ZooKeys 960: 79–123 (2020) A peer-reviewed open-access journal doi: 10.3897/zookeys.960.50186 RESEARCH ARTICLE https://zookeys.pensoft.net Launched to accelerate biodiversity research Contribution to the knowledge of the clown beetle fauna of Lebanon, with a key to all species (Coleoptera, Histeridae) Salman Shayya1, Tomáš Lackner2 1 Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Science and Technology, Beirut, Lebanon 2 Bavarian State Collection of Zoology, Münchhausenstraße 21, 81247 Munich, Germany Corresponding author: Tomáš Lackner (
[email protected]) Academic editor: M. Caterino | Received 16 January 2020 | Accepted 22 June 2020 | Published 17 August 2020 http://zoobank.org/D4217686-3489-4E84-A391-1AC470D9875E Citation: Shayya S, Lackner T (2020) Contribution to the knowledge of the clown beetle fauna of Lebanon, with a key to all species (Coleoptera, Histeridae). ZooKeys 960: 79–123. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.960.50186 Abstract The occurrence of histerids in Lebanon has received little specific attention. Hence, an aim to enrich the knowledge of this coleopteran family through a survey across different Lebanese regions in this work. Sev- enteen species belonging to the genera Atholus Thomson, 1859,Hemisaprinus Kryzhanovskij, 1976, Hister Linnaeus, 1758, Hypocacculus Bickhardt, 1914, Margarinotus Marseul, 1853, Saprinus Erichson, 1834, Tribalus Erichson, 1834, and Xenonychus Wollaston, 1864 were recorded. Specimens were sampled mainly with pitfall traps baited with ephemeral materials like pig dung, decayed fish, and pig carcasses. Several species were collected by sifting soil detritus, sand cascading, and other specialized techniques. Six newly recorded species for the Lebanese fauna are the necrophilous Hister sepulchralis Erichson, 1834, Hemisap- rinus subvirescens (Ménétriés, 1832), Saprinus (Saprinus) externus (Fischer von Waldheim, 1823), Saprinus (Saprinus) figuratus Marseul, 1855, and Saprinus (Saprinus) niger (Motschulsky, 1849) all associated with rotting fish and dung, and the psammophilousXenonychus tridens (Jacquelin du Val, 1853).