Thinobius micros Fauvel, 1871 (Figs 6, 18, 35–37, 44, 48–50) Thinobius micros Fauvel, 1871: 163 [= 1872: 137]. Thinobius algiricus Fauvel, 1898: 94., syn. n. Thinobius ernesti Bernhauer, 1908: 332. (new synonym in Schülke & Makranczy 2011) Examined type material – Thinobius micros Fauvel – Lectotype (♂), by present designation: “ Fréjus \ micros; Fauv. \ R.I.Sc.N.B. 17.479; Coll. et det. A. Fauvel \ Syntype \ ♂ \ Lectotypus; Thinobius; micros Fauvel; des. Makranczy, 2001 \ Thinobius; micros Fauvel; det. Makranczy, 2010” (ISNB); Paralectotypes (4): same data as lectotype (1♂, 3♀, ISNB); Thinobius algiricus Fauvel – Lectotype (♀), by present designation: “[Algeria: Djebel] Ouarsenis \ confondu avec; longipennis \ algiricus; Fvl. n. sp.; Désiré [underlined] \ Typus \ Collection; Vauloger \ Lectotypus; Thinobius; algiricus Fauvel; des. Makranczy, 2010 \ Thinobius; micros Fauvel; det. Makranczy, 2010” (coll. Peyerimhoff, MNHP); [For the type of Thinobius ernesti, see Makranczy & Schülke, 2001: 191.]. Redescription – Measurements (in mm, n=6): HW = 0.20 (0.19–0.20); TW = 0.19 (0.185– 0.20); PW = 0.21 (0.205–0.22); SW = 0.22 (0.21–0.22); AW = 0.24 (0.23–0.24); HL = 0.18 (0.17– 0.19); EL = 0.07 (0.06–0.07); TL = 0.05 (0.05–0.06); PL = 0.17 (0.16–0.175); SL = 0.28 (0.26–0.29); SC = 0.24 (0.23–0.25); FB = 0.61 (0.59–0.64); BL = 1.10 (1.03–1.19). Body (Fig. 6) very slightly bicoloured. Head, pronotum and abdomen slightly reddish dark brown, elytra reddish medium brown with a darker area behind scutellum extending to shoulders. Legs and mouthparts medium brown, apices of femora and both ends of tibiae often lighter, together with tarsi; basal part of antenna much lighter (yellowish) than apical articles, latter often significantly blackish. Forebody with very fine coriaceous microreticulation, rather dull. Punctation on forebody rather dense and so fine that hardly discernible. Discs of abdominal tergites with a particular type of transversal microsculpture and longitudinal microsetation arranged in the minute transversal ridges that causes a slight iridescent effect. Pubescence on forebody depressed and very short, fine and dense (on elytra the most dense), on abdomen apices of tergites with a row of long hairs, and a sparse setation composed of similar but shorter hairs; abdominal sides and apex with a few darker and stronger bristles. Strong dark bristle on outer side of supraantennal tubercle at anterior border of eye (those near outer posterior edge of vertex weakly developed), similar ones right behind anterior pronotal corner and on side at 3/5 length. Setation anteriorly directed on head and pronotum, direction posterior on elytra and abdomen. Antennae with longer, darker hairs on basal articles, legs and mouthparts with very short, not conspicuous setation, except for the stiff, darker mid-tibial hairs ond ones near apices of femora. Sides of elytra with three such stiff setae about equally distributed on length of side. Head slightly wider than long, temples usually straight, with a gentle curve on the side, rounded on posterior part. Middle of vertex very gently impressed. Anterior border of neck is strongly marked with a shiny, arched, deep groove. Frontoclypeal suture appearing as weak groove and a dark line (visible only if head lighter) connecting supraantennal tubercles, similarly darker spots situated at both sides on middle of vertex. Supraantennal tubercles moderately developed, separated from vertex by longitudinal impression. Antennae moderately short (Fig. 18), 6th antennomere appearing as wide as adjacent ones. Pronotum weakly transverse, 1.25× wider than long, just a tiny bit wider than head, with only traces of impressions in anterior half of middle of disc and near anterior corners. Anterior corners moderately weakly rounded, posterior corners very broadly, sides almost in arch with posterior margin. Pronotal marginal bead visible on posterior margin, anterior margin slightly pulled ahead in middle but without visible marginal bead. Scutellum small, if exposed, shinier than adjoining areas. Elytra long, one elytron about twice as long as broad, quite flat and parallel-sided (very gently dilating posteriorly). Shoulders moderately developed. Along suture without even traces of marginal bead; sutural corners broadly rounded. Legs of medium length, tarsal lobes small and thin, inconspicuous, tibiae fusiform, appear much wider in middle than at ends. Abdomen very weakly fusiform, sides more or less straight and parallel; widest at 1/3 length, just very slightly less wide than elytra at broadest point. Posterior margin of tergite VII with palisade fringe and posterior corners broadly rounded. Primary and secondary sexual features: Sexes not appearing different in regular dorsal view. Posterior edge of tergite VIII (similar in both sexes) gently concave, arched. Male sternite VIII as in Fig. 35, tergite IX as in Fig. 36, sternite IX as in Fig. 37. Aedeagus as in Fig. 44. Female genital appendage as in Fig. 48, spermatheca as in Figs 49–50. Distribution – Obviously a very rare and local species, possibly extinct from most of its former range. This is indicated by its old record from Austria, while not collected in Central Europe in the past century. The Northern African occurrence suggests that it originally had circum-mediterranean distribution. Remarks – The aedeagus drawing of “ T. ernesti ” in Makranczy and Schülke (2001) was made based on its poorly preserved holotype with the aedeagus rather distorted. The here presented new illustration is based on more specimens, improved, so should substitute for the earlier figure. There are still only the respective type materials (more than a hundred years old) available for this species. Since Peyerimhoff’ s (1931) identification (based on a type study) of “ T. algiricus ” is incorrect and in fact refers to a very similar but significantly larger, clearly distinct species, the latter has to be described as new below.

Published as part of Makranczy, György, 2014, Synonymies In The Holarctic Thinobius Major And Linearis Species Groups (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Oxytelinae), pp. 13-38 in Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 60 (1) on pages 33-34, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5732150