Abstract
In previously published parts of this long-term study, subgenera Napochus Thomson and Pycnophus Casey of Euconnus Thomson were tentatively maintained, based on detailed morphological examination of their type species. Since then, many more species have been studied, including several hundred nominal Euconnus s. str., Napochus, and Pycnophus spp., and over a thousand presumably undescribed species collected on all continents. Considering character variability, current diagnoses of Napochus and Pycnophus were found to largely overlap with that of Euconnus s. str., and many species show intermediary features. In the present study, examples of such intermediary or transitional characters are illustrated, and character variability within the Euconnus s. str. + Napochus + Pycnophus morphological group is discussed. Available morphological evidence strongly supports a concept of a highly diverse Euconnus s. str. that includes Napochus and Pycnophus. Consequently, Napochus syn. n. and Pycnophus syn. n. are merged with Euconnus s. str. as junior synonyms. In addition, examination of the type specimens of the type species of Glandularia L.W. Schaufuss and Connophron Casey, both names currently treated as junior synonyms of Napochus, confirms the previously established synonymies. Characters of the previously revised subgenus Filonapochus Franz were also found to fall within the variability revealed in the present study, and also Filonapochus syn. n. is placed as a junior synonym of Euconnus s. str.
References
Casey, T.L. (1897) Coleopterological notices, VII. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 9 (1), 285–684. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1896.tb55435.x
Csiki, E. (1919) Pars 70: Scydmaenidae. In: S. Schenkling and W. Junk (Eds), Coleopterorum Catalogus. Vol. 7. W. Junk, Berlin, 106 pp.
Downie, N.M. & Arnett, R.H.J. (1996) The beetles of northeastern North America. Vols. 1, 2. Sandhill Crane Press, Gainesville, Florida, 1721 pp.
Franz, H. (1970) Zur Kenntnis der Scydmaeniden-Fauna von Singapore, Malakka und Indonesien (Coleoptera: Scydmaenidae). Beitrage zur Entomologie, 20 (5–6), 535–578.
Franz, H. (1980) Monographie der südamerikanischen Scydmaeniden mit Einschluss einiger mittelamerikanischer Arten (Coleoptera). Folia Entomologica Hungarica, 41 (2), 39–264.
Franz, H. (1986) Monographie der Scydmaeniden (Coleoptera) von Madagaskar (mit Ausschluss der Cephenniini). Denkschriften der Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Klasse, 125, 1–393.
Jałoszyński, P. (2012) Taxonomy of “Euconnus complex”. Part I. Morphology of Euconnus s. str. and revision of Euconnomorphus Franz and Venezolanoconnus Franz (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 3555 (1), 55–82. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3555.1.3
Jałoszyński, P. (2015a) Taxonomy of “Euconnus complex”. Part IV. Review of Euconnus subgenus Rhomboconnus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 4000 (4), 483–491. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4000.4.7
Jałoszyński, P. (2015b) Taxonomy of “Euconnus complex”. Part III. Morphology of Euconnus subgenus Napochus and revision of the Australian species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 3925 (1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3925.1.1
Jałoszyński, P. (2016a) Taxonomy of “Euconnus complex”. Part IX. Problematic synonymy between Pycnophus and Nudatoconnus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 4205 (3), 201–210. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4205.3.1
Jałoszyński, P. (2016b) Taxonomy of “Euconnus complex”. Part VI. Status of Protoscydmus and Euconnus subgenera Neonapochus, Paranapochus, and Filonapochus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 4067 (1), 35–48. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4067.1.2
Jałoszyński, P. (2017a) Euconnus (Rhomboconnus) of Panama (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 4323 (1), 68–82. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4323.1.5
Jałoszyński, P. (2017b) Taxonomy of “Euconnus complex”. Part XI. Status of Euconophron and Scopophus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 4236 (3), 450–460. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4236.3.2
Jałoszyński, P. (2017c) Taxonomy of “Euconnus complex”. Part XIII. Status of Afrotropical subgenera of Euconnus: Cephaloconnus, Cerviconnus, Ursoconnus and Nodoconnus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 4294 (5), 531–544. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4294.5.3
Jałoszyński, P. (2017d) Taxonomy of “Euconnus complex”. Part XIV. Diarthroconnus is removed from synonymy with Psomophus and placed as a junior synonym of Euconnus s. str. (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 4317 (1), 191–195. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4317.1.12
Jałoszyński, P. (2018) Two new species of Euconnus (Rhomboconnus) in Peru and Bolivia (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 4375 (4), 588–592. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4375.4.9
Jałoszyński, P. (2020) Euconnus (Rhomboconnus): redescriptions of species described by Schaufuss and Sharp, and descriptions of five new Mexican species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 4759 (2), 209–222. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4759.2.4
Jałoszyński, P. (2021) Taxonomy of “Euconnus complex”. Part XXII. Status of subgenera Allonapochus Franz, Dimorphoconnus Franz, Eupentarius Reitter, and Myrmecodytes Croissandeau (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 4966 (2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4966.2.3
Jałoszyński, P. & Nomura, S. (2018) A new Vietnamese species of Euconnus (Napochus) with modified antennal club (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae). Zootaxa, 4521 (1), 133–136. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4521.1.9
LeConte, J.L. (1852) Synopsis of the Scydmaenidae of the United States. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Scences, Philiadelphia, 6 (5), 149–157.
Machulka, V. (1923) Dva noví čeští brouci. De novis faunae bohemicae Coleopteris. Sborník Entomologického Oddělení Národního Musea v Praze, 1 (9), 70–71.
Machulka, V. (1929) Beitrag zur Kenntnis der Coleopteren-Fauna der östlichen Slowakei. Pselaphidae et Scydmaenidae. Wiener Entomologische Zeitung, 46, 19–21.
Mannerheim, C.G. (1844) Description de quelques nouvelles espèces de coléoptères de Finlande. Bulletin de la Société Impériale des Naturalistes de Moscou, 17 (1), 189–202.
Müller, P.W.I. & Kunze, G. (1822) Monographie der Ameisenkäfer (Scydmaenus Latreille). Schriften der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft zu Leipzig, 1, 175–204, pl. 5.
Newton, A.F. & Franz, H. (1998) World catalog of the genera of Scydmaenidae (Coleoptera). Koleopterologische Rundschau, 68, 137–165.
O’Keefe, S.T. (1998) Notes on the classification of North American ant-like stone beetles (Coleoptera: Scydmaenidae). The Coleopterists Bulletin, 52, 259–269.
Reitter, E. (1907) Verzeichnis der von Dr. F. Eichelbaum im Jahre 1903 in Deutsch–Ostafrika gesammelten Scydmaeniden (Col.). Wiener Entomologische Zeitung, 26 (7–9), 297–305. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.part.8894
Saulcy, F. de (1864) Faune française et européenne. Descriptions et remarques. Annales de la Société Entomologique de France, Series 4, 4 (4), 253–260.
Schaufuss, L.W. (1866) Monographie der Scydmaeniden Central- und Sudamerika’s. Novorum Actorum Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Germanicae Naturae Curiosorum, 33 (6), 1–103, pls. 1–4. [1867]
Schaufuss, L.W. (1889) Neue Scydmaeniden im Museum Ludwig Salvator. Berliner entomologische Zeitschrift, 33 (1), 1–42. https://doi.org/10.1002/mmnd.18890330103
Sharp, D. (1886) The Scydmaenidae of Japan. Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine, 23, 46–51.
Stephan, K.H., Chandler, D.S., O’Keefe, S.T. & Riley, E.G. (2021) A revision of the North American species of Euconnus (Napochus) Thomson, north of Mexico (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae). Memoirs of the American Entomological Society, 51, 1–319. [2020]
Thomson, C.G. (1859) Skandinaviens Coleoptera, synoptiskt bearbetade. Vol. 1. Berlingska Boktryckeriet, Lund, v + 290 pp. https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.138677