Taxonomic and faunistic studies on the species of rugilus (coleoptera:staphylinidae, paederinae) in Turkey

The genus Rugilus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Paederinae) was described by Leach in Samouelle in 1819 and is a genus belonging to the subtribe Stilicina within the tribe Lathrobiini of the subfamily Paederinae. The genus Rugilus includes 104 species and 8 subspecies in the Afrotropical Region, 38 species in the Neotropical Region, 9 species in the Nearctic Region, 86 species in the Palearctic Region, 8 species in the Oriental Region, 7 species in both the Oriental and Southeastern Palearctic Region, 1 species in both the Oriental and New Guinea, and 1 species is found cosmopolitan, representing a total of 255 species worldwide. As a result of field studies carried out within the scope of this project and examination of museum specimens collected and specimens obtained from various projects between 1862 and 2024, a total of 9 species belonging to the genus Rugilus have been recorded in Turkey. These species are Rugilus angustatus (Geoffray, 1785), R. arabs (Saulcy, 1865), R. lesbius Assing, 2005, R. maltzevi Gusarov, 1991, R. orbiculatus (Paykull, 1789), R. rufipes Germar, 1836, R. similis (Erichson, 1839), R. subtilis (Erichson, 1840), R. tauricus (Rougemont, 1988). R. angustatus from the Eastern Black Sea and Marmara Region, R. arabs from the Marmara Region, R. maltzevi from the Eastern Anatolia Region, R. similis from the Marmara Region and the Western Black Sea Region, and R. subtilis from the Marmara Region, Central and Eastern Black Sea Regions were recorded for the first time. Type specimens of Rugilus longicollis (Fauvel, 1900), previously recorded from Turkey, were examined and it was suggested that it should be removed from the Turkish fauna. In addition, morphological information and photographs of all recorded species are presented. Important morphological features of R. orbiculatus species were examined and shaped for the first time using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, ecological information of the identified species is presented and included in the graphics. All identified species were evaluated zoogeographically.