The Near Eastern species of Leptodirini (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Cholevinae)

Summary The Near Eastern species of Leptodirini (from Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Southwestern Russia, Syria and Turkey) are reviewed. The new monospecific genus Mixanigia n. gen. is described for Mixanigia faillei n. sp. Huetheriella pinargozu n. sp. is described. The genus Catopsinus (Motschulsky, 1868) is resurrected for four species previously placed in Bathysciola Jeannel, 1910: Catopsinus cavazzutii (Giachino, 1996) n. comb., C. lindbergi (Jeannel, 1957) n. comb., C. peyronis (Abeille de Perrin, 1875) n. comb. and C. pusillus (Motschulsky, 1840), plus three new species: C. hlavaci n. sp., the first Syrian species of Leptodirini, C. loebli n. sp. and C. meybohmi n. sp. from south Turkey. This solves the long-term problem of the name “Bathysciola”, used since 1910 notwithstanding the anteriority of the senior name Catopsinus of which it should have been considered as synonym. Bathysciola fausti Reitter, 1883 is provisionally transferred to Sbordoniola Zoia & Rampini, 1994. Bathysciola caucasica Giachino, 1998 is synonymized with Bathysciola brignolii Zoia & Rampini, 1996. New faunistic data are provided for Catopsinus pusillus, C. peyronis, Bathysciola suramensis Jeannel, 1930, Pisidiella spatulifera Jeannel, 1930 and P. ovoidea Jeannel, 1955. The geographical distribution of Catopsinus is discussed within the frame of the “Anatolian diagonal”. Distribution maps are provided and identification tables for all genera of the region and for species of Catopsinus and Huetheriella.