Quedius altanai Hansen & Brunke, 2022

Hansen, Aslak Kappel, Brunke, Adam, Simonsen, Thomas & Solodovnikov, Alexey, 2022, Revision of Quedius sensu stricto (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 62 (1), pp. 225-299 : 273-274

Quedius altanai Hansen & Brunke , sp. nov.

( Figs 1 , 4 , 10C , 16C , 17 , 21 )

Quedius lanei (misidentified): KඈඋGൾ (1962b): 333 (characters, notes); Sආൾඍൺඇൺ (1971a): 144 (characters and distribution); Sආൾඍൺඇൺ (1971b): 1844 (collecting notes and distribution); Sආൾඍൺඇൺ (1976a): 174 (distribution).

Type material. Hඈඅඈඍඒඉൾ J ( CNC), labelled: “ Cache Co., Logan Cn., 5300’, Spring Hollow, 15.VII.1981, J.M. Campbell / sifting pile of squirrel midden / CNC 1017210 / Holotype Quedius altanai Hansen & Brunke , sp. Nov des. A. Hansen & A. Brunke 2021 ”. Pൺඋൺඍඒඉൾඌ: USA: Aඋංඓඈඇൺ: Apache Co., Chuska Mountains, Wagonwheel Campground, [36.45, -109.17], 2500 m, pine and fir 25.-27.VIII.1977, leg. S. Peck (1 CNC); Chuska Mountains, Wagonwheel Campground, [36.45, -109.17], 2250 m, sifted from moss, 12.VII.1976, leg. J.M. Campbell (1 CNC). Cඈඅඈඋൺൽඈ: 6 mi S Molas Pass, [37.66, -107.7], 2895 m, 1.VIII.1973, leg. J.M. Campbell (2 CNC); Red Mountain Pass near Silverton, [37.89, -107.71], 3505 m, 28.VII.1973, leg. J.M. Campbell (1 CNC). IൽൺHඈ: Bloomington Lake Wasatch Mts, [42.14, -111.57], 2500 m, 8.VII.1952, leg.B. Malkin (1J FMNH); Boise County, Sawtooth Region, Bull Trout Lake, 3.2km SW Highway 21, [44.3, -115.25], 2130 m, 6.VI.1989, leg.A. Smetana (3 CNC); Custer County, Sawtooth Range Highway, 21 Banner Summit, [44.3, -115.23], 2190 m, 6.VI.1989, leg. A. Smetana (1 CNC); Custer County, Sawtooth Range, Stanley Lake, [44.24, -115.05], 1900 m, 8.VI.1989, leg. A. Smetana (5 CNC). Nൾඐ Mൾඑංർඈ: Otero, 19. Mi S of Cloudcroft, [32.69, -105.72], IV.22.1972, C.W. & L.B. O’Brien (1 J CNC). UඍൺH: Ashley National Forest, 12 km S Manila, Deep Creek, 40.8550, -109.7297, 2340 m, sifting litter and mushrooms, 30.VI.2015, leg. M. Schülke (1 J ZMHB); Cache County, Logan Canyon, Spring Hollow, [41.75, -111.71], 1615 m, sifting, pile of squirrel midden, 15.VII.1981, leg. J.M. Campbell (3 CNC, 2 NHMD); Cache County, Logan Canyon, Spring Hollow, [41.75, -111.71], 1615 m, 15.VII.1981, leg. J.M. Campbell (4 CNC); Cache County,Logan Canyon, 2km N Wood Camp, [41.75, -111.71], 1706 m, sifting, moss, 14.VII.1981, leg. J.M. Campbell (1 CNC); Lonesome Beaver, Henry Mountain, [38.1, -110.81], 25-26.VII.1968, leg. H.F.Howden (1 CNC);Mount Timpanegos,Wasatch Mountains,[40.39, -111.64], 5.VII.1935, leg.Van Dyke (2 CNC); Summit County, Bald Mount Pass, [40.68, -110.89], 3261 m, 11.VII.1981, leg. J.M.Campbell (2 CNC); Summit County, Whiskey Creek, Mile 39 Highway 150, Sulphur Campground, [40.79, -110.88], 2743 m, 11.VII.1981, leg. J.M. Campbell (2 CNC); Summit County, Wasatch National Forest, Beth Lake, [40.65, -110.96], 2895 m, 12.VII.1981, leg. J.M. Campbell (1 CNC). WඒඈආංඇG: [Yellowstone] National Park, [44.63, -110.87], IV.1908, leg.Hubbard & Schwarz (1 CNC). Wyoming USA, 26.VI.1956, leg. E. Suenson (2 NHMD).

Description. Measurements J (n = 1): HW = 1.67; HL = 1.49; HL/HW 0.89; PW = 2.20; PL = 2.07; PL/PW 0.94; EW = 2.24; EL = 2.13; EL/EW 0.95; EL/PL 1.03; PW/HW 1.48; forebody length 5.69. ♀♀ (n = 6): HW = 1.56–1.67 (1.60); HL = 1.20–1.42 (1.34); HL/HW 0.75–0.89 (0.84); PW = 1.96–2.24 (2.07); PL = 1.78–1.96 (1.86); PL/PW 0.87–0.95 (0.90); EW = 2.09–2.24 (2.18); EL = 1.96–2.16 (2.05); EL/EW 0.87–0.99 (0.94); EL/PL 1.04–1.14 (1.10); PW/HW 1.27–1.74 (1.51); forebody length 5.04–5.53 (5.25).

Medium sized species; body brown to black ( Fig. 10C ).

Head black, distinctly transverse, with eyes medium sized (EyL/TL = 1.61–2.07 (1.90)), microsculpture of transverse waves, with two interocular punctures between anterior frontal punctures ( Fig. 6G ); antennae and palpi dark with joints pale reddish, all antennomeres elongate, except the last and penultimate antennomere almost transverse.

Thorax: pronotum dark brown to black, slightly wider than long, clearly wider than head, with microsculpture of transverse waves, three punctures in dorsal row and one to two in sublateral row with its posteriormost puncture reaching just beyond first puncture of dorsal row; scutellum sparsely punctured and pubescent; elytra variable in coloration, from reddish brown, to almost yellowish pale, occasionally dark with lighter sutural margins, uniformly pubescent, with punctures clearly separated, slightly wi-der than long, slightly longer than pronotum; legs reddish brown with inner face of tibia and inner surface of femur darkened and tarsi paler.

Abdomen brown to black, tergites uniformly punctured, with clear iridescence.

Male. Aedeagus ( Figs 16C , 17 ): Paramere lanceolate, rather slender, without clear basal attenuation, reaching apex of median lobe, with small sensory peg setae forming two irregular rows meeting in irregular cluster below apex; median lobe lanceolate, slender, continuously constricting towards pointed apex, on parameral side with two small teeth simply protruding outwards and slightly basad; internal sac with two larger oval and two smaller rounded internal sclerites.

Differential diagnosis. Quedius altanai can be distinguished from Q. laticollis and Q. strenuus by the presence of two additional setiferous punctures between the anterior frontal punctures. It can be distinguished from Q. labradorensis by the darker body and the clearly darkened basal three antennomeres. It can be distinguished from other members of the molochinoides -group ( Q. horni , Q. lanei and Q. molochinoides ) only by the male genitalia: by the slender paramere that is evenly narrowed from base to apex, and median lobe with an evenly narrowed apex and two small subapical teeth pointing basad and often appearing as short carinae. However, the clearly allopatric distribution of Q. altanai with respect to all other species of the molochinoides -group makes such detailed examination for diagnostic purposes within the group largely unnecessary.

Bionomics. Quedius altanai prefers mountainous areas and occurs only at high elevations between 1600 and 3500 m. The habitat seems to be mainly moist debris, and under rocks in meadows or coniferous forests. Specimens from Red Mountain Pass were collected from under rocks near snowfields (Sආൾඍൺඇൺ 1976) and those from Lincoln National Forest, New Mexico were found in a meadow-like biotope, amidst coniferous forest under a piece of wood at a small creek (Sආൾඍൺඇൺ 1971). Other specimens have been reported from litter, moss, and squirrel middens mainly in coniferous forests.

Etymology. This species is dedicated to our great friend and colleagueAleš Smetana who has greatly advanced the study of the complex genus Quedius globally and who reviewed this paper.We are glad that Aleš saw it. Sadly, he recently passed away while this paper was still unpublished. We foresee large future taxonomic changes, when this huge genus will be split, inevitably following recent phylogenetic findings. So, this becomes a way to capture and eternalize his name within the core of the genus. The name is a combination the first part of the first name (al-) and the last part of the last name (-tana) given as a masculin eponym (-i).

Distribution. Quedius altanai is known from high elevation sites of the central and southern Rockies, as well as western Sierra Madre ( Fig. 21 ). Its northernmost limit of the distribution is from middle Rockies, i.e. Central- -Southern Idaho and Wyoming (ecoregion 6.2.10, 6.2.15). In the south it extends into the highest elevation sites of the Rockies (ecoregion 6.2.13 and 6.2.14) and interestingly into western Sierra Madre that often is represented by a different fauna (ecoregion 13.1.1). Westwards Q. altanai does not occur in the Cascades, Sierra Nevada or the Blue Mountains. There it is replaced by Q. lanei .

Figures

Fig. 1. Phylogenetic tree of Quedius s. str. based on preliminary target capture molecular dataset of Bඋඎඇĸൾ et al. (2021) and Hൺඇඌൾඇ et al. (in prep). Species groups shown in color. Q. altanai Hansen & Brunke, sp. nov. of the Q. molochinoides-group was not included in the dataset. Habitus sketch is of Q. fuliginosus (Gravenhorst, 1802). Lettering denotes species distribution within their respective groups.

Fig. 4. Phylogeny of Quedius s. str. species based on Bayesian Inference (BI) and Maximum Likelihood (ML) COI barcodes (part 2). BI posterior probabilities (PP), ML ultrafast bootstrap support (UFB) and ML SH-aLRT test are shown. Nodes coloured as: green, PP ≥ 0.90, and either UFB ≥ 95 or SH-aLRT ≥ 80; yellow, one of PP ≥ 0.90, UFB ≥ 95 or SH-aLRT ≥ 80; red, PP <0.90, UFB <95 and SH-aLRT <80.

Fig. 10. Habitus of Quedius s. str. A – Q. horni Hatch, 1957; B – Q. lanei Hatch, 1957; C – Q. altanai Hansen & Brunke, sp. nov.; D – Q. molochinoides Smetana, 1965 (red elytra variant); E – Q. molochinoides (black elytra variant); F – Q. labradorensis Smetana, 1965.

Fig. 16. Aedeagus of Quedius s. str. A – Q. labradorensis Smetana, 1965; B – Q. horni Hatch, 1957; C – Q. altanai Hansen & Brunke, sp. nov.; D – Q. lanei Hatch, 1957; E – Q. molochinoides Smetana, 1965. I – parameral view of whole aedeagus, II – apices of paramere in antiparameral view with peg setae, III – lateral view of whole aedeagus, IV – apices of median lobe at an angle between parameral and lateral view.

Fig. 17. Variation in genitalic morphology of species from Quedius molochinoides-group.From left to right for each specimen, first paramere then median lobe (parameral view) and lastly median lobe (lateral view) are given. For each specimen locality is noted underneath.

Fig. 21. Distribution of Quedius unicolor Kiesenwetter, 1847 (top),.Q. labradorensis Smetana, 1965 (middle), Quedius molochinoides-group (bottom). Barcoded specimens are denoted with +.

Fig.6. Head and pronotal chaetotaxy of Quedius s. str.A – general scheme; B – Q. curtipennis Bernhauer, 1908, C – Q. fuliginosus (Gravenhorst, 1802); D – Q. levicollis Brullé, 1832; E – Q. afrofuliginosus Gusarov, 1991; F – Q. molochinus- and Q. laticollis-groups; G – Q. molochinoides-group. Abbreviations as follows: anterior frontal puncture (AFP); basal punctures (BP); interocular punctures (IOP); lateral puncture (LP); lateral row (LR); posterior frontal puncture (PFP); parocular punctures (POP); sublateral row (SLR).