Leptusa species

Assing, Volker, 2017, On the Leptusa fauna of the Caucasus region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 49 (2), pp. 1049-1074 : 1050-1051

The Leptusa species of the Caucasus region (exclusive of Iran)

In total, 39 species in five subgenera are currently known from the Caucasus region as defined above, 28 in the subgenus Neopisalia , six in Stictopisalia , two each in Dysleptusa and Roubaliusa , and one in Leptusa . Except for one species, all of them are Caucasian elements, most of which have more or less restricted distributions. Six of the species are winged and probably capable of flight. The remainder is at least likely to be unwinged; three unexamined species were categorized as unwinged solely based on the habitus illustrations provided by PACE (1989). Two species are of doubtful identity, since their male sexual characters are unknown.

When examining the general distributions of the genus and the subgenera in the Caucasus region, some evident patterns are revealed. While the (few) widespread winged species of the subgenera Leptusa and Dysleptusa are present in all or most of the region ( Map 8 ), the distributions of the remainder is much more restricted. Disregarding L. armeniaca , which is probably more closely affiliated to the North Iranian fauna, locally endemic (and mostly flightless) species of Neopisalia , Stictopisalia , and Roubaliusa are confined to the western half of the Caucasus region ( Maps 1-3 ), eastwards approximately to Kura river and Racha in Georgia (approximately 43°30' eastern longitude), i.e., to those regions that are subject to higher levels of annual precipitation. They are completely absent from the drier eastern parts of the Caucasus. The distribution of L. venusta , a winged and common Caucasian species, is generally similar to that of the pooled distribution of locally endemic Neoleptusa species, but extends further to the east and southeast.

The distributions shown in Maps 1-8 reveal a remarkable gap in Abkhazia. This distribution gap, however, is most likely an artefact resulting from a bias in collecting activity. The region has been studied very poorly and probably still hosts an unknown number of undiscovered and unnamed species.

Figures

Map 1: Distributions of the species of the subgenus Stictopisalia in the Caucasus region: L. fibula (black circles), L. artviniensis (white circles), L. caucasica (black diamonds), L. pseudocaucasica (white diamond), and L. armeniaca (triangles). The doubtful L. subcaucasica is omitted.

Map 2: Distributions of the species of the subgenus Roubaliusa in the Caucasus region: L. storkani (black circles) and L. trapezuntis (white circles).

Map 3: Distributions of the locally endemic species of the subgenus Neopisalia in the Caucasus region (all records pooled).

Map 4: Distribution of Leptusa venusta in the Caucasus region.

Map 5: Distributions of species of the subgenus Neopisalia in the Caucasus region: L. diecki (black circles), L. cimmeria (white circles), L. crinita (black triangles), L. lederi (white triangles), L. abchasica (black star), L. rousi (white diamonds), and L. glabriceps (black diamond).

Map 6: Distributions of species of the subgenus Neopisalia in the Caucasus region: L. microphthalma (black circles), L. khnzoriani (white star), L. kaszabi (black star), L. korgei (black diamond), L. rizensis (white diamonds), L. soganlica (black triangles), L. longilobata (white triangles), and L. spoliata (white circles).

Map 7: Distributions of species of the subgenus Neopisalia in the Caucasus region: L. gibbera (black circles), L. subnivalis (white circles), L. migrituber (white diamonds), L. svanetica (black diamond), L. substricta (white star), L. triangulata (black star), and L. sica (black triangles).

Map 8: Distributions of species of the subgenera Neopisalia and Dysleptusa in the Caucasus region: L. (Dysleptusa) fuliginosa (black circles), L. (D.) fauveli (white triangle), and L. (Neopisalia) xanthopyga (white circles).