Geostiba (Sibiota) alticola Lohse & Smetana, 1988

Gusarov, Vladimir I., 2002, A revision of Nearctic species of the genus Geostiba Thomson, 1858 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), Zootaxa 81, pp. 1-88 : 60-64

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.155701

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6277581

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/5B50E916-FFA5-391C-4D2D-FEA7FD7CFA3C

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Geostiba (Sibiota) alticola Lohse & Smetana, 1988
status

 

11. Geostiba (Sibiota) alticola Lohse & Smetana, 1988 View in CoL ( Figs. 262­283 View FIGURES 262 ­ 266 View FIGURES 267 ­ 270 View FIGURES 271 ­ 283 )

Geostiba alticola Lohse & Smetana, 1988: 271 View in CoL .

Geostiba bicarinata: Lohse & Smetana, 1988: 273 View in CoL , ex parte (misidentification). Geostiba (Lioglutosipalia) carteriensis: Pace, 1997: 106 View in CoL , ex parte (misidentification).

Type material. Holotype ,, UNITED STATES: North Carolina: Buncombe Co.: Blue Ridge Parkway, Grey Beard Mountain View [35°42'37"N 82°21'51"W], 1700 m (A.Smetana), 4.vi.1986 ( CNCI); allotype,, North Carolina: Yancey Co.: Mt. Mitchell, 2000­2036m (A.Smetana), 4.vi.1986; paratypes: 3, 3, the same data as the holotype; 4,, the same data as the allotype (all – CNCI).

Additional material. UNITED STATES: North Carolina: McDowell Co.[?]: 27 specimens, Mt. Mitchell, Blue Ridge Parkway, 1700 m [this label is not precise; Mt. Mitchell is in Yancey County at least 5 kilometers from Blue Ridge Parkway; it is not possible to find coordinates for this sample] (J.S. & A.K.Ashe), sifted conifer litter, 2.viii.1991 ( KSEM); 2, ditto but 1676­1920 m ( KSEM); Buncombe Co:, 2, Craggy Dome, [35°42'20"N 82°22'00"W] (T.C.Barr, M.C.Bowling), 22.vii.1960 ( AMNH);, Blue Ridge Parkway, 16 km E Weaverville, Bearpen Knob, 35°41.91’N 82°23.05’W, 1740 m, mountain meadows, in dead grass under Rhododendron and Sorbus (V.I.Gusarov) , 25.vi.2001 ( SPSU); 12 specimens, ditto but 35°41.91’­42.02’N 82°23.05­ 22.83’W, 1700 m, in forest litter, Acer , Betula , Rhododendron ; 18 specimens, 15 km E Weaverville, Pisgah National Forest, Bearpen Gap, 35°41.98’N 82°23.52’W, 1600 m, in forest litter, Picea , Fagus , Betula (V.I.Gusarov) , 25.vi.2001; 8 specimens, Blue Ridge Parkway, 18 km E Weaverville, 35º42.78’N 82º21.89’W, 1720 m, in forest litter, Picea , Betula (V.I.Gusarov) , 25.vi.2001 (all – KSEM and SPSU); Yancey Co.:, Black Mountains, vii; 2, 4, Mt. Mitchell, 1400­1800 m (E.D.Quirsfeld), 17­24.vi.1939 (all – AMNH); 141 specimens, Mt.Mitchell (W.Suter), 12.vi.1973; 73 specimens, Mt.Mitchell near Blue Ridge Parkway, 1500 m (W.Suter), 17.vi.1973; 118 specimens, Mt.Mitchell, 1700 m (S.Peck), 9.iv.1967;, Mt.Mitchell, balsam fir litter above spring near summit (W.Suter), 31.v1973 (all – FMNH); 20 specimens, 16 km S Burnsville, Mt.Mitchell State Park, N slope of Mt. Mitchell, 35°46.19’N 82°15.97’W, 1920 m, in forest litter, Abies (V.I.Gusarov) , 25.vi.2001; 15 specimens, 21 km S Burnsville, Road 128, 35°43.42’N 82°16.97’W, 1600 m, in forest litter, Picea , Abies , Betula , Acer (V.I.Gusarov) , 25.vi.2001 ,, ditto but 35°43.32’N 82°17.29’W, 3.vi.2001; 15 specimens, Road 128, 19 km S Burnsville, Mt.Mitchell State Park, 35°44.71’N 82°16.83’W, 1800 m, in forest litter, Picea , Betula (V.I.Gusarov) , 25.vi.2001; 6 specimens, Road 128, 17 km S Burnsville, Mt.Mitchell, 35°45.92’N 82°16.26’W, 1920 m, in forest litter, Abies (V.I.Gusarov) , 25.vi.2001;, 17 km S Burnsville, Mt.Mitchell, near summit, 35°45.58’N 82°15.51’W, 2050 m, in forest litter, Picea rubens , Abies fraseri (V.I.Gusarov) , 3.vi.2001; Yancey Co. / Buncombe Co.: 19 specimens, 19 km S Burnsville, Blue Ridge Parkway, Balsam Gap overlook, 35°44.86’N 82°19.94’W, 1650 m, in forest litter, Picea , Abies , Betula , Acer (V.I.Gusarov) , 25.vi.2001 (all – KSEM and SPSU).

One of the paratypes of G. bicarinata listed by Lohse and Smetana (1988: 275) (not found in CNCI) must also belong to G. alticola (1 specimen, Buncombe Co.: base of Mt. Mitchell at Blue Ridge Parkway, about 1650 m (A.Smetana), 3.vi.1986). Two of the paratypes of G. carteriensis listed by Pace (1997: 106) (not examined) must also belong to G. alticola (2, Yancey Co.: Mt. Mitchell, 1800 m (P.Debs), 17.iv.1974). These assertions are based on the results of my extensive collecting efforts which demonstrated that G. bicarinata is restricted to the Great Balsam Mountains – Pisgah Ridge massif, G. carteriensis is restricted to the Bald Mountains and the Roan Mountain massif while G. alticola is the only species of Geostiba which occurs in the Great Craggy Mountains ­ Black Mountains massif.

Mislabeled material., United States: Alabama: Blount Co.: 1 mi. SE Blount Springs (S.Peck), 5.iv.1967 ( FMNH). This male is identical with the types of G. alticola and other specimens from the Black Mountains massif in all external characters and in genitalia. Geostiba alticola is a wingless species restricted to the Great Craggy Mountains ­ Black Mountains massif in the Southern Appalachians and occurs only above 1500 m. The altitude of the locality in Alabama is about 200 m. I consider the Alabama specimen to have been mislabeled. It is worth noting that four days later, on April 9, 1967, Stewart Peck collected a long series of G. alticola on the Mount Mitchell. Apparently one specimen was misplaced and mixed up with a sample from Alabama. Geostiba alticola does not occur in Alabama.

Diagnosis. Geostiba alticola can be distinguished from other Nearctic species of Geostiba by having small eyes (temple length to eye length ratio 3.8­5.0), pronotal pubescence of type V or VI, directed posteriorly in a wide medial zone (wider in males), not just along the midline, reduced wings, short elytra (pronotum length to elytron length ratio 1.3), the absence of carinae on abdominal tergum 7, the shape of the aedeagus ( Figs. 267­275, 277­ 283 View FIGURES 267 ­ 270 View FIGURES 271 ­ 283 ) and the shape of the spermatheca ( Fig. 276 View FIGURES 271 ­ 283 ).

Geostiba alticola differs from closely related G. carteriensis in having longer and more narrow (in lateral view) apex of the median lobe of aedeagus ( Figs. 269­270 View FIGURES 267 ­ 270 , 292­ 293 View FIGURES 289 ­ 293 ) and the lateral sides of the apex less convex (in ventral view) ( Figs. 267­268 View FIGURES 267 ­ 270 , 289­ 291 View FIGURES 289 ­ 293 ).

Description. Length 1.9­2.4 mm. Body uniformly light brown, in some specimens abdominal segments 3­6 darker. Body parallel­sided.

Head as wide as long, surface on disk with fine isodiametric microsculpture, puncturation very fine, distance between punctures equal to 2­4 times their diameter. Temple length to eye length ratio 3.8­5.0. Antennal article 2 longer than article 3, article 4 subquadrate, 5­10 transverse, last article as long as 9 and 10 combined.

Pronotum as wide as long, width 0.39­0.44 mm, wider than head (pronotal width to head width ratio 1.1); microsculpture and puncturation as on head; pronotal pubescence of type V or VI (directed posteriorly in wide medial zone (wider in males), not just along midline). Elytra measured from humeral angle shorter than pronotum (pronotal length to elytral length ratio 1.3), wider than long (1.5), with fine isodiametric microsculpture and fine asperate puncturation, distance between punctures equals 2­3 times their diameter. Elytral suture behind scutellum very slightly raised. Wings reduced to short vestiges, shorter than elytra.

Abdominal terga with fine microsculpture of transverse meshes, with fine and sparse puncturation, puncturation becoming finer towards abdomen apex, on terga 3­5 distance between punctures equals 2­5 times their diameter. Tergum 7 without white edge.

Males with stronger impression on disc of head and along midline of pronotum than females. Male tergum 7 without carinae. Posterior margin of male tergum 8 slightly convex ( Fig. 262 View FIGURES 262 ­ 266 ). Posterior margin of male sternum 8 convex ( Fig. 263 View FIGURES 262 ­ 266 ).

Posterior margin of female tergum 8 convex ( Fig. 264 View FIGURES 262 ­ 266 ). Posterior margin of female sternum 8 concave medially ( Figs. 265­266 View FIGURES 262 ­ 266 ).

Aedeagus as in Figs. 267­275, 277­283 View FIGURES 267 ­ 270 View FIGURES 271 ­ 283 . Apex of median lobe in lateral view strait ( Figs. 269­270 View FIGURES 267 ­ 270 ), in ventral view apex outline emarginate basally ( Figs. 267­268 View FIGURES 267 ­ 270 ). Distal diverticula of internal sac narrow ( Figs. 274­275, 281­282 View FIGURES 271 ­ 283 ).

Spermatheca as in Fig. 276 View FIGURES 271 ­ 283 .

Distribution. Known only from the Great Craggy Mountains – Black Mountains massif ( Figs. 338­339 View FIGURE 338 View FIGURE 339 ).

Natural History. Geostiba alticola was collected in forest litter at altitudes above 1500 m in leaf litter mostly in pure conifer or mixed forest with red spruce ( Picea rubens ) and/or Fraser’s fir ( Abies fraseri ).

CNCI

Canadian National Collection Insects

AMNH

American Museum of Natural History

FMNH

Field Museum of Natural History

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Staphylinidae

Genus

Geostiba

Loc

Geostiba (Sibiota) alticola Lohse & Smetana, 1988

Gusarov, Vladimir I. 2002
2002
Loc

Geostiba alticola

Lohse 1988: 271
1988
Loc

Geostiba bicarinata:

Pace 1997: 106
Lohse 1988: 273
1988
GBIF Dataset (for parent article) Darwin Core Archive (for parent article) View in SIBiLS Plain XML RDF