the species allied to Quedius umbrinus and Q. nivicola (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 50 (1), pp. 149-182 : 166-167

Quedius (Raphirus) boops (GRAVENHORST, 1802)

Quedius haafi SCHEERPELTZ, 1956: 1107 f.; nov.syn.

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Syntypes: 1♂ [dissected prior to present study;

aedeagus missing]: " ♂ / Pedhoulas, 3600 ft, Cyprus, 2.5.1955, leg. Dr. E. Haaf / Museum Frey

Tutzing / Dr. E. Haaf don. 1956 / ex coll. Scheerpeltz / Cotypus Quedius Haafi O. Scheerpeltz /

Quedius boops (Gravenhorst) ♂, det. V. Assing 2017" (NHMW). 2♀♀: same data (NHMW).

A d d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: 1♂:" ♂ /Cypern,Madari-Geb.,Mavromoustakis / Haafi / ex coll. Scheerpeltz / Cotypus Quedius Haafi O. Scheerpeltz " (NHMW).

C o m m e n t: A widespread and rather variable species, Q. boops previously already had five junior synonyms ( ASSING 2017a). Quedius haafi was originally described based on " 1♂, 1♀ Typen, 1♂, 3♀♀ Paratypen " from "Cypern: Pedhoulas, 3600 ft, 2.5.1955 " ( SCHEERPELTZ 1956). Since no holotype is specified, all type specimens have syntype status. Three syntypes, a male and two females, were located in the collections of the NHMW. Since the aedeagus of the male is missing, a lectotype is not designated. The three remaining syntypes are probably in the Frey collection (currently housed at the Naturhistorisches Museum Basel). An intact male labelled by Scheerpeltz as "Cotypus" (see additional material above) does not have type status, since it is not mentioned in the original description. A dissection of this male revealed that it is conspecific with Q. boops . In external characters, it is indistinguishable from the examined syntypes of Q. boops , suggesting that they are conspecific, too. Hence the synonymy proposed above.