Microsaurus Dejean, 1833

Yu, A. & Solodovnikov, 2005, New and little known species of Quedius from West Palaearctic (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Zootaxa 902, pp. 1-13 : 2-3

Subgenus Microsaurus Dejean, 1833 , sensu Smetana (1971)

Quedius (Microsaurus) bernhaueri Rambousek, 1915 Rambousek 1915: 27 ; 1916: 130; Gridelli 1924: 33; Coiffait 1978: 181; Assing & Wunderle 2001: 114.

Type material. Lectotype (here designated): ɗ, MACEDONIA: “Maced.[ Macedonia] Perister alpin. 7. 14 Dr. Rambousek/ Bernhaueri m. Typ det. Rambousek” ( SNM); paralectotype: MACEDONIA: ɗ, “Maced. [ Macedonia] Perister alpin. 7. 14 Dr. Rambousek/ Bernhaueri Ramb. Cotypus/ Chicago NHM M. Bernhauer Collection” ( FMNH).

Additional material. GREECE: 1 ɗ, Flórina, Vérno, Vitsi SW Drossopigi, northern slope, valley of small creek, Fagus ­forest, snowpatch, 13.IV.2000, 1410 m, 40°3850N, 21°2445E, leg. Zerche; 2 Ψ, Flórina, Vérno, Vitsi S Flórina , northern slope, Fagus ­forest, snowpatch, 13.IV.2000, 1660 m, 40°3750N, 21°2403E, leg. Zerche and Behne ( DEI).

Lectotype designation. In the original description, which was published in two almost identical papers, in Czech and German ( Rambousek 1915) and in German ( Rambousek 1916), no information about the number of type specimens was provided. I was able to locate two specimens (both males) whose identity and labels exactly match the data provided in the original description. One of these syntypes (deposited in SNM) with Rambouseks type label is designated here as the lectotype. The other syntype (deposited in FMNH) with Bernhauers identification and “cotype” label is a paralectotype.

Discussion. This remarkable species, described from the Perister range in Macedonia early in the 20th century ( Rambousek 1915, 1916), was collected again only recently by Assing and Wunderle (2001). Rambousek (1915) found this species in soil from under large stones deeply immersed in the ground, at the elevation of 1800–2000 m. Assing and Wunderle (2001) sifted Quedius bernhaueri from deep leaf litter in beech forest with calcareous soil, in northern and northwestern exposition at altitudes of 1800 and 1900 m near the peak of Oros Vitsi in Florina ( Greece). New findings (from the same region in Greece) listed in this paper fit the known narrow distribution of Q. bernhaueri , though record it from a slightly lower elevation (down to 1400 m). Assing and Wunderle (2001) provided illustrations of the habitus and male genitalia, based on their newly collected specimens. My examination of the type specimens (see above) confirms that the non­type based identification by Assing and Wunderle (2001) is correct. Because of the peculiar habitus features of Q. bernhaueri (apparently associated with its endogean bionomics), its taxonomic position within the genus Quedius is dubious. Rambousek (1915) assigned it to his new subgenus of Quedius , Tenebrobius . Later authors, starting with Gridelli (1924), referred it to the subgenus Microsaurus . My examination of Q. bernhaueri indicates that it is only such character as relatively small eyes, which makes it similar with Microsaurus . At the same time, unlike most species of Microsaurus , Q. bernhaueri has only one pair of setiferous punctures situated in front of posterior margin of head and posteromediad of posterior frontal puncture. Given the somewhat artificial and unclear limits between the currently accepted subgenera of Quedius ( Smetana 1988; Solodovnikov 2002), phylogenetic affiliations of this spectacular European species must be revisited on the basis of a broad phylogenetic study of Quedius and allies. Before this is done, I retain Q. bernhaueri in Microsaurus following previous authors.