Xantholinus (Heterolius) khnzoriani COIFFAIT , 1966

Assing, Volker, 2017, Taxonomic and faunistic notes on some West Palaearctic and Middle Asian Xantholinini, with a revalidation and new synonymies (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 49 (1), pp. 235-252 : 241-242

Xantholinus (Heterolius) khnzoriani COIFFAIT, 1966

Xantholinus (Heterolinus) khnzoriani COIFFAIT, 1966: 199 .

Xantholinus (Heterolinus) caucasicus BORDONI, 1975: 73 f.; nov.syn.

Xantholinus (Heterolinus) iablokoffi COIFFAIT, 1975: 31 f.; nov.syn.

T y p e m a t e r i a l e x a m i n e d: Holotype 3: "Aparan [Amaran?], Husagjur, ASSR -

30-5-49 / Type / Xantholinus (Phalacrolinus) khnzoriani, H. Coiffait det. 1963 / Xantholinus

khnzoriani Coiff., V.I. Gusarov det. 2000" (cKal). Paratypes: 13: same data as holotype (cKal);

1♀: same data as holotype, but "29-5-49" (cKal).

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: Russia: 4exs., Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya , 13 km SW Teberda, 43°20'N, 41°40'E, 1450 m, moist spruce forest with scattered beech, litter, moss, and dead wood sifted, 22.VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 1 ex., Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya, 20 km SW Teberda, Dombai , 43°18'N, 41°39'E, 2160 m, subalpine birch forest, litter sifted, 23.VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 2 exs., Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya, 4 km NNE Teberda, Teberda river , 43°29'N, 41°45'E, 1250 m, river bank, flood debris sifted, 24.VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 4 exs., Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya, 20 km SW Teberda, above Dombai , 43°17'N, 41°38'E, 1950 m, mixed forest (fir, spruce, beech), leaf litter sifted, 25.VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 2 exs., Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya, 9 km SW Teberda, Teberdinski range, Baduk river valley, 43°23'N, 41°40'E, 2000 m, spruce forest, bark of spruce and maple sifted, 27.VII.2011, leg. Assing (cAss) ; 13, Karachayevo-Cherkesskaya, Bol'shaya Laba river valley, 1500 m, 31.VIII.1992, leg. Savitsky (cAss) ; 13, Krasnodar region, Tshugush mountain range , 2300-2400 m, 28.VIII.1998, leg. Koval (cAss) ; 1♀, Krasnodar region, Caucasian preserve, Mt. Yatirgvarta , 2200 m, 26.VII.1992, leg. Solodovnikov (cAss) ; 13, Mussatceri Khrebet, 3000 m, VI.1976, leg. Gottwald (cAss). Georgia: 1♀, Central Caucasus, Schatili-Mutso , 42°40'N, 45°11'E, 1390 m, 15.VII.2015, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 13, Central Caucasus, Schatili-Mutso , 42°37'N, 45°12'E, 1510 m, 15.VII.2015, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 233, 1♀, Central Caucasus, Schatili-Gudani , 42°32'N, 45°01'E, 1960 m, 16.VII.2015, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 1♀, Central Caucasus, Gudani , 42°32'N, 44°58'E, 1620 m, 18.VII.2015, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 1♀, Central Caucasus, Stepanzminda , 42°40'N, 44°37'E, 2120 m, 20.VII.2015, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 13, 2♀♀, Central Caucasus, Sno valley , 42°36'N, 44°39'E, 1800 m, 21.VII.2015, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 1♀, Central Caucasus, Sno valley , 42°35'07''N, 44°45'09''E, 2210 m, 21.VII.2015, leg. Brachat & Meybohm (cAss) ; 13, Zemo Svaneti, W Koruldashi , 42°56'N, 43°07'E, 2350 m, 30.VII.2016, leg. Meybohm (cAss) ; 13, Zemo Svaneti , 3 km S Koruldashi, 42°53'N, 43°09'E, 1790 m, 1.VIII.2016, leg. Meybohm (cAss) ; 233, Svaneti, Mazeri env., Dolra river valley, 43.07°N, 42.60°E, 1600 m, litter beneath Azalea sifted, 6.VII.2015, leg. Kocian (cKoc) ; 1♀, Svaneti, Mestia env., Ughviri pass, 43.03°N, 42.03°E, 1940 m, litter beneath Azalea sifted, 9.VII.2015, leg. Kocian (cKoc) ; 13, 1♀, Svaneti, 2 km E Lakhamula, Madlina river valley, 43.05°N, 42.46°E, 1100 m, sifted, 8.VII.2015, leg. Kocian (cKoc, cAss) ; 13, Lesser Caucasus, Trialetskiy Khrebet, Bakuriani , 1800-2200 m, 15.-20.VI.1987, leg. Wrase & Schülke (cAss). Armenia: 13, 2♀♀, N Yerevan, NW Hrazdan , 40°38'06''N, 44°27'37''E, 2110 m, stream valley, moist margin of pista, 28.VI.2016, leg. Assing (cAss) .

C o m m e n t: The original description of X. khnzoriani is based on a male holotype and nine paratypes from "Aparan", Armenia ( COIFFAIT 1966); the species had been recorded only from Armenia ( HERMAN 2001, SCHÜLKE & SMETANA 2015). The type locality of X. caucasicus is situated near Teberda in the Northwest Caucasus; paratypes were collected also near Dombai and in Artvin, Northeast Anatolia ( BORDONI 1975). In the original description of X. iablokoffi , which is based on a male holotype and a male paratype from "Dombai, Koubans" (i.e., not far from the type locality of X. caucasicus ), COIFFAIT (1975) states that this species resembles X. khnzoriani , except that the punctation of the head was finer and that of the elytra was denser and coarser. The holotype was looked for, but not found, in the Khnzorian collection, where it should be deposited according to the original description.

An examination of the type material of X. khnzoriani and of additional material from numerous localities in the Caucasus and adjacent mountain ranges ( Russia, Georgia, Armenia), including the immediate vicinity of the type localities of both X. caucasicus and X. iablokoffi , revealed that the aedeagal characters are identical. The external characters, including the punctation of the head and of the elytra, are subject to some variation, as is usually the case with widespread Xantholinus species. Consequently, there is little doubt that all three names refer to the same species, and X. caucasicus and X. iablokoffi are placed in synonymy with the senior name X. khnzoriani .