A new species of Diochus from Baltic amber (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Diochini)

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://www.pensoft.net.The first fossil of the staphylinine tribe Diochini Casey is described and figured from an inclusion in mid-Eocene (Lutetian) Baltic amber. Diochus electrus sp. n. is distinguished from its congeners and the diversity of rove beetles (Staphylinidae s.l.) is summarized briefly

A Revision of the Genus Elmas Blackwelder, 1952 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Xanthopygina), with a Preliminary Reconstructed Phylogeny of the Species1

The staphylinid genus Elmas Blackwelder 1952 (type.species: Selma modesta Sharp 1876 from Chontales, Nicaragua) is revised for the first time. The two previously described species, E. modesta (Sharp) from Nicaragua and E. strigella (Bernhauer) from Brazil, are redescribed. Fifteen species are described as new: Elmas brooksi from Ecuador; Elmas costaricensis from Costa Rica; Elmas elassos from Ecuador; Elmas esmeraldas from Ecuador; Elmas falini from Suriname; Elmas gigas from Peru; Elmas guianas from-French Guiana; Elmas hanleyi from Costa Rica; Elmas hibbsi from Ecuador; Elmas lambas from Brazil; Elmas lescheni from Peru; Elmas panamaensis from Panama; Elmas patillas from Costa Rica; Elmas spinosus from Bolivia; and Elmas windsori from Panama. A key and illustrations of structural features and aedeagi are provided for identification of the known species. The phylogenetic relationships of the species of Elmas species are only weakly resolved by the available dataset. Elmas is strongly supported to be a monophyletic lineage, and E. strigella is the most basal species followed by E. lambos and E. guianas respectively. E. spinosus + E. falini + E. gigas are strongly supported to be a monophyletic . group; E. hfbbsi is weakly supported to be the sister group to these three species. The lineage (E. windsori · + E. costaricensis) + (E. panamaensis + E. patillas) is weakly supported in all trees. The lineage E. elassos + E. hanleyi + E. esmeraldas is also weakly supported, and the successive approximation analysis hypothesizes that E. modesta is also a member of this lineage

On the origins of the insect fauna of California\u27s Channel Islands: a comparative phylogeographic study of island beetles

California’s 8 Channel Islands host a large diversity of insects, the vast majority of which are shared with mainland southern California. The existence of a small number of recognized endemic species, however, suggest that, for some lineages, the islands are isolated enough to have permitted significant differentiation. Here we investigate the phylogeographic relationships of 4 beetle species (Thinopinus pictus, Hadrotes crassus, Hypocaccus lucidulus, and Nyctoporis carinata): all occurring on the mainland and on multiple (up to 6) Channel Islands. Sequences of the cytochrome oxidase I mitochondrial gene (and, for one species, an intron in the nuclear guftagu gene) are analyzed by Bayesian, haplotype network, and population genetic methods to examine relationships and gene flow among island and mainland populations. In no instances were all island populations resolved to be monophyletic, and northern (Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, San Miguel) and southern (San Nicolas, San Clemente, Santa Catalina) island groups generally showed separate relationships to the mainland. Northern island populations of Hy. lucidulus were also found to be closely related to those on the southern island of San Nicolas. Populations on San Clemente and Santa Catalina islands did not show close relationships to each other or to San Nicolas Island populations in any species. San Clemente and especially San Nicolas islands hosted disproportionately high levels of diversity in all species examined. This study suggests that the Channel Islands do not function as a biogeographical unit and that several of the islands exhibit levels of diversity comparable to, or even exceeding, similarly sampled populations on the mainland. Thus, as an insular refuge from southern Californian development, the Channel Islands constitute a center of high conservation importance

Dispersal of thermophilic beetles across the intercontinental Arctic forest belt during the early Eocene

Abstract Massive biotic change occurred during the Eocene as the climate shifted from warm and equable to seasonal and latitudinally stratified. Mild winter temperatures across Arctic intercontinental land bridges permitted dispersal of frost-intolerant groups until the Eocene-Oligocene boundary, while trans-Arctic dispersal in thermophilic groups may have been limited to the early Eocene, especially during short-lived hyperthermals. Some of these lineages are now disjunct between continents of the northern hemisphere. Although Eocene climate change may have been one of the most important drivers of these ancient patterns in modern animal and plant distributions, its particular events are rarely implicated or correlated with group-specific climatic requirements. Here we explored the climatic and geological drivers of a particularly striking Neotropical-Oriental disjunct distribution in the rove beetle Bolitogyrus, a suspected Eocene relict. We integrated evidence from Eocene fossils, distributional and climate data, paleoclimate, paleogeography, and phylogenetic divergence dating to show that intercontinental dispersal of Bolitogyrus ceased in the early Eocene, consistent with the termination of conditions required by thermophilic lineages. These results provide new insight into the poorly known and short-lived Arctic forest community of the Early Eocene and its surviving lineages

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

FIGURE 93 in A revision of the genus Photinopygus Chatzimanolis (Staphylinidae: Xanthopygina)

FIGURE 93. Distribution map of Photinopygus cotopaxi Chatzimanolis (square), P. cyanelytrius (Perty) (triangles), and P. tepidus (Erichson) (circles).Published as part of <i>Chatzimanolis, Stylianos, 2023, A revision of the genus Photinopygus Chatzimanolis (Staphylinidae: Xanthopygina), pp. 1-100 in Zootaxa 5292 (1)</i> on page 42, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5292.1.1, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/7959518">http://zenodo.org/record/7959518</a&gt

Xanthopygus major

Xanthopygus major (Bernhauer, 1917) (Figs. 22–29) Lampropygus major Bernhauer, 1917: 116. Xanthopygus major (Bernhauer); Herman 2001: 3608. Type material. Lectotype, here designated, male, with labels: “Villavicencio [4.13°, -73.60°], i. 1911, 440m” / “ ♂ ” / “Columbia occ. Fassl” / “ Lampropygus major Bernh. Typus” / “Chicago NHMus M. Bernhauer Collection ” / “FMNHINS3975383 Field Museum Pinned” / “ Xanthopygus phylogeny voucher SC-005” / “ Lectotype Lampropygus major Bernhauer des. Chatzimanolis 2021”. In the collection of FMNH. Paralectotype, here designated, female, with labels “Villavicencio [4.13°, -73.60°], i. 1911, 440m” / “ ♀ ” / “Columbia occ. Fassl” / “ Lampropygus major Bernh. Cotypus ” / “Chicago NHMus M. Bernhauer Collection ” / “FMNHINS3975384 Field Museum Pinned” / “ Xanthopygus phylogeny voucher SC-006” / “ Paralectotype Lampropygus major Bernhauer des. Chatzimanolis 2021”. In FMNH. Diagnosis. Xanthopygus major looks rather similar to X. max and X. pexus and it could be hard to distinguish these three species. In all of these species, abdominal segment 7 is black with posterior 1/2 or posterior 1/3 orange; in X. pexus it is typically 1/2 orange but the degree of coloration can vary. Xanthopygus major and X. max can be distinguished from X. pexus based on the following characteristics in combination: head and pronotum with small to medium size (see Figs. 23–24) punctures (medium to large size punctures in X. pexus); pronotum with one sparse row of punctures on each half beside median line (pronotum with 1–2 dense rows of punctures on each half beside median line in X. pexus); abdominal segments 4–6 not iridescent under strong light (abdominal segments 4–6 with iridescent overtones under strong light in X. pexus). Xanthopygus major can be confidently distinguished from X. max only by examining the paramere; in X. major the paramere is apically rounded, whereas in X. max it is apically emarginate. Description. Forebody length 11.5–12.6mm; HW/HL ratio = 1.27. Antennomere 3 longer to 2; antennomere 4 subquadrate, with tomentose pubescence; antennomere 6 transverse. Mandibles curved from apical half. Eyes as long as 1/3 length of head; head appearing convex. Head and pronotum with small to medium size punctures (see Figs. 23–24); pronotum with one sparse row of punctures on each half beside median line; pronotum microsculpture with transverse lines. PW/PL ratio = 1.10. Mesoventrite with intercoxal process broad and rounded. Metacoxae with more than four spines (five or six) on posterior surface. EL/PL ratio = 1.28. Abdominal segments 4–6 without iridescent overtones; segment 6 without distinct bright band of orange coloration posteriorly; tergite 6 densely punctate; sternite 6 with single anterior transverse line; segment 7 black with posterior 1/4 orange. In males, sternite 7 without porose structure; sternite 8 with shallow U-shaped emargination posteriorly. Aedeagus as in Figs. 27–29; in dorsal view paramere converging to rounded apex; paramere shorter and narrower than median lobe; in lateral view paramere almost straight; paramere with peg setae as in Fig. 29. Median lobe in dorsal view converging to rounded apex; median lobe with subapical tooth; in lateral view median lobe becoming narrower near apex. Distribution. Only known from the type locality in the department of Meta in Colombia. The map is shown in Fig. 22 and online at https://www.simplemappr.net/map/16397. Habitat. Unknown.Published as part of Chatzimanolis, Stylianos, 2022, A revision of the genus Xanthopygus Kraatz (Staphylinidae: Xanthopygina), pp. 151-178 in Zootaxa 5099 (2) on pages 163-164, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5099.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/604848

FIGURE 14 in A revision of the genus Photinopygus Chatzimanolis (Staphylinidae: Xanthopygina)

FIGURE 14. Distribution map of P. akrodontis Chatzimanolis (circles for records that are confidently placed and stars for female specimens that are probably P. akrodontis but cannot be associated with male specimens, see text for more details) and P. chrysurus (Nordmann) (squares).Published as part of <i>Chatzimanolis, Stylianos, 2023, A revision of the genus Photinopygus Chatzimanolis (Staphylinidae: Xanthopygina), pp. 1-100 in Zootaxa 5292 (1)</i> on page 12, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5292.1.1, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/7959518">http://zenodo.org/record/7959518</a&gt

Photinopygus morosus

Photinopygus morosus (Sharp, 1884) (Figs. 168, 177–183) Xanthopygus morosus Sharp, 1884: 346. Photinopygus morosus (Sharp); Chatzimanolis 2021: 91. Type material. Lectotype, designated by Navarrete-Heredia (2004), female, with labels: “[on white cardboard] ♀, Xanthopygus morosus Type D. S. Senahu, Verapaz [Alta Verapaz] Champion Guatemala ” / “Type” / “Senahu [Senahú; 15.42°, -89.82°] Verapaz Guatemala ” / “B.C.A Col. I. 2. Xanthopygus morosus, Sharp. ” / “Sharp Coll. 1905-313” / “Lectotipo Xanthopygus morosus Sharp 1884 des. J.L. Navarrete-Heredia”. In the collection of NHMUK. Paralectotype, female, with labels: “[on white cardboard] ♀, Xanthopygus morosus Type D. S. Cordova, Mexico, Sallé” / “Cordova [Córdoba, Veracruz; 18.89°, -96.94°], Mexico, Salle coll.” / “ Staphylinus sapphirinus Erich. apud. Salle” / “ Syntype ” / “Paralectotipo Xanthopygus morosus Sharp 1884 des. J.L. Navarrete-Heredia”. In the collection of NHMUK. Additional Materials. COLOMBIA: Valle del Cauca: Anchicaya [3.43°, -76.80°], 305 m, 22–27.vii.1970, malaise trap, J.M. Cambell leg. (2 ♀ CNC); same locality, 900 m, 1.viii.–10.x.2000, Malaise trap, S. Sarria leg., SM0549112 (1 ♀ SEMC); COSTA RICA: Alajuela: E.B. Sa Ramon, 27 km N & 8 km W San Ramon [10.225°, -84.592°], 850–950 m, 29.vi.–6.vii.1999, in rotting palm trunk, R. Anderson leg., SM0186611, SM0188192, SM0188191, SM0186613, SM0186614, SM0188193, SM0186610 (1 ♁ UTCI; 1 ♁, 5 ♀ SEMC); same locality, 810 m, 8.vii.2000, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, Z.H. Falin, SM0203679, SM0203681, SM0203651, SM0203682, SM0239836 (2 ♁, 3 ♀ SEMC); Peñas Blancas [10.36°, -84.67°], ii.1987, malaise trap, E. Cruz leg. (1 ♁ CNC); same locality, 11.iii.1987, FIT, E. Cruz leg. (1 ♁, 1 ♀ CNC); San Carlos [10.62°, -84.51°], Schild-Burgdorf coll. (1 ♁, 1 ♀ USNM); same locality, 50–100 m, 23.v.–25.vi.2004, malaise trap, B. Hernández leg., INB0003856157 (1 ♀ NHMD); Volcán Tenorio [10.673°, -85.015°], 1033 m, 26–28.vi.2009, J.A. Azofeifa leg., INB0004218843 (1 ♀ NHMD); Cartago: Turrialba [9.88°, -83.68°], 800 m, A. Heyne leg. (2 ♀ MFNB); Guanacaste: Heliconias Biological Station [10.715°, -85.039°], 600 m, 20–23.xi.2001, FIT, R. Brooks leg., SM0474694 (1 ♁ SEMC); Patilla Biological Station [10.989°, -85.426°], 610 m, 13–15.vii.2000, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks, Z.H. Falin leg., SM0203392, SM0203395 (1 ♁, 1 ♀ SEMC); Heredia: Braulio Carrillo N. P. [10.16°, -83.97°], 400–600 m, i.1990, C. Chavez leg., INBIOCRI000201734 (1 ♀ NHMD); Limón: Hamburg Farm, [10.25°, -83.45°], 3.vi.[19]33, F. Nevermann leg., Bierig coll., FMNHINS3989891, FMNHINS3989892 (2 ♀ FMNH); same locality, 18.i.[19]36, F. Nevermann leg., Bierig coll., FMNHINS3989890 (1 ♀ FMNH); same locality, 30.iv.[19]35, F. Nevermann leg., Bierig coll., FMNHINS3989893 (1 ♀ FMNH); same locality, 4.i.[19]37, F. Nevermann leg., Bierig coll., FMNHINS3989894 (1 ♀ FMNH); ECUADOR: Pichincha: Maquipucuna Biological Station, Principal Trail [0.123°, -78.650°], 1275 m, 29.x.1999, pyrethrum fogging recently split tree trunk, Z.H. Falin leg., SM0352265, SM0352266 (2 ♁ SEMC); 47 km SE Sto Domingo, Rio Palenque Science Center [0.60°, -79.35°], 300 m, 22–28.ii.1976, J.M. Cambell leg. (1 ♁ CNC); HONDURAS: Olancho: 14 km N La Unión P. N. La Muralla [15.14°, -86.67°], 1350 m, 17.viii.– 1.ix.1994, Liquidambar forest, FIT, S. & J. Peck leg., FMNHINS3975569 (1 ♀ FMNH); MEXICO: Chiapas: Nahá [16.949°, -91.594°], 930 m, 9.vi.2008, mesophyl forest, malaise trap, LLAMA08 team leg., SM0832802 (1 ♀ SEMC); Oaxaca: 26km E Valle Nacional [17.75°, -96.57°], 1220 m, 25.vi.–2.viii.1983, montane tropical forest, FIT, S. & J. Peck leg., FMNHINS3989856 (1 ♁ FMNH); unknown state: unknown locality, Flohr coll. (1 ♀ MFNB); unknown locality, Bernhauer coll., FMNHINS3989844 (1 ♀ FMNH); NICARAGUA: Matagalpa: 6km N Matagalpa, Selva Negra Hotel [12.999°, -85.909°], 1350 m, 19.v.2002, splintered tree, R. Brooks, Z. Falin, S. Chatzimanolis leg., SM0542313 (1 ♁ SEMC); same locality, 1400 m, 19–22.v.2002, FIT, R. Brooks, Z. Falin, S. Chatzimanolis leg., SM0555420 (1 ♀ SEMC); PANAMA: Chiriquí: La Fortuna, Cont. Div. Trail [8.70°, - 82.23°], 1150 m, 9–12.vi.1995, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks leg., SM0003507 (1 ♀ SEMC); Darién: Cana ANCON Station [7.75°, –77.68°], 1200 m, 3–9.vi.1998, beaten recent treefall, S. Lingafelter leg., SM0058966, SM0058955, SM0058965 (1 ♁ UTCI; 1 ♁, 1 ♀ SEMC); Panamá Oeste: [PN De Cerro Campana] Cerro Campana [8.71°, - 79.95°], 790 m, 1–5.vi.1995, FIT, J. Ashe, R. Brooks leg., SM0080059 (1 ♁ SEMC). Diagnosis. Photinopygus morosus belongs in the narrow pronotum species group. Among species of that group which have a black pronotum, with sparse punctation (i.e., with 3–5 loosely organized rows of punctures on each half beside median impunctate line), and antennomeres 4–5 longer than wide, P. morosus can be recognized by the following combination of characters: tip of paramere in dorsal view emarginate (Fig. 182–183), and median lobe in lateral view with strong apical hook-like tooth but no lateral teeth (Fig. 181). Description. Forebody (Fig. 177) length 5.1–6.6 mm. Color of head, pronotum and mesoscutellum dark brown to black; antennae orange (some specimens with distal antennomeres darker); legs dark brown to black except prolegs dark orange in some specimens; elytra metallic blue with green or purple overtones; abdomen dark brown to black except segments 7–8 (orange). Antenna (Fig. 180) with antennomere 3 without tomentose pubescence; antennomere 4 with tomentose pubescence; antennomeres 4–5 longer than wide; antennomeres 6–7 subquadrate; antennomeres 8–10 transverse. Head transverse; HW/HL ratio = 1.38–1.43. Posterior margin of head slightly extended posteriad on each side of neck. Head with medium-sized punctures, distance between punctures as wide as 1–2 punctures but punctures denser posteriorly. Left mandible with bicuspid tooth. Pronotum (Fig. 179) subquadrate; PW/PL ratio = 1–1.05. Lateral margins of pronotum in dorsal view posteriad of midpoint strongly converging; pronotum with 3–4 sparse rows of punctures on each half beside median impunctate line; distance between punctures as wide as 1–2 punctures but areas of pronotum without punctures. EL/PL ratio = 1.35–1.53. Elytra with dense punctation; distance between punctures as wide as 0.5–1 punctures. Metepisternum covered with punctures (impunctate area less than 1/3). Abdomen with tergites 3–4 setose; tergites 3–5 with curved carina (arch-like), although on some specimens curved carina not as impressed on tergite 5. In males, sternite 7 without porose structure, sternite 7 with shallow and broad emargination posteriorly; sternite 8 with small V-shaped emargination posteriorly (Fig. 178). Aedeagus as in Figs. 181–183; in dorsal view paramere almost parallel-sided converging to emarginate apex; paramere shorter and as wide as median lobe; in lateral view paramere becoming slightly narrower near tip; paramere with peg setae in median rows as in Fig. 183. Median lobe in dorsal view converging to narrow pointed tip; in lateral view median lobe becoming narrower, with strong apical hook-like tooth but no lateral teeth. Distribution. Known from the Mesoamerican and Pacific biogeographic dominions. Distributed in the department of Valle del Cauca in Colombia, the provinces of Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia and Limón in Costa Rica, the province of Pichincha in Ecuador, the department of Alta Verapaz in Guatemala, the department of Olancho in Honduras, the states of Chiapas, Oaxaca and Veracruz in Mexico, the department of Matagalpa in Nicaragua, and the provinces of Chiriquí, Darién and Panamá Oeste in Panama. Map is shown in Fig. 168. Habitat. Collected at low to mid elevations (50–1400 m) in flight intercept and malaise traps, with pyrethrum fogging, in rotting palm trunks and by beating recent treefall.Published as part of Chatzimanolis, Stylianos, 2023, A revision of the genus Photinopygus Chatzimanolis (Staphylinidae: Xanthopygina), pp. 1-100 in Zootaxa 5292 (1) on pages 72-74, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5292.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/795951

FIGURE 108 in A revision of the genus Photinopygus Chatzimanolis (Staphylinidae: Xanthopygina)

FIGURE 108. Distribution map of Photinopygus cyanipennis (Sharp) (circles), P. haemorrhoidalis (Germar) (triangles), and P. schedonapicalis Chatzimanolis (stars).Published as part of <i>Chatzimanolis, Stylianos, 2023, A revision of the genus Photinopygus Chatzimanolis (Staphylinidae: Xanthopygina), pp. 1-100 in Zootaxa 5292 (1)</i> on page 47, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5292.1.1, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/7959518">http://zenodo.org/record/7959518</a&gt