On the Alevonota species of the Western Palaearctic region (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Athetini).

Abstract

Types and additional material of Western Palaearctic species of Alevonota Thomson, 1858 are revised. 25 species are recognised, two of them are new to science: A. cretica sp. n. (Greece: Crete) and the anophthalmous A. hierroensis sp. n. (Canary Islands: El Hierro). The genus group name Liota Mulsant & Rey, 1874 is revalidated as a subgenus to include only the type species A. gracilenta (Erichson, 1839). Within the nominal subgenus, two species groups are distinguished, the A. rufotestacea group (9 species) and the A. kiesenwetteri group (4 species); the phylogenetic affiliations of most Canarian species have not been examined. 12 species are (re-)described and illustrated. Alevonota elegantula (Brisout de Barneville, 1863) and A. ocaloides (Brisout de Barneville, 1863) are revalidated. The following synonymies are established: A. kiesenwetteri (Kraatz, 1856) = A. krausei (Sainte-Claire Deville, 1914), syn. n.; A. rufotestacea (Kraatz, 1856) = A. aurantiaca (Fauvel, 1895), syn. n. Lectotypes are designated for Homalota rufotestacea Kraatz, H. kiesenwetteri Kraatz, H. splendens Kraatz, 1856, Aleuonota aurantiaca Fauvel, and Homalota mirabilis Eppelsheim, 1884. Bionomic and zoogeographic data are compiled. The distributions of 9 species are mapped. A diagnostic key and a synonymic catalogue including all the Alevonota species of the Western Palaearctic region are provided. Two species are excluded from the genus: Tropimenelytron mirabilis (Eppelsheim, 1884), comb. n., and “Alevonota” punctipennis (Eppelsheim, 1893). Keywords Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Athetini, Alevonota, Tropimenelytron, Western Palaearctic region, taxonomy, new species, revalidation, new synonymies, new combinations, lectotype designations, key to species, catalogue, zoogeography, distributions, ecology, wing dimorphism. Nomenclatural Acts aurantiaca Fauvel, 1895 (Aleuonota), Lectotype; syn. n. of Alevonota (Alevonota) rufotestacea (Kraatz, 1856) krausei Sainte-Claire Deville, 1914 (Aleuonota), syn. n. of Alevonota (Alevonota) kiesenwetteri (Kraatz, 1856) cretica Assing & Wunderle, 2008 (Alevonota (Alevonota)), spec. n. elegantula (Brisout de Barneville, 1863) (Alevonota (Alevonota)), stat. rev. now a valid species hierroensis Assing & Wunderle, 2008 (Alevonota (Alevonota)), spec. n. kiesenwetteri (Kraatz, 1856) (Alevonota (Alevonota)), Lectotype described as Homalota kiesenwetteri ocaloides (Brisout de Barneville, 1863) (Alevonota (Alevonota)), stat. rev. now a valid species rufotestacea (Kraatz, 1856) (Alevonota (Alevonota)), Lectotype described as Homalota rufotestacea vitalei (Bernhauer, 1932) (Alevonota (Alevonota)), Lectotype described as Aleuonota vitalei splendens Kraatz, 1856 (Homalota), Lectotype now a synonym of Alevonota (Liota) gracilenta (Erichson, 1839) Liota Mulsant & Rey, 1874 (Staphylinidae), stat. rev. now a subgenus of Alevonota Thomson, 1858 mirabilis (Eppelsheim, 1884) (Tropimenelytron), Lectotype; comb. n. hitherto Homalota (Aleuonota) mirabilis