Zeteotomus brevicornis (ERICHSON 1839)

Assing, V., 2008, On the taxonomy and zoogeography of some Palaearctic Paederinae and Xantholinini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 40 (2), pp. 1237-1294 : 1276

Zeteotomus brevicornis (ERICHSON 1839)

Metoponcus brevicornis cephallenicus BORDONI 1983: 522; nov.syn.

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Holotype: "Kephallinia, Ainos, 1000 m, 31-III- 1971, I. Lobl [sic] / Holotypus / Zeteotomus brevicornis cephallenicus, Det. A. Bordoni 1975 / Zeteotomus brevicornis (Erichson) det. V. Assing 2008" (MHNG). Paratype: same data as holotype (MHNG).

C o m m e n t: According to the original description of Z. brevicornis cephallenicus, which is based on three type specimens from the Greek island Kephallinía, the subspecies is distinguished from the nominate subspecies by greater size, the blackish coloration of the head and pronotum, and a more slender aedeagus with long parameres ( BORDONI 1983). Zeteotomus brevicornis was originally described from " Austria " ( ERICHSON 1839b). An examination of the holotype and a paratype of Z. b. cephallenicus, however, revealed that they are - in every respect - typical examples of Z. brevicornis : their coloration is similar to - not darker than - material of Z. brevicornis from Central Europe, their size is within - not even at the upper end of - the range of variation of this species, and the aedeagus is of the same shape as in specimens from other parts of the distribution of Z. brevicornis . (It appears that BORDONI (1983) may have had unusually pale-coloured and small specimens of Z. brevicornis for comparison.) In addition, based on the faunistic data available, Z. brevicornis is a ponto-Mediterranean species, so that the presence of a distinct subspecies in Kephallinía or in southern Greece would not seem plausible from a zoogeographic point of view. In consequence, Z. b. cephallenicus is placed in synonymy with Z. brevicornis .