Acrotona subpygmaea (Bernhauer, 1909) Bernhauer, 1909

Brunke, Adam J., Klimaszewski, Jan, Dorval, Julie-Anne, Bourdon, Caroline, Paiero, Steven M. & Marshall, Stephen A., 2012, New species and distributional records of Aleocharinae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from Ontario, Canada, with a checklist of recorded species, ZooKeys 186, pp. 119-206 : 141-142

Acrotona subpygmaea (Bernhauer, 1909) New Ontario Record Figs 48125-131Map 48

Atheta subpygmaea Bernhauer, 1909: 526. Lectotype (female): Massachusetts, Framingham; Frost; 6775; our lectotype designation label [present designation] (FMNH). Paralectotype (male): Massachusetts, Framingham; Frost; 6777; our paralectotype designation label [present designation] (FMNH) [specimen missing aedeagus].

Colpodota avia Casey, 1910: 154 syn. n.

Colpodota puritana Casey, 1910: 154 syn. n. Lectotype (male): Massachusetts puritana Casey; Type USNM 38994; Casey bequest 1925; our lectotype designation label [present designation] (NMNH). Paralectotypes (4): Massachusetts: puritana Casey; Type USNM 38994; Casey bequest 1925; our paralectotype designation label [present designation] 1 male, 3 females (NMNH).

Material examined.

(Type material - see above). CANADA: ON: Hald.-Norfolk Reg., Backus Woods, Wetland trail, 42°39'54"N, 80°29'34"W, sugar maple dom. mesic forest, sift litter, 2.iv.2010, A. Brunke, 3 (DEBU), Backus Woods, 4.x.2010, 1 (DEBU), Backus Woods, north block, 42°40'7"N, 80°29'34"W, ex. sifted litter, berlese, 23.iv.2011, Brunke and Marshall, 1 (DEBU), Cronmiller Prop., ~6km W St. Williams, 42°40'20"N, 80°29'29"W, forest, sand ridge, malaise pans, 17 to 31.v.2011, Brunke & Paiero, 1 (DEBU), Cronmiller Prop., ~6km W St. Williams, 42°40'21"N, 80°29'26"W, forest, berlese vernal pool litter, 17.v.2011, A. Brunke, 1 (DEBU), Turkey Point Prov. Pk., site 1, 42°41'48"N, 80°19'48"W, forest, sift tree hole litter, 12.x.2011, A. Brunke, 1 (DEBU); Haliburton Co., 10 km SE Dorset, 45.16, -78.84, vernal pool litter (previously wet), 19.vi.2011, S. Kullik, 1 (DEBU), same data except: 45.17 -78.82, 17.x.2009, 1 (DEBU); Northumberland Co., Peter’s Woods PNR, 44°7'27"N, 78°2'21"W, ex. cold wet moss on rocks and edge of spring, 15.ix.2011, A. Brunke, 1 (DEBU); Prescott and Russell United Co., Alfred Bog, berlese litter, forest trail, 17.vii.1982, L. LeSage, 2 (CNC).

Distribution.

Canada: ON, NS; USA: IN, MA, RI ( Blatchley 1910; Majka et al. 2008 (as Atheta avia ); Majka and Klimaszewski 2010). Native.

Comments.

In an online catalog of North American Athetini ( Gusarov 2003b), Acrotona avia is listed as a synonym of Acrotona subpygmaea . In Majka et al. (2008), Acrotona avia (Casey) was provisionally maintained as a valid species because one of us (JK) was unable to study the aedeagus of the only male syntype of Acrotona subpygmaea , which was missing or overcleared. After examination of additional material, we have discovered that the female syntype of Acrotona subpygmaea is very distinctive for its deeply emarginate apex of sternite VIII (Fig. 131) and shape of the spermatheca (Fig. 129), characteristics shared by the female syntypes of Acrotona avia . Additionally, both species do not differ externally. Therefore, to provide taxonomic stability for this common species, we here synonymize Acrotona avia (Casey) with Acrotona subpygmaea (Bernhauer) and designate a lectotype for the latter species. Majka et al. (2008) synonymyzed Acrotona puritana (Casey) with Acrotona avia (synonymy confirmed here), which now becomes a synonym of Acrotona subpygmaea (Bernhauer). We here designate a lectotype for Acrotona puritana (Casey). Specimens reported from New Brunswick and illustrated as Acrotona subpygmaea in Klimaszewski et al. (2005b) represent an undescribed species that will be treated in a future publication.

There are some Canadian specimens currently identified as Acrotona subpygmaea that possess very short elytra and slightly different sexual characters (R. Webster and J. Klimaszewski unpublished data) including one Ontario female [Backus Woods, Wetland trail, 42°39'54"N, 80°29'34"W, sugar maple dom. mesic forest, sift litter, 2.iv.2010]. Therefore, we recommend that identifications of Acrotona subpygmaea be based on the distinctive sexual characteristics of either sex (Figs 125-131) until the Nearctic diversity of this genus is more adequately known. Acrotona subpygmaea is a common species occurring in a variety of forest litter microhabitats and has been collected in both spring and fall. We expect this species to occur broadly across northeastern North America.