Pocadius adustus Reitter, 1888

Materials

Examined:

GEORGIA • Nedzvi Managed Reserve; N41.9024°, E43.5161°; 885 m a.s.l.; 08.10.2021; ISU, CaBOL IDs: 1018762, 1018763 (Fig. 4); leg: CaBOL team.

Genetics:

The BOLD identification engine indicated high similarity of the sequence yielded from the specimen with CaBOL ID 1018763 (BOLD: ACJ7127) to the COI of Pocadius adustus from Germany (BIN ID: ACJ7127, similarity 98.95%). The morphology of the Georgian specimens also perfectly corresponds to the description provided in the key by Medvedev (1965).

Remarks:

To date, 63 species of Nitidulidae comprising 23 genera are known from Georgia (Jelinek and Audisio 2007; Tarkhnishvili et al. 2013). The genus Pocadius includes 10 described species, displaying peculiar habits of being epigeous gasteromycetes specialists (Cline 2008). P. adustus has a wide distribution range in the Palaearctic region, with the nearest findings from Turkey (Jelinek and Audisio 2007) and the Western Caucasus in Russia (Cline 2005). The specimens from the Nedzvi Managed Reserve found in the puffball ( Lycoperdon sp.) cavity represent a first record for Georgia.