Quedius spp

Salnitska, Maria & Solodovnikov, Alexey, 2018, Taxonomy of the poorly known Quedius mutilatus group of wingless montane species from Middle Asia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini), European Journal of Taxonomy 401, pp. 1-17 : 15

Quedius spp . from the Q. mutilatus group, ambiguously labelled or undetermined material

The following material could not be identified:

Type material

KYRGYZSTAN: paralectotype of Q. mutilatus [ Kyrgyzstan], ♀, “ mutilatus mihi See Isyk-Kul [Lake Issyk-Kul], Turkestan Akinin [handwritten label] /c.Epplsh. Steind. d [printed label] / TYPUS [red printed label]/ Paralectotype Quedius mutilatus Eppelsheim, 1888 M. Salnitska & A. Solodovnikov rev. 2016” (NMW); paratype of Q. kalabi [ Kyrgyzstan], ♀, “SU – Tien-Schan Mts, – 3000–3500 m NO part of Terskey Ala Too ridge JETY-OGUZ, – 20 km SW from Przewalsk J. Kalab leg. 23.– 30.6.1989 ’/ QUEDIUS (Microsaurus) sp. nov. ♀” ( Smetana 1995).

Other material

KAZAKHSTAN: 2 ♂♂, 1 ♀, DzungarianAlatau, Toksanbai, upper reaches of Taibuga River [79.7300° E, 44.9400° N], 11 Jun. 1991, V. Kastcheev leg. ( ZIN) ; 1 ♀, Central Tien-Shan, Atbashi mountain range, S slope , 3000 m [75.8800° E, 40.9900° N], 22 Jul. 1959, Zaslavsky leg. ( ZIN) ; 1 ♀, ‘ Turkestan leget Akinin, dedet Faust’ ( NMW).

For reasons why the paralectotype of Q. mutilatus and the paratype of Q. kalabi , both females, are likely non-conspecific with the primary type material and cannot be identified, see the comments for the respective species above.

Three specimens from Dzungarian Alatau in ZIN are damaged by dermestids and among them only one of the two males has the aedeagus intact. Based on external morphology, these specimens, collected during the same collecting event, appear conspecific. The structure of the aedeagus preserved in one of them suggests they may be conspecific with Q. kalabi or at least represent a very similar taxon. This, in turn, suggests their origin from Terskei Alatau and therefore a case of mislabeling. The presence of the Q. mutilatus group in Dzungarian Alatau, which is outside the known distribution pattern of the group, needs confirmation by other material.

A female specimen from NMW from an indefinite locality recorded as ‘Turkestan’, and a female from ZIN from the Atbashi mountain range cannot be identified further than being members of the Q. mutilatus group without associated males. It is noteworthy that a female from the Atbashi Range so far represents the southwesternmost and a relatively isolated record of the Q. mutilatus group.