Myrmechixenus subterraneus CHEVROLAT, 1835

V, Alexey, V, Alexander & Barševskis, Arvids, 2015, Contribution to the knowledge of myrmecophilous beetles (Insecta, Coleoptera) of Latvia, Linzer biologische Beiträge 47 (2), pp. 1829-1842 : 1837-1838

Myrmechixenus subterraneus CHEVROLAT, 1835

R e m a r k s: The species is known from Europe and European Russia. For Latvia it was recorded by ULANOWSKI (1884) and MÜTHEL (1889).

As a result of our study, in total we registered 35 species of 8 families from nests of Formica and Lasius : Carabidae LATREILLE, 1802 , Histeridae GYLLENHAL, 1808 , Ptiliidae ERICHSON, 1845 , Staphylinidae LATREILLE, 1802 , Scirtidae FLEMING, 1821 , Latridiidae Erichson, 1842 , Monotomidae LAPORTE DE CASTELNAU, 1840 and Tenebrionidae LATREILLE, 1802 . The dominant family in nests of ants is Staphylinidae , which constitutes 74% of the total number of registered species. For the genus Formica we observed 31 species of beetles, for Lasius - 7 species, four species of which have been observed only for these ants, and three species also met with Formica . Dominant species in nests of Formica are Acrotrichis montandonii (AL.) , Amidobia talpa (HEER) , Lyprocorrhe anceps (ER.) , Thiasophila angulata (ER.) , Leptacinus formicetorum MAERK. and Myrmechixenus subterraneus CHEV. ; in nests of Lasius - Pella limbata (PAYK.) . Almost a third of all observed species from the nests of Formica were represented by only one specimen, from nests of Lasius – three species.

The studied fauna of myrmecophilous beetles included five zoogeographical elements with a predominance of Transpalaearctic, European and European-Siberian species: Transpalaearcrtic – 14 species (40%), European-Siberian – 10 species (28.5%), European – 8 species (22.9 %) and Cosmopolites – 3 species (8.5%).

Based on the classification of groups of myrmecophilous invertebrates of Wheeler (1910), all myrmecophilous Coleoptera species which were observed by us in nests of ants can be are divided into the following categories: synechthrans ( Quedius brevis ); neutral synoeketes ( Myrmetes paykulli MARS. , Acrotrichis montandoni (AL.) , Amidobia talpa (HEER) , Lyprocorrhe anceps (Er.) , Notothecta flavipes (GRAV.) , Oxypoda formiceticola MAERK. , Thiasophila angulata (ER.) , Stenus aterrimus (ER.) , Leptacinus formicetorum MAERK. , Corticaria longicollis (ZETT.) , Monotoma spp. , Palorus depressus (F.), Myrmechixenus subterraneus CHEV. ), symphiloid synoeketes ( Dinarda maerkelii KSW. , Pella limbata (PAYK.)) and symphiles ( Scydmaenus hellwigii , Euplectus spp. ). Other species which were registered by us occur in ant-hills only accidentaly, and their occurance depends on the habitat where the nests are located, and the time of year (in autumn, many species use nests of ants for overwintering).