On the Western Palaearctic species of Carcinocephalus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Omaliinae)
Author
Assing, V.
text
Linzer biologische Beiträge
2009
2009-08-30
41
1
463
469
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.5276201
0253-116X
5276201
Carcinocephalus
BERNHAUER
1903
Astacops
BERNHAUER 1902: 61
; preoccupied.
Carcinocephalus
BERNAUUER 1903: 592
; replacement name.
Scribaia
LUZE 1906: 546
;
nov.syn.
C o m m e n t: According to
SCHEERPELTZ (1934)
and
ZANETTI (1987)
, the subgenus
Scribaia
LUZE 1906
(
type
species:
Omalium blandum
LUZE 1906
) is distinguished from
Carcinocephalus
(
type
species:
Omalium merkli
EPPELSHEIM 1883
) primarily by longer and more slender legs and antennae. These differences may be interpreted as adaptations to different habitats and are most certainly evidence of interspecific differentiation. However, in view of the criteria and standards commonly applied in the systematics of
Staphylinidae
, they are insufficient to justify a distinction at the subgeneric level. Moreover, from a practical viewpoint, a conservation of
Scribaia
would seem unnecessary, since both subgenera would be monotypical (see below and remark in introduction). Therefore,
Scribaia
is formally placed in synonymy with
Carcinocephalus
.