Taxonomy and phylogeny of the World species of the genus Ischnopoda Stephens, 1837 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae)

The World species of the genus Ischnopoda, Stephens are revised and the genus is redefined. The genera Amanota Casey and Rechota Sharp are considered as new synonyms of Ischnopoda. The revised Ischnopoda includes thirty-eight species, 13 of which are described as new: Ischnopoda assingi sp. n., I. boliviana sp. n., I. brasiliana sp. n., I. chilensis sp. n., I. depressa sp. n., I. drugmandi sp. n., I. lingshani sp. n., I. nebulosa sp. n., I. pretiosa sp. n., I. pseudobasalis sp. n., I. rugosa sp. n., I. schuelkei sp. n. and I. spissata sp. n. The following new synonymies are proposed ( each first name being valid): Ischnopoda basalis ( Cameron, 1923) = Amanota bimarginata Pace, 1996, syn. n.; I. capensis ( Casey, 1906) = Falagria arachnipes Fauvel, 1907, syn. n. = Amanota densicollis Pace, 1986, syn. n. = A. rufobrunnea Tottenham, 1957, syn. n.; Ischnopoda rudicollis ( Bernhauer, 1934) = Amanota purpurascens Tottenham, 1957, syn. n. = A. wittei Cameron, 1950, syn. n. The following synonym is confirmed: I. leucopus ( Marsham, 1802) = Tachyusa chalybea Erichson, 1839. Lectotypes are designated for Amanota capensis Casey, A. semiopaca Cameron, Ischnopoda subaenea Eppelsheim, Rechota impressa Sharp, Staphylinus leucopus Marsham, Tachyusa abyssina Bernhauer, T. burgeoni Bernhauer, T. chalybea Erichson, T. fissicollis Fairmaire et Germain, T. rudicollis Bernhauer, T. scitula Erichson, T. seticornis Sharp, T. sparsa Sharp and T. umbratica Erichson. Twenty-one species are given in new combination. All species are briefly described/redescribed and illustrated. An identification key to the World species of Ischnopoda is provided. A phylogeny of thirty-eight species belonging to the genus Ischnopoda is proposed, based on fifty-two morphological characters. The cladistic analysis provides a single most parsimonious tree. The genus Ischnopoda is redefined and species group are introduced and defined: leucopus group ( eleven species), impressa group ( nine species) and capensis group ( eighteen species).