Ega Laporte de Castelnau, 1835

Erwin, Terry L. & Zamorano, Laura S., 2014, A synopsis of the tribe Lachnophorini, with a new genus of Neotropical distribution and a revision of the Neotropical genus Asklepia Liebke, 1938 (Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae), ZooKeys 430, pp. 1-108 : 13

Ega Laporte de Castelnau, 1835 Ant-like waterside beetles Fig. 9

Ega Laporte de Castelnau, 1835: 93

Type species.

Ega formicaria Laporte de Castelnau, 1835: 93

Way of life.

Size range - 2.8 mm to 4.7 mm; species of this genus not only have color patterns and movements like ants, they have body constrictions, giving them ant-like proportions, even more so than their probable adelphotaxon, Calybe . They live near water bodies usually on steep slopes above the water on damp clay soils, in the company of similar-sized ants. They catch small arthropod prey on the run much like tiger beetles. Identification is very difficult without recourse to types; the genus is in need of a taxonomic revision.

Distribution.

Southern USA (CA to GA, FL) south to Argentina. Not known from the Caribbean islands.

Notes.

Currently, 17 described species are assigned to this genus, some of which are likely Calybe species; however, many more true Ega species are represented in the NMNH collection. A taxonomic revision of the group is needed. Identification of species is impossible without recourse to types.

References.

Liebherr (1983); Erwin (1991); Ball and Bousquet (2000); Bousquet (2012); Erwin et al. (2012).

Figures

Figure 7 - 10. 7 Calybe sp. Digital Photo-illustration. Habitus, dorsal aspect, based on specimen ADP 132561 from Pakitza, Peru 8 Diplacanthogaster bicolor Liebke. Digital Photo-illustration. Habitus, dorsal aspect, based on specimen ADP 133817 from Ouro Preto, Brazil 9 Ega sp. (no described species of this genus is known from Peru). Digital Photo-illustration. Habitus, dorsal aspect, based on specimen ADP 132560 from Pakitza, Peru 10 Eucaerus sp. Digital Photo-illustration. Habitus, dorsal aspect, based on specimen ADP 132552 from Pakitza, Peru.