A glimpse at hyperdiversity: A revision of the Oriental, Palaearctic, and New Guinean fauna of Palaminus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Pinophilini)

Assing, V., Schülke, M., Kolibáč, J.


Supplement of Volume 110, 2025
Published on 15 November 2025
ISBN 978-80-7028-635-7
ISSN 1211-8788

Contact:
Moravian Museum, edicni@mzm.cz

Currently including more than 380,000 species, beetles are by far the most speciose of all Orders and represent nearly one fourth of our planet´s known biodiversity. With a total of ~66,000 described extant species, rove beetles (Staphylinidae) are probably the most biodiverse family – not only of beetles – but of all organisms on Earth, and hundreds of new species are added every year. Staphylinidae are distributed worldwide and remarkably ecologically diverse. They are found in practically all terrestrial habitats from wet to arid, from sea-level to high-alpine, and from deep soil to the canopy layer of forests. Numerous species are inquilines living with ants, termites, wasps, mammals, and birds or inhabitants of mushrooms and various kinds of decaying matter such as compost, dead wood, carrion, and animal excrements. Despite the important role of rove beetles in practically all terrestrial ecosystems, relatively little is known about their life histories and ecology.
The present monograph revises the hyperdiverse genus Palaminus Erichson, 1839, part of the paederine subtribe Procirrina with formerly 770 known species that are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical forests around the world. The genus has been represented by 309 valid species and two subspecies so far. The majority of the species was described from the Neotropical and Nearctic Regions (141 species), and the Afrotropical Region including Madagascar and neighbouring islands (117 species). The Palearctic, Oriental, and New Guinean fauna of the genus Palaminus was previously represented by only 36 species, while 14 species were known from Australia and the Pacific Islands. The genus had never been the subject of a comprehensive revision. As a result of the present study, the genus is now represented in the Palaearctic and Oriental regions, including New Guinea, by as many as 367 species, including 335 new species. In addition, species from the Pacific islands of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Guam and Samoa are revised and seven new species are described from the area. All the species are (re-)described and illustrated. With few exceptions, the distributions of all the species in the study region are mapped.
Several other taxonomic acts are also proposed, such as four species synonymies, two name revalidations and fourteen lectotype designations. A comprehensive catalogue of the species of Palaminus of the Palaearctic and Oriental regions, Wallacea and some Pacific Islands is provided.

  • A glimpse at hyperdiversity: A revision of the Oriental, Palaearctic, and New Guinean fauna of Palaminus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Paederinae: Pinophilini)

    Assing, V., Schülke, M., Kolibáč, J.

    Download PDF

    The genus Palaminus Erichson, 1839, part of the paederine subtribe Procirrina, is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical forests around the world and represented by 309 valid species and two subspecies. The majority of the species was described from the Neotropical and Nearctic Regions (141 species), and the...

    Read more...

    The genus Palaminus Erichson, 1839, part of the paederine subtribe Procirrina, is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical forests around the world and represented by 309 valid species and two subspecies. The majority of the species was described from the Neotropical and Nearctic Regions (141 species), and the Afrotropical Region including Madagascar and neighbouring islands (117 species). The Palearctic, Oriental, and New Guinean fauna of the genus Palaminus was previously represented by only 36 species, while 14 species are known from Australia and the Pacific Islands. The genus had never been the subject of a comprehensive revision and only two of the species from the study region (P. rufulus Coiffait, 1978 and P. elmebalanasae Rougemont, 2017) were described using male sexual characters. In order to assess the taxonomy and diversity of Palaminus in the study region, the accessible type material of previously described species, as well as numerous additional specimens, were examined. As a result of the present study, the genus is now represented in the Palaearctic and Oriental regions, including New Guinea, by as many as 367 species. All the species are (re-)described and illustrated. With few exceptions (records without specific localities), the distributions of all the species in the study region are mapped. In the present publication, 335 species are described for the first time: Palaminus abnormalis Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. abruptus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. abstersus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia, Singapore); P. accinctus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra; Malaysia); P. acifer Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. aculeatissimus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. aculeatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. aculus Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei; Malaysia: Sarawak); P. acutissimus Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei); P. adclinis Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. adesus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. adhaerescens Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. aequalis Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah, Sarawak); P. aequicurvus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Java); P. ambangus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. ambonicus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Ambon); P. amplectens Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. ampliatus Assing, sp. nov. (Bhutan); P. amputatus Assing, sp. nov. (Vietnam); P. ancoratus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. ancorifer Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. anguineus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Java); P. anguinus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. angulatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Kalimantan); P. angulistylus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. angustior Assing, sp. nov. (India: Kerala); P. aperiens Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. appendiculatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. applodens Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. appulsus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. arctipennis Assing, sp. nov. (Taiwan); P. arcuatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak); P. armiger Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. arrosus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah, Sarawak); P. artexcisus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. ascians Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. asciatus Assing, sp. nov. (Taiwan); P. assingi Schülke, sp. nov. (Philippines: Luzon); P. atrisuturalis Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. atrofemoralis Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. atroflavus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. bacriofer Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. bacriotus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. baiulus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. basalis Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. basangularis Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. betzi Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. biacifer Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Palawan); P. biacutus Assing, sp. nov. (Taiwan); P. bibaculatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. bibio Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. bicavatus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Luzon); P. biclinatus Assing, sp. nov. Indonesia: Sumatra); P. bicrenatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. bicultellatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak); P. bicurvatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. bidentatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. bidigitalis Assing, sp. nov. (Nepal); P. biexcisus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. bifilifer Assing, sp. nov. (Vietnam); P. biflexus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. biformis Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Java); P. bifurcatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. bilobatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. bimaculatus Assing, sp. nov. (Laos); P. binotatus Assing, sp. nov. (Laos); P. bipartitus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. biradulatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. birectus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. bisetosus Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. bispinosus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. bistigmatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. bistriatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. biunguifer Assing, sp. nov. (China: Sichuan); P. biunguis Assing, sp. nov. (India: Meghalaya); P. brevisetosus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. brevissimus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. buccatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. bulbosus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. calcarifer Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. camaratus Assing, sp. nov. (Nepal); P. cariniventris Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. carinulatus Assing, sp. nov. (Vietnam); P. cavatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Java); P. cervinus Assing, sp. nov. (Nepal); P. circinatus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Zhejiang); P. circumplicans Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. clivicarinatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. cochleatus Assing, sp. nov. (India: Karnataka); P. coextensus Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei; Indonesia: Sumatra; Malaysia: Sarawak); P. commarcens Assing, sp. nov. (Taiwan); P. compactus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. complicatus Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. concavatus Assing, sp. nov. (Nepal); P. concavus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Luzon); P. conchicus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. conduratus Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei); P. consors Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. constans Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. constrictus Assing, sp. nov. (Myanmar); P. contegens Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. contritus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Sichuan); P. converrens Assing, sp. nov. (Vietnam); P. corniger Assing, sp. nov. (Laos); P. corruptus Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei; Malaysia: Sabah); P. crassisetosus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Gansu, Guizhou, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan; Myanmar); P. cristatus Assing, sp. nov. (India: Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal; Nepal); P. crudus Assing, sp. nov. (India: Assam); P. cultellatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. cultrifer Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. cuneatus Assing, sp. nov. (India: Tamil Nadu); P. currens Assing, sp. nov. (Sri Lanka); P. curvatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia; Thailand); P. curvus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. dataicus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Luzon); P. decarminatus Assing, sp. nov. (Taiwan); P. defectivus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. deformis Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. deliquus Assing, sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea); P. denormatus Assing, sp. nov. (Laos); P. deplectens Assing, sp. nov. (China: Sichuan); P. depravatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. derectus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. destrictus Assing, sp. nov. (Laos); P. deturbatus Assing, sp. nov. (Laos); P. devians Assing, sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea); P. diffissus Assing, sp. nov. (Taiwan); P. digitulus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. directus Assing, sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea); P. discors Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. discrepans Assing, sp. nov. (Laos; Vietnam); P. dispar Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. divaricatus Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei); P. divergens Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. dolabratus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Hunan); P. dupledentatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak); P. edolans Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. ensifer Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. excavatus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Panay); P. excisus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. excitatus Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. extensus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. extrusus Assing, sp. nov. (Myanmar); P. faber Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. falcatus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindoro); P. falcifer Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. figens Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. filifer Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. fimbriatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. fissus Assing, sp. nov. (Laos); P. flaccidus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia; Singapore); P. flagellatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak); P. flagellifer Schülke, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. flammeatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. flammeifer Assing, sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea); P. flavohumeralis Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. flavoniger Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. flexus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. fodens Assing, sp. nov. (China: Fujian, Guizhou, Jiangxi); P. foedatus Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei); P. forceps Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. forfex Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. fortior Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. fortistylus Assing, sp. nov. (Vietnam); P. fractus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. fraterculus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak); P. frischi Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Java); P. funiculus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. furcatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. fusciflavus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. fusicollis Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. gryps Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. hajeki Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. hamifer Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. hamulifer Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Java); P. harpago Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. hastatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. iens Assing, sp. nov. (India: Kerala); P. ijenicus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Java); P. ilex Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. immotus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. impendens Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. impurus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. inaequalis Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia; Thailand); P. incisus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. incurvus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. inflexus Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei); P. infractus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. iniquissimus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. innectens Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. intercalatus Assing, sp. nov. (Taiwan); P. irregularis Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. jaculus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. kinabaluicus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. laciniatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Kalimantan); P. lamellatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. lamellifer Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. lateroniger Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. latexcisus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. laticarinatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. latilobatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. latus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. laxatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. ligo Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei); P. limans Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. limoserratus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. limus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Guizhou, Hubei); P. linguatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. linguifer Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. longilobatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. longilobus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. lunatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. luridus Assing, sp. nov. (Nepal); P. luzonicus Schülke, sp. nov. (Philippines: Luzon): P. manualis Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. mastigans Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. mediangularis Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. mediodentatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. membranatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. membranosus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. migrus Assing, sp. nov. (Vietnam); P. mindoroensis Schülke, sp. nov (Philippines: Mindoro); P. mollis Assing, sp. nov. (Taiwan); P. monstrans Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. montanoides Schülke, sp. nov. (Philippines: Luzon); P. montuosus Schülke, sp. nov. (Philippines: Luzon); P. muscipula Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra; Thailand); P. mutabilis Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. mutatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. nietneri Schülke, sp. nov. (Sri Lanka); P. nigrapicalis Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. nigrolateralis Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. obtectus Assing, sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea); P. obvolvens Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. palatus Assing, sp. nov. (Nepal); P. palmae Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei; Malaysia: Sabah); P. pampinifer Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. pandus Assing, sp. nov. (Nepal); P. pantherinus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. parvexcisus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. parvisetosus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. paucisetosus Assing, sp. nov. (Myanmar); P. pectenifer Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. pectens Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. pectinatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. pectinilobus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); Malaysia); P. pendens Assing, sp. nov. (Nepal); P. penicillatus Assing, sp. nov. (Vietnam); P. perlucidus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. permutatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Java); P. pessulifer Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. piciformis Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra; Malaysia); P. plaudens Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei; Malaysia: Sabah); P. polisicus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Luzon); P. praeacutus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. pravus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. prominens Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. psittacus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Java); P. pungens Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. quadrihamatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. quadrisetosus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Palawan); P. quinquesetosus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. quotidianus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. radens Assing, sp. nov. (Laos); P. radifer Assing, sp. nov. (Vietnam); P. radulatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. radulifer Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. raduliformis Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. ramifer Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. ramosus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. rectus Assing, sp. nov. (Myanmar); P. remifer Assing, sp. nov. (Vietnam); P. restinctus Assing, sp. nov. (Vietnam); P. ricatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. riedeli Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. rostratus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Zhejiang); P. ruptus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Jiangxi); P. rutriformis Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. scabens Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. scalpens Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. scindens Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. scissus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak); P. secans Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. separatus Assing, sp. nov. (Vietnam); P. serapicus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sarawak); P. serratus Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei); P. setifer Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Kalimantan); P. sexsetosus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. shavrini Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. simillimus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. spathulatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. stimulans Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei); P. subvexus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Guizhou); P. suens Assing, sp. nov. (Taiwan); P. sulcatus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. superans Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. symmetricus Schülke, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindoro); P. tabidus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. tambusisicus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. tenens Assing, sp. nov. (Brunei); P. tensus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. tenuipennis Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. timoricus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: West Timor); P. tractus Assing, sp. nov. (Taiwan); P. transversus Assing, sp. nov. China: Hunan); P. triangularis Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. triarcuatus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. triastatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: New Guinea); P. tricuspidatus Assing, sp. nov. (India: Meghalaya); P. tridentatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. trifurcatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sumatra); P. tripilosus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. trisetosus Assing, sp. nov. (India: Assam, Meghalaya); P. trisinuatus Assing, sp. nov. (India: West Bengal; Nepal); P. trispinosus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. trullifer Assing, sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea); P. tuberculatus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Guizhou); P. uncifer Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. undulatus Assing, sp. nov. (Indonesia: Sulawesi); P. unguicus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Yunnan); P. unimaculatus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. varicans Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. varicoloratus Assing, sp. nov. (Philippines: Mindanao); P. velatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. vermiculus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Guizhou); P. vermifer Assing, sp. nov. (China: Hubei); P. verminatus Assing, sp. nov. (China: Guizhou, Sichuan); P. vexillifer Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. vincens Assing, sp. nov. (India: Meghalaya); P. virgatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia); P. virilis Assing, sp. nov. (Thailand); P. vitiosus Assing, sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea); P. vitreus Assing, sp. nov. (Papua New Guinea); P. volsellatus Assing, sp. nov. (Malaysia: Sabah); P. weigeli Assing, sp. nov. (China: Hunan; Vietnam). In addition, Palaminus specimens from the Pacific islands of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Guam and Samoa are revised, seven species are described for the first time: Palaminus caledonicus Assing, sp. nov. (New Caledonia); P. falcarius Assing, sp. nov. (New Caledonia); P. lifouensis Schülke, sp. nov. (New Caledonia); P. pertortus Assing, sp. nov. (New Caledonia); P. unicolor Schülke, sp. nov. (New Caledonia); P. unciformis Schülke, sp. nov. (New Caledonia), and P. velifer Schülke, sp. nov. (New Caledonia). Two names are revalidated: Palaminus obliteratus Cameron, 1952 (previously a synonym of P. bivittatus Cameron, 1943); P. hebridensis Cameron, 1934 (previously a subspecies of P. australiae Fauvel, 1878). Four species-group synonymies are proposed: Palaminus truncatus Fauvel, 1903 = P. nilgiriensis Cameron, 1931, syn. nov.; P. lumiventris Herman, 2003 = P. elemebalasanae Rougemont, 2017, syn. nov.; P. parvus Cameron, 1918 = P. sumbaensis Scheerpeltz, 1957, syn. nov.; P. buehleri Scheerpeltz, 1957 = P. sutteri Scheerpeltz, 1957, syn. nov. Palaminus pennifer Fauvel, 1904, described from Madagascar, Java and the Philippines, is excluded from the fauna of the Palaearctic and Oriental regions. Lectotypes are designated for Palaminus ceylanensis Kraatz, 1859; P. simoni Fauvel, 1904; P. andrewesi Cameron, 1931; P. nigropiceus Cameron, 1931; P. truncatus Fauvel, 1903; P. nilgiriensis Cameron, 1931; P. morosus Cameron, 1924; P. indicus Kraatz, 1859; P. bryanti Cameron, 1920; P. parvus Cameron, 1918; P. varipennis Cameron, 1952; P. hebridensis Cameron, 1934; P. evansi Bernhauer, 1926; and P. minutissimus Bernhauer, 1942. Eleven of the described species were represented only by females (P. monticola Cameron 1931, P. birmanus Cameron, 1931, P. flavoguttatus Cameron, 1941, P. borneensis Cameron, 1928, P. germanus Cameron, 1928, P. kokodanus Cameron, 1937, P. bivittatus Cameron, 1943, P. obliteratus Cameron, 1952, P. papuanus Cameron, 1937, P. difficilis Cameron, 1927, and P. swezeyi Bernhauer, 1942), in one species, P. formosae Cameron, 1949, male type material was not accessible. In all these cases, males would be required for an unambiguous characterisation of the species. Also, numerous examined undescribed species are represented only by females and consequently not named. This and the general rarity of records suggest that a substantial number of species remains to be discovered and described in the future. Acomprehensive catalogue of the species of Palaminus of the Palaearctic and Oriental regions, Wallacea and some Pacific Islands is provided.

    Read less...