Hypogastrura ghirkani Babenko, 1994 (in: Babenko et al. 1994)

Figs 14–16

Examined material. 8 females and 3 males on slides, Transcaucasia, Abkhazia, southern spurs of Bzyb Mt. Ridge, Ritsa National Park, Khipsta River valley [43.5238° N 40.6429° E], beech forest, on Fomes fomentarius, 09.11.2020. I. Panov leg. The obtained COI gene sequences are available in the GenBank database under the following accession numbers: PP414780 and P414781.

Remarks. The original description of H. ghirkani was based on material from the Hyrcan National Park (a State Nature Reserve at that time), southern Azerbaijan, without further records known. This material is also from the Transcaucasian region, but from an area located almost 800 km to the west. Initially, we believed that individuals from Abkhazia represent a very close, but independent species. They are clearly darker (dorsal side blackish with sparse uncolored spots, and only slightly lighter ventrally) and noticeably smaller in size, not exceeding 1.11 mm, while Babenko et al. (1994) referred to “up to 1.2 mm ” for this species, while the sizes of the available paratypes range between 1.25 and 1.58 mm. However, the only noticeable difference between the Azerbaijani and Abkhazian specimens was said to be the shape of the maxillary head (cf. Fig. 14 and fig. 33, 3 in Babenko et al. 1994). The study of this structure in one of the paratypes (kept in the MSPU collection) revealed the drawing in the original description being not entirely correct. The maxillary L. 1 in this paratype is clearly modified in comparison with the most typical form (i.e. tullbergi -type, according to Fjellberg 1984), but its shape and ciliations are not at all similar to the original drawing, but quite identical to those of the Abkhazian specimens (cf. Fig. 14 and Figs 15–16). It is noteworthy that, in both cases, specimens of H. ghirkani were found in arboreal habitats: in a hollow at the base of an oak trunk in Azerbaijan and in the fruiting body of a tinder fungus in Abkhazia.