On the genus Scaphisoma Leach, 1815 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae) from Georgia, with description of a new species

Five species of Scaphisoma Leach, 1815 are recorded from Georgia. The new species S. caucasicum sp. n. is described from Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti region, and two, S. assimile assimile Erichson, 1845 and S. subalpinum subalpinum Reitter, 1880 are recorded for Georgia for the first time. The new species can be externally compared with North Korean S. hapiroense Löbl, 1968, from which it can be readily distinguished from in the antennomere V shorter than the combined length of the antennomeres III and IV, the very fine pronotal punctation, and the light apical area of the elytra weakly delimited. The aedeagal characters of S. caucasicum sp. n. are similar to those of Chinese S. latro Löbl, 2000

The genus Raiboscelis Allard, 1876 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): taxonomic history, nomenclature, morphology

The present paper reviews the history of taxonomy and nomenclature of the genus Raiboscelis Allard, 1876. The original spelling of this genus name is Raibosceles. While Raibosceles was rarely used, the spelling Raiboscelis was adopted by many authors and is in prevailing usage. Consequently, it should be used to denote this taxon [ICZN Art. 33.3.1, and also 33.2.3.1]. The genus Hipponome Laporte, 1840 was established for Helops azureus Brullé, 1832, a valid species known as Raiboscelis azureus. Thus, Hipponome is a senior synonym of Raiboscelis. As Hipponome was not used as valid after 1899 to our knowledge, it may be declared nomen oblitum. Raiboscelis Allard, 1876 is currently used and here declared nomen protectum. The required supporting references [ICZN Art. 23.9.1.2] are annexed. The genus Raiboscelis is redefined and the relevant taxonomic characters are illustrate

Spin-photon interface and spin-controlled photon switching in a nanobeam waveguide

Access to the electron spin is at the heart of many protocols for integrated and distributed quantum-information processing [1-4]. For instance, interfacing the spin-state of an electron and a photon can be utilized to perform quantum gates between photons [2,5] or to entangle remote spin states [6-9]. Ultimately, a quantum network of entangled spins constitutes a new paradigm in quantum optics [1]. Towards this goal, an integrated spin-photon interface would be a major leap forward. Here we demonstrate an efficient and optically programmable interface between the spin of an electron in a quantum dot and photons in a nanophotonic waveguide. The spin can be deterministically prepared with a fidelity of 96\%. Subsequently the system is used to implement a "single-spin photonic switch", where the spin state of the electron directs the flow of photons through the waveguide. The spin-photon interface may enable on-chip photon-photon gates [2], single-photon transistors [10], and efficient photonic cluster state generation [11]

Where have all the beetles gone? Long‐term study reveals carabid species decline in a nature reserve in Northern Germany

1. The drastic insect decline has received increasing attention in scientific as well as in public media. Long-term studies of insect diversity trends are still rare, even though such studies are highly important to assess extent, drivers and potential consequences of insect loss in ecosystems. 2. To gain insights into carabid diversity trends of ancient and sustainably managed woodlands, we analysed data of carabid beetles from a trapping study that has been run for 24 years in an old nature reserve of Northern Germany, the Luneburg Heath. We examined temporal changes in several diversity measures € (e.g. biomass, species richness, functional diversity and phylogenetic diversity) and tested diverse species traits as predictor variables for species occurrence. 3. In contrast to recently published long-term studies of insect diversity, we did not observe a decline in biomass, but in species richness and phylogenetic diversity in carabids at our study site. Additionally, hibernation stage predicted the occurrence probability of carabids: Species hibernating as imagines or both imagines and larvae and breeding in spring showed strongest declines. 4. We assume the detected trends to be the result of external effects such as climate change and the application of pesticides in the surrounding. Our results suggest that the drivers for the insect decline and the responses are multifaceted. This highlights the importance of long-term studies with identification of the catches to, at best, species level to support the understanding of mechanisms driving changes in insect diversity and abundance

Forty years of carabid beetle research in Europe - from taxonomy, biology, ecology and population studies to bioindication, habitat assessment and conservation

Volume: 100Start Page: 55End Page: 14

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

Scaphisoma subalpinum subsp. subalpinum subalpinum Reitter 1880

Scaphisoma subalpinum subalpinum Reitter, 1880 Material. 1 ex. [GE21-37] (ZMB), Zemo Svaneti, NW Khaishi, 43°01 ʹ 26 ʺ N / 42°05 ʹ 50 ʺ E, 1430 m, mixed forest, litter near rotten logs and trunks, 6.08.2021 (M. Schülke). Notes. The range of the nominotypical subspecies extends from West Europe to Siberia. Now it is found in Georgia, which is the first record of this species in this country.Published as part of Löbl, I., 2022, On the genus Scaphisoma Leach, 1815 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae) from Georgia, with description of a new species, pp. 31-33 in Caucasian Entomological Bulletin (Caucas. entomol. bull.) (Caucas. entomol. bull.) 18 (1) on page 33, DOI: 10.23885/181433262022181-3133, http://zenodo.org/record/638048

Scaphisoma boleti subsp. boleti boleti (Panzer 1793

Scaphisoma boleti boleti (Panzer, 1793) Material. 1 ex. [GE19-43] (ZMB), Imereti, Meskheti Range, SESairme, 41°52 ʹ 07 ʺ N / 42°46 ʹ 53 ʺ E, 1820 m, degraded forest with predominant spruce, mushrooms / bark, 20.07.2019 (M. Schülke); 1 ex. [GE19-45] (MHNG), Imereti, Meskheti Range, N Sairme, 41°58 ʹ 54 ʺ N / 42°47 ʹ 21 ʺ E, 370 m, stream valley with chestnut, alder and rhododendron, litter, 21.07.2019 (M. Schülke); 8 ex. [GE2021-60] (ZMB), Svaneti, N Martvili, Lebarde valley, 42°37 ʹ 13 ʺ N / 42°22 ʹ 45 ʺ E, 510 m, trackmargin, mushroomssifted, 17.10.2021 (M.Schülke). Notes. The range of the nominotypical subspecies covers nearly all Europe and extends to the Asian part of Turkey.Published as part of Löbl, I., 2022, On the genus Scaphisoma Leach, 1815 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae) from Georgia, with description of a new species, pp. 31-33 in Caucasian Entomological Bulletin (Caucas. entomol. bull.) (Caucas. entomol. bull.) 18 (1) on page 33, DOI: 10.23885/181433262022181-3133, http://zenodo.org/record/638048

Scaphisoma caucasicum Löbl 2022, sp. n.

Material. Holotype, ♂ (ZMB): “ GEORGIA [GE2021-60]: Svaneti, N Martvili, Lebarde valley, 42°37ʹ13ʺ N, 42°22ʹ45ʺ E, 510 m, track margin, mushroomssifted, 17.X.2021, leg. M. Schülke ”. Description. Length 1.87 mm, width 1.25 mm. Head, pronotum and hypomere dark brown to reddish-brown. Elytra darker than pronotum on prevailing surface, becoming lighter posterior middle, and near lateral margins becoming lighter posterior basal third, light brown on entire apical fourth. Ventral side of thorax and ventrites Ito IV dark reddish-brown. Abdominal apex yellowish. Femora about as dark as pronotum, tibiae lighter, reddish, tarsi and antennomeres Iand II yellowish, following antennomeres light brown. Length/width ratios of the antennomeresas: III 16: 8, IV 27: 7, V 34: 8, VI 35: 10, VII 48: 15, VIII 38: 10, IX 48: 15, X 46: 15, XI 55: 15. Pronotumwithevenly rounded lateral margins, lateral margin carinae concealed indorsal view, disc not microsculptured, densely and very finely punctate, punctures mostly well delimited, visible at 20 times magnification, puncture intervals mostly about 3 to 5 times as large as puncture diameters; lateral striae impunctate; pubescence distinct. Exposed tip of scutellum minute, narrow, longer than wide. Elytra each with weakly rounded lateral margin, moderately narrowed apically, lateral margin carina nearly entirely concealed, exposed only near base in dorsal view; apical margin truncate, lacking crenulation at inner angle, inner angle not prominent, about at level of outer angle in dorsal view; sutural margin not raised, adsutural areaflat, narrowed apically, with fine puncture row, and additional very fine punctures forming second row in anterior third, sutural stria shallow, curved along base to form basal stria extended about to mid-width of basal margin; disc not microsculptured, with punctation mostly dense and rather coarse, puncture intervals mostly slightly larger to about twice as large as puncture diameters, punctures becoming much fine near base and along lateral stria; lateral stria distinctly punctate. Hypomera smooth. Mesepimeron about as long as interval between its tip and mesocoxa. Metaventrite not microsculptured, slightly convex between mesocoxae, flattened on apicomedian area; finely and densely punctate on median area smooth centre excepted, lacking impressions. Punctation on area between mesocoxa and metacoxa distinctly coarser than that on apicomedian area of metaventrite, anteriolateral surface of metaventrite nearly smooth. Submesocoxal area 0.05 mm, about as fourth of shortest interval to metacoxa. Submesocoxal line convex, finely punctate. Metanepisternum strongly narrowed anteriad, broadly rounded at angles, in plan with metaventrite. Tibiae straight. Exposed abdominal tergites with very miscosculpture consisting of very short striae and punctures. Exposed ventrites with strigulate microsculpture. Ventrite Iwith punctation about as fine as that on apicomedian area of metaventrite. Submetacoxal area 0.08 mm, about as fourth of interval to apical margin; submetaxocal line convex, finely punctate. Male characters. Protarsomeres Ito III slightly widened, mesotarsomeres not widened. Aedeagus (Figs 1–3) 0.56 mm long. Median lobe symmetrical, basal bulb weakly sclerotized, apical process strongly sclerotized, as long as basal bulb, strongly inflexed, with tip bent, acute in lateral view, not visible in dorsal view. Ostium subapical, overlapped by short dorsal plate. Articular process inconspicuous. Parameres slightly sinuate, nearly evenly wide in dorsal and lateral views, without lobes. Internal sac with proximal V-shaped plate-like structure, two very narrow admesal rods, very weakly sclerotized spines at each side of apical parts of rods, and two densely, well sclerotized apical spine bunches. Differential diagnosis. Scaphisoma caucasicum sp. n. falls in the key to the Palaearctic species of Scaphisoma [Löbl, 1970] to S. hapiroense Löbl, 1968, couplet 33. This species was described and is known only from North Korea. Though the male characters of S. hapiroense remain unknown, the new species may be readily distinguished from it by the antennomere Vshorter than the combined length of the antennomeres III and IV, the very fine pronotal punctation, and the light apical area of the elytra weakly delimited. The aedeagal characters of S. caucasicum sp. n. are similar to those of S. latro Löbl, 2000, currently known only from the Chinese provinces of Hubei and Sichuan [Löbl, 2000, 2018, 2019]. However, S. latro is distinguished by the much shorter apical process of the median lobe and the internal sac lacking V-shaped structure and rods. Distribution. Georgia: Svaneti. Etymology. The species epithet is an adjective derive from the Caucasus, where the species occurs.Published as part of Löbl, I., 2022, On the genus Scaphisoma Leach, 1815 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scaphidiinae) from Georgia, with description of a new species, pp. 31-33 in Caucasian Entomological Bulletin (Caucas. entomol. bull.) (Caucas. entomol. bull.) 18 (1) on pages 31-33, DOI: 10.23885/181433262022181-3133, http://zenodo.org/record/638048