S. Mahunka szerk.: Folia Entomologica Hungarica 48. (Budapest, 1987)

listed it from Austria and Transylvania; HORION (1963) from Austria, Balkan Peninsula, Greece, Poland, Slovakia, Transylvania; LOHSE (1964) from the south-eastern part of Central Europe; SZUJECKI (1979) from Austria, Poland, South Hungary and Transylvania. From Hungary it was first recorded by PETRI (1891) from Sch'ássburg (= Segesvár), under the name Oxytelus bisulcatus Petri, 1891. Subsequently it was reported by KUTHY (1896): "P. Poó, Segesvár, Mehádia", and SZÉKESSY (1939): Budapest, Csillebérc, Isaszeg, Pusztapó, Segesvár, and Herkulesfürdo. In the Oxytelinae Collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum I found 9 specimens from the Carpathian Basin: "Buda: Csillebérc", 1909. V. 30. 1 ê\ Budapest, 1911. V. 25. (politus Er

. det Székessy) 1 ç; Budapest környéke: Törökbálint, máj. (=V.) 30. coll. Diener 1 ? ; Nagykovácsi, 30. IV. 1953. leg. Szélényl dr. 1 o*; Nagykovácsi: Nagyszénás tető, 1954. V. 10. fühálózva (=sweeping), légit Kaszab Z. 1 o, 1 2; PilisborosjenS, Nagykevély, gerinc és DNY-i lejtó' (=crest of hill and SW slope), 1954. V. 12. füháló (= sweeping), legit Kaszab Z. 1+ ; Pilis Marót, Csild, 1 % . Concerning bionomics HORION (1963) and SCHEERPELTZ (1968) characterized 'he species as a phytodetriticolous, stercoricolous element, collected from decaying plant aebris, dung and manure. The collecting data of the Hungarian specimens referring to grass netting on south-western slope of Transdanubian Central Mountains suggest that the species is montane, thermitophilous and not too strictly bound to the soil layer. The infrageneric state of the species seems to be very odd to me, therefore, in spite of its outer similarity to A. nitidulus it totally differs from that in the construction of its aedoeagus as in Figs 4-5 and 6-9. Similar structures, especially asymmetric páraméra occur in the "

pumilus-group' and the highest similarity is displayed with A. fairmairei as in Figs 3 and 10-13. The "

pumilus-group" including A. fairmairei

, is well characterized the following features: protibia strongly emarginate near the apex on the outer margin, infraocular ridge absent, upper sur face of the anterior part of the body entirely dull, among the dense and strong microsculpture no punctures visible, size small 1.2-2.5 mm. The species belonging in this group, in external characters are extremely similar to one an other, but significantly differ in the structure of the aedoeagus, and as secondary sexual character the last sternltes of male's abdomen. The important features of Anotylus fairmairei Pandellé, 1867 are: black, apex of 2nd and base of 3rd antenna! segments reddish, mouthparts, palpi, tarsi and knees yellowish-brown. Upper surface of abdomen covered with moderately coarse punctures. cT 6th and 7th sternite of abdomen as in Fig. 3. Aedoeagus shown is Figs 10-13. 1.7-2 mm. This very rare species is listed by HORION (1963) from North and Central Europe; SCHEERPELTZ (1962, 1968) reported it from Central Europe and partly from South and Southeastern Europe. According to HAMMOND (1976) It is, similarly to A. nitidulus

, an adventive species with synanthropic tendencies and largely widespread within the Palaearctic Region. Its first occurrence in the Carpathian Basin was reported by SMETANA (1961) "Slovakia, Vysoké Tatry, "Kohlbachthal" leg. Wanka ló* coll. mea." Subsequently, HORION (1963) listed it from Austria: Burgenland: Neusiedel (=Nezsider), the specimens were collected by BREIT and later deposited in the SCHEERPELTZ Collection. I found 1 specimen in the collection of the Hungarian Natural History Museum, collected in Hungary. The specimen is labelled: Magyaróvár, 1942. IX. 10. Dr. D. Révy. cT; O. fairmairei Pand. det Révy. It is new to the Hungarian fauna. The species was mostly collected in woods or in the edge of woods from compost, various decaying organic matters, stable manure, wild animal dung, human excrement, rarely on sea shore under debris. It seems to be a phytodetriticolous, hygrophilous element. Very rare and sporadric in the whole area. This short review shows that the seemingly well-separated "

nitidulus-group" is not homogeneous. The description of A. politus is based only on a 5 specimen and all of the characters given by ERICHSON for the separation of the two species were strictly comparative. I suppose, the misunderstanding of differences in sculpture might lead to misidentification of A. herculis and A. petzi

, perhaps resulting in synonymy with A. bisulcatus

. I believe A. politus is not closely related to any other Central-European Anotylus species, and represents a group of tts own. I am indebted to H. DYBAS, M. PROKOP and R. WENZEL (Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, USA) who were kind enough to lend me types for this study. LITERATURE BERNHAUER, M. and SCHUBERT, K. (1912): Staphylinidae I. - in: Junk, W. and Schenkung, S. (1912): Coleopterorum Catalogus. - Berlin, _5_ (29) : 87-190.