The Nitidula carnaria complex, with description of a new species from Central Asia, and a key to world species of the genus (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)

Abstract: The Nitidula carnaria complex is defined to comprise three Palaearctic species: the widely distributed Nitidula carnaria (Schaller, 1783), N. maculosa Fairmaire, 1866 occurring in the eremial of North Africa and the Middle East, and a newly described N. obenbergeri sp. nov. from northern China, Mongolia and neighbouring territories of Kazakhstan and Russia. First records are given for Nitidula carnaria from Georgia, Pakistan and Tajikistan; N. flavomaculata Rossi, 1790 from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan; and for N. rufipes (Linnaeus, 1767) from Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, China (Shaanxi) and Russian Eastern Siberia. A lectotype of Nitidula latiplaga Solsky, 1876 is designated to fix its synonymy with N. flavomaculata Rossi, 1790 established by Jelínek & Audisio (2007). Habitus photographs of all species and an identification key are provided to facilitate identification of world Nitidula species. Finally, comments on the classification of four Neotropical taxa previously classified in the genus Nitidula are offered and the following changes are proposed: Mystrops bourgeoisi (Grouvelle, 1914), comb. nov., = M. gigas Kirejtshuk & Couturier, 2009, syn. nov.; and Catonura complanata (Germain, 1855), comb. nov., = Catonura ruficollis (Reitter, 1873), syn. nov., = Catonura rufithorax Reitter, 1883, syn. nov.

Key words: Coleoptera, Nitidulidae, identification key, lectotype designation, new combination, new species, new synonymy, new record, taxonomy, Holarctic Region