Sunius hypogaeus ( FAUVEL 1900)

Assing, V. & A, North, 2008, A revision of the Sunius species of the Western Palaearctic region and Middle Asia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 40 (1), pp. 5-135 : 73

4.37. Sunius hypogaeus ( FAUVEL 1900) ( Map 14 )

Medon hypogaeus FAUVEL 1900: 227 .

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Holotype 3: "Anti-Liban, Bloudan / hypogaea Fvl. / TYPE / H. Coiffait vid., 1959 / Holotypus Medon hypogaeus Fauvel rev. V. Assing 2001 / Sunius hypogaeus (Fauvel) det. V. Assing 2001" ( IRSNB). A d d i t i o n a l m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Israel: 7 exs., Golan , Mt Hermon , 2000m, 23.IV.1982, leg. Besuchet & Löbl ( MHNG, cAss); 5 exs., Golan Heights , Merom Golan , 33°08'N, 35°47'E, 830 m, old oak wood, 2.II.2007, leg. Feldmann (cFel, cAss, TAU); 1 ex., Golan Heights, Merom Golan, 33°08'N, 35°48'E, 940 m, oak forest, leaf litter sifted, 23./ 30.III.2006, leg. Wrase (cSch).

C o m m e n t: The original description is based on a single specimen from "Anti-Liban: Bloudan" (33°44'N, 36°08'E; today in Syria) .

D i a g n o s i s: Externalcharactersasin S. renouardi .

3: sternite VIII with deep posterior excision (deeper than in S. renouardi ), otherwise unmodified; aedeagus as figured by COIFFAIT (1961, 1984).

D i s t r i b u t i o n a n d b i o n o m i c s: The species is apparently endemic to the Antilebanon and Mount Hermon ( Map 14 ); it is here reported from Israel for the first time. The examined specimens were collected at altitudes of 830-2000 m in February, March, and April; most of them were sifted from leaf litter in oak forests.

Figures

Map 14: Distributions of species of the S. seminiger group in the Middle East: Sunius renouardi (COIFFAIT) (filled circles), S. hypogaeus (FAUVEL) (open circles), S. spinosissimus nov.sp. (filled square), and S. klapperichi (COIFFAIT) (open square).