Vertagopus

Genus Vertagopus Börner

In the conception of European Isotominae the genus is well defined with the presence of clavate tenent hairs on tibiotarsi, a full set of chaetae in apical tibiotarsal whorl (11), and two last abdominal segments separated. Two species of Buryatia show an incomplete set of the key characters mentioned above: V. asiaticus sp. nov. lost two Tchaetae in apical whorl (deficient set) while V. l a r i c i s has two last abdominal segments fused. Thus, Asiatic species make the status of the genus more questionable although the value of differentiating characters of Vertagopus were already doubted long before (Fjellberg 1978).

The local species of the species can be classified by the ecology into two groups: xylophilic species related with rotten wood ( asiaticus sp. nov., pseudocinereus) and xerophilic species inhabiting dry litter, mosses and lichens ( ceratus sp. nov., laricis, westerlundi).