Gabrius vindex Smetana, 1995

Brunke, Adam J. & Marshall, Stephen A., 2011, Contributions to the faunistics and bionomics of Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) in northeastern North America: discoveries made through study of the University of Guelph Insect Collection, Ontario, Canada, ZooKeys 75, pp. 29-68 : 46-47

Gabrius vindex Smetana, 1995

Materials.

CANADA: ON: Bruce Co.,Bruce Pen. Natl. Pk., Upper Andrew Lake, beaver lodge, 26-VII-2008, S. A. Marshall (1); Simcoe Co., Noisy River Prov. Pk., Res., beaver lodge, 28-IX-2008, S.A. Marshall (1).

Diagnosis.

Gabrius vindex is easily distinguished from all other species of the genus in northeastern North America except Gabrius astutoides by the combin ation of: punctures of the elytra dense, separated by their widths or less; size large (at least 6.0mm from clypeus to abdominal apex); the area between the basal lines of tergites two and three punctate. From Gabrius astutoides it is most easily separated by the shape of the pronotum which is narrowed anteriorly in Gabrius vindex and parallel in Gabrius astutoides .

This species is transcontinental in northern North America and was previously known from Alaska, Manitoba, Minnesota, and Québec ( Smetana 1995). Herein we newly record Gabrius vindex from Ontario (Map 26), representing the only known localities in northeastern North America other than the Gatineau area of Québec. All known specimens of Gabrius vindex have been collected in debris adjacent to the water’s edge, and Smetana (1995) suggested that beaver lodges provide ideal conditions for this species. The Ontario specimens and the 92 DEBU specimens from beaver lodges in the Gatineau area of Québec strongly support this.