Ocypus (Pseudocypus) helleni J. Muller 1926
Creators: name: Smetana, Aleš
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2009
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Staphylinidae
Ocypus
Ocypus helleni

description: Ocypus (Pseudocypus) helleni (J. Müller, 1926)
(Figs. 8–14, 68)
helleni J. Müller, 1926 a, 30 (Staphylinus; subg. Pseudocypus).
Smetana & Davies, 2000, 40 (Ocypus; subg. Pseudocypus); Herman, 2001, 3382 (Ocypus, complete synonymy and secondary references included); Smetana, 2004, 677 (Ocypus; subg. Pseudocypus, complete synonymy included).
Type material. Müller (1926a: 30) described the species from two specimens, one male from “Aschabad (Transcaspia, leg. Ahnger)”, and one female from “Kopet Dagh (Transcaspia, leg. Ahnger)”. The specimens were expected to be deposited in the collection of the Zoological Museum, University of Helsinki, Finland. The collection of the Zoological Museum of the University of Helsinki indeed contains two specimens under O. helleni, but only the first one (a female) belongs to the original series. It is labeled as follows: “Kopet Dagh” / ”Ahnger” / ”248" / ” Typus ” [red label] / ” Hélleni m. det. J. Müller” / ”Mus. Zool. H:fors Spec. Typ. No 1381 Staphylinus Helleni J. Müll. ” The second specimen (a male) is labeled as follows: “Mar.Casp.” / ”Stenroos” / ”414". Both specimens were dissected; the female genital segment, and the male genital segment and the aedoeagus were glued to a small plate and attached to the respective specimen.
Ahnger’s label “248" refers to the following information in his notebook: “Kopet Dagh, Mergen Ulja, June 24, 1901 ". Stenroos’ label “414" refers to the information in his notebook: “Petrovsk vid västra stranden av Kaspiska havet”. Makhachkala in Daghestan, Russia, is the present name of the place. The above information was made available to me by Jyrki Muona.
In order to preserve stability of nomenclature of the group, it is necessary to designate a lectotype for O. helleni. Since the whereabouts of the second (male) specimen of the original series are unknown, and since the shape of tergite 10 of the female genital segment of O. helleni is characteristic and markedly different from that of O. picipennis, I designate the female specimen of the original series, bearing labels listed above, as the lectotype of O. helleni. The label “ Lectotype Staphylinus helleni J. Müller, 1926, A. Smetana des. 2009" was attached to the specimen. The specimen is in reasonably good condition, only segments one and two of the left antenna and segments 1–4 of the right antenna are present, and the left maxillary palpus and the claws of the right hind leg are missing. Ocypus picipennis is not known to occur in Kopet Dagh at present, but its occurrence there, as the only other representative of the picipennis -lineage, is probable.
The male specimen in the collection of the Zoological Museum, University of Helsinki, that is not part of the original series (see above), belongs to Ocypus caucasicus J. Müller, 1926 b. My corresponding determination label was attached to it.
Additional material studied. CHINA: During my work on this paper I had an opportunity to study several specimens (including males) of O. helleni from Sichuan. Unfortunately, due to a computer glitch and/ or my computer fear, I managed to loose these records after the specimens were returned to the loaning institution, and I was not able to recover the data. At any rate, O. helleni does occur on the territory of the People’s Republic of China and I am sure that additional specimens will become available soon.
Description. In all character states quite similar to O. picipennis and different only by the differently shaped aedoeagus and tergite 10 of the female genital segment.
Male. Sternite 8 with shallow, obtusely triangular medioapical emargination, similar to that of O. picipennis. Genital segment with tergite 10 similar to that of O. picipennis, but on average shorter and narrower (Fig. 8); sternite 9 similar to that of O. picipennis, (Fig. 9, sternite artificially flattened). Aedoeagus (Figs. 10–13) with median lobe anteriorly extended into sharp apex on side adjacent to paramere. Paramere in ventral view narrow, gradually narrowed anteriad into sharp apex not quite, or about, reaching apex of median lobe; underside of paramere lacking sensory peg setae, apical setae minute, situated as in Fig. 13.
Female. Tergite 10 of genital segment relatively small, apical portion short, with obtuse apex (Fig. 14).
Body length 11.0–17.0 mm (see Recognition and comments).
Geographical distribution. Ocypus helleni is widely distributed eastward from Armenia and eastern Turkey, through Syria, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, northern Pakistan, Kashmir, Himashal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Nepal all the way to Sichuan in mainland China.
Bionomics. Ocypus helleni seems to frequent similar habitats as O. picipennis, with the more or less pronounced preference of drier habitats. No habitat data are available for the Chinese specimens studied.
Recognition and comments. Ocypus helleni displays similar variability described for O. picipennis. The smallest specimen known to me, from around Sonamarg, 2600–2900 m, Kashmir, is only 11.0 mm long. Ocypus helleni may be confused, within the mainland China fauna, only with O. picipennis, but the two species may be easily distinguished by the shapes of the aedoeagi (see Figs. 3, 10), and those of tergites 10 of the female genital segments (Figs. 7, 14).
description: Published as part of Smetana, Aleš, 2009, Contributions to the knowledge of the " Staphylinus-complex " (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini) of China. Part 21. The genus Ocypus Leach, 1819, subgenus Pseudocypus Mulsant & Rey, 1876. Section 4, pp. 1-30 in Zootaxa 2286 on pages 5-7, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.191273