Malthodes, Kiesenwetter, 1852

Annotated checklist of Malthodes species of the Greater Caucasus

Malthodes Kiesenwetter, 1852

Malthodes Kiesenwetter, 1852: 242 .

Type species: Malthinus marginatus Latreille, 1806 .

1. abkhasicus Wittmer, 1979: 141 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Sochi area, Krasnaya Polyana, Lagonaki, Ubinskaya) and Abkhasia (Miussera) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). 100–2000 m, June through July.

2. amplithorax Wittmer, 1992: 26 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Krasnaya Polyana, Lagonaki) ( Map 1 View Map 1 ). 800–2000 m, June through July.

3. bohaci Švihla, 2002: 137 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Sochi area) and Abkhasia (Bzyb valley, Hodzhal Mt) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). 500–1000 m, June.

4. bourgeoisi ( Reitter, 1888) : 210 ( Malchinus ). Northern Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Sochi area), North Ossetia (Ardon valley, Tsei Gorge, Tersky Mts), Dagestan (Gunib) ( Map 1 View Map 1 ). The distribution area also includes Georgia, Iran and Turkey [ Wittmer, 1992]. 1800–2000 m, June through August.

= rhaphidostylus Pic, 1912: 59.

5. castanicollis Reitter, 1888: 208 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Sochi area, Tkhab, Ubinskaya) and Abkhasia (env. Sukhum) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). 2000 m, June.

6. caucasicus Wittmer, 1958: 120 . Caucasus: Georgia (Kobi) and Abkhasia (Ritsa R.N. P.) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). 1500-2120 m, July.

7. circassicus Švihla, 1980: 249 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Krasnaya Polyana, Utrish) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). 100– 2000 m, June.

8. crassicornis (Mäklin, 1846) : 179 ( Malthinus ). From West to East Europe, also in North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Krasnaya Polyana) ( Map 1 View Map 1 ). The distribution area also includes Iran and Turkey. May through July.

9. jaromiri Švihla, 2002: 138 . North-western Caucasus: Abkhasia (Kelasuri valley) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). 500 m, June.

10. kasantsevi Wittmer, 1992: 34 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Krasnaya Polyana, Lagonaki) and Abkhasia (Ritsa R.N. P., Bzyb Mts) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). 1700–2500 m, subalpine and alpine zone, July.

11. kobiensis Wittmer, 1970: 62 . North-western and northern Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Sochi area, Krasnaya Polyana, Lagonaki, Ubinskaya), North Ossetia (Skalisty Mts), Chechnya, Abkhasia (Gagrsky Range, Bzyb valley, Hodzhal Mt, Tsumuri), also Georgia (Kobi) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). 840– 3000 m, June through August.

12. lederi Pic, 1912: 59 . Northern Caucasus: North Ossetia (Vladikavkaz, Skalisty Mts), Ingushetia, Dagestan (Gunib, Nukatl Mts); also South Ossetia (Dzau) and Georgia (Kobi) ( Map 1 View Map 1 ). 1050–2200 m, June through July. First record for South Ossetia.

13. lozovoyi Kazantsev, 2021: 231 . North-western Caucasus: Abkhasia (Hodzhal Mt); also South Ossetia (Dzau) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). 1300–1800 m, June through July. First record for South Ossetia.

14. lyriformis Wittmer, 1992: 29 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Krasnaya Polyana, Lagonaki) and Abkhasia (Gagrsky Mts, Ritsa R.N. P.) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). 1700–2000 m, July.

15. medvedevi Wittmer, 1992: 22 . North-western Caucasus : Krasnodar Krai (Krasnaya Polyana, Lagonaki) and Abkhasia (Hodzhal Mt) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). The distribution area also includes Georgia (Tsagveri). 800–2000 m, July.

16. mutatus Wittmer, 1970: 40 . Northern Caucasus: Teberda, North Ossetia (Tbaukhokh Mt, Skalisty Mts), Dagestan (Gunib) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). 1270–2350 m, June through July.

17. nabozhenkorum Kazantsev , sp.n. Greater Caucasus: South Ossetia. Also in central Georgia (Bakuriani). 1760–1800 m, June through July.

18. nyholmi Wittmer, 1970: 52 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Ubinskaya) and Abkhasia (Sukhum, Shoudidi Mt) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). Also distributed in Georgia and Turkey. 420–2000 m, May through July.

19. orientalicus Wittmer, 1970: 85 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Ubinskaya), also South Ossetia ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). The distribution area also includes Azerbaijan and Turkey. 1760 m, May. First record for South Ossetia.

20. pseudobesucheti Wittmer, 1970: 61 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Krasnaya Polyana) and Abkhasia (Ritsa R.N. P., Bzyb Mts) ( Map 1 View Map 1 ). 1670–2200 m, June through July.

21. seregiusi Kazantsev, 2021: 288 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Sochi area) ( Map 1 View Map 1 ). 220–550 m, May.

22. sotschienesis Wittmer, 1970: 63 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Sochi area, Krasnaya Polyana) and Abkhasia (Ritsa R.N. P., Bzyb valley) ( Map 1 View Map 1 ). 550-1900 m, June through July.

23. strejceki Švihla, 1990: 200 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Krasnaya Polyana, Lagonaki, Ubinskaya) and Abkhasia (Ritsa R.N. P., Bzyb Mts) ( Map 1 View Map 1 ). 1500– 1900 m, June through July.

24. sukkoensis Kazantsev , sp.n. North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (S Anapa). 100 m, April.

25. vikhrevi Kazantsev, 2021: 288 . North-western Caucasus: Krasnodar Krai (Khosta, Sochi area ) ( Map 2 View Map 2 ). May.

Malthodes lobicollis ( Reitter, 1888) described from ‘Circassien’ based on several females [ Reitter, 1888], whereas all the taxonomy of the genus is based on the morphological characters of males (shape and structures of the terminal abdominal segments and aedeagi), cannot be placed amidst its congeners properly. Therefore it is included in the list only as incertae sedis.

The following three species are excluded from the list of the Greater Caucasian Malthodes :

Malthodes debilis Kiesenwetter, 1852 . Distributed from West to East Europe [ Delkeskamp, 1977; Wittmer, 1992; Kazantsev, Brancucci, 2007]. One specimen is reported from the Caucasus: ’Parabotch Forest, Ki[z]l., Tersk distr.’ [ Wittmer, 1992]. The taxon is excluded from the list, because the locality where the only ‘Caucasian’ specimen was registered (Kizlyar distr., northern Dagestan), does not belong to the Greater Caucasus.

Malthodes quadristilus Wittmer, 1992 . The taxon is excluded from the list, as its type locality (Terekli-Mekteb, northern Dagestan — Wittmer, 1992) does not belong to the Greater Caucasus. The second known specimen of M. quadristilus (from Krasnodar Krai — Kazantsev, 2011; 2022), after being re-studied, has proven to belong to the closely related M. orientalicus Wittmer, 1970 .

Malthodes tordi Wittmer, 1970 . Malthodes tordi , described from Turkey (Trabzon) [ Wittmer, 1970], was later indicated for Abkhazia and Adjara [ Wittmer, 1992]. However, the Abkhazian ‘ M. tordi ’ proved to be a related, but different species — M. jaromiri Švihla, 2002 [ Švihla, 2002], while the re-examination of the Adjara specimens, from the ‘ M. tordi ’ series identified by Wittmer, showed that they also belong to another species, M. vladimiri Kazantsev, 2021 [ Kazantsev, 2021b]. Therefore, M. tordi is excluded from the regional list as well.