Drivers of wood-inhabiting fungal diversity in European and Oriental beech forests.

The hyperdiverse wood-inhabiting fungi play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle, but often are threatened by deadwood removal, particularly in temperate forests dominated by European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis). To study the impact of abiotic drivers, deadwood factors, forest management and biogeographical patterns in forests of both beech species on fungal composition and diversity, we collected 215 deadwood-drilling samples in 18 forests from France to Armenia and identified fungi by meta-barcoding. In our analyses, we distinguished the patterns driven by rare, common, and dominant species using Hill numbers. Despite a broad overlap in species, the fungal composition with focus on rare species was determined by Fagus species, deadwood type, deadwood diameter, precipitation, temperature, and management status in decreasing order. Shifting the focus on common and dominant species, only Fagus species, both climate variables and deadwood type remained. The richness of species within the deadwood objects increased significantly only with decay stage. Gamma diversity in European beech forests was higher than in Oriental beech forests. We revealed the highest gamma diversity for old-growth forests of European beech when focusing on dominant species. Our results implicate that deadwood retention efforts, focusing on dominant fungi species, critical for the decay process, should be distributed across precipitation and temperature gradients and both Fagus species. Strategies focusing on rare species should additionally focus on different diameters and on the conservation of old-growth forests.

Revision of the subgenus Hemiglaphyrus Champenois, 1903 of Glaphyrus Latreille, 1807, with description of three new species and Atticoglaphyrus new subgenus (Coleoptera: Glaphyridae).

The subgenus Hemiglaphyrus Champenois, 1903 of Glaphyrus Latreille, 1807 is revised. It currently includes four species: G. (H.) caucasicus Kraatz, 1882 (type species), G. (H.) armeniacus Ghrejyan, Kalashian & Sabatinelli, new species from Armenia, G. (H.) urartu Sabatinelli, Ghrejyan & Kalashian, new species from East Turkey and Iran and G. (H.) schweigeri Ghrejyan, Kalashian & Sabatinelli, new species from Iran and Iraq, here described and illustrated. A key to Hemiglaphyrus species is provided. Atticoglaphyrus Ghrejyan, Kalashian & Sabatinelli, new subgenus is established for G. modestus Kiesenwetter, 1858 originally included in Hemiglaphyrus. Lectotypes of Glaphyrus caucasicus Kraatz, 1882 and Glaphyrus modestus Kiesenwetter, 1858 are designated.

On the identity of Cyphonoxia maljuzhenkoi Zaitzev, 1928 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae).

The melolonthine species Cyphonoxia maljuzhenkoi Zaitzev, 1928 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Melolonthini) was described from three specimens collected by Dmitriy M. Maljuzhenko, a physician by profession, while he was working in the former Erivan Governorate from 1906 to at least 1914 (Anonymous 1914). Type series was cited by Zaitzev (1928) differently in the Russian and in German versions of the primary description. In the Russian version, Zaitzev stated on p. 393 in Cyrillic script: "Arm. Alishar u Araksa (3 ekz. Maljuzhenko, koll. Muz. Eriv. univ. i Muz. Gruzii)", while in the German version, he mentioned on p. 397: "Nachkraj: Alishar, distr. Sharur (3 ♀♀, dr. Maljuzhenko, Koll. d. Museen Georgien und Armenien)". At the time of collecting the type specimens (no later than 1914 when Maljuzhenko finished his collecting activity in the region (S.M. Iablokoff-Khnzorian, personal communication to M.K. in 1993)), the locality was a part of the Erivan Governorate of the Russian Empire. Currently, it is situated in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan.

A new species of Protaetia Burmeister, 1842 from Armenia with taxonomic notes on Cetonia floricola fausti Kraatz, 1891 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae).

The history of usage of the name Cetonia floricola fausti Kraatz, 1891 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) is discussed. In recent publications, the name Protaetia (Potosia) fausti was applied to a taxon that is not conspecific with Kraatz's holotype. We therefore reassign the name Cetonia fausti Kraatz, 1891 as a junior synonym of Protaetia splendidula (Faldermann, 1835) and discuss the justification for this synonymy. The taxon that was erroneously called Protaetia fausti in recent papers actually includes two distinct species: Protaetia jelineki (Petrovitz, 1981) and a species described in this paper as Protaetia (Potosia) haiastanica new species from northwestern and central Armenia and southwestern Georgia.