Aleochara (Echochara) daviesi Klimaszewski & Brunke

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 : 121-123

Aleochara (Echochara) daviesi Klimaszewski & Brunke sp. n. Figs 280-82Map 2

Type locality.

Canada, Ontario, Haldimand-Norfolk Reg., 6 km W of Saint Williams, Backus Woods, slough forest, 42°40'7"N, 80°29'34"W.

Type material.

Holotype (male): CANADA, ON:Hald.-Norfolk Reg., Backus Woods, North Block, 42°40'7"N, 80°29'34"W, 23.iv.2011, Brunke & Marshall, debu00340040 (DEBU).

Diagnosis.

Distinguished from other Aleochara by the following combination of characters: antennomere 4 subquadrate and 5-10 slightly transverse (Fig. 2); eyes extremely large, protruding laterally and close to frontal margin, postocular area of head about as large as eye in lateral view, postocular carina strong and complete; pronotum slightly transverse, with basal margin arcuate; elytra slightly longer than pronotum; abdomen subparallel for most of its length; basal metatarsomere slightly longer than the following tarsomere, tarsal claws exceptionally large, narrowly elongate; median lobe of aedeagus with large and narrowly elongate crista apicalis, tubus in lateral view swollen ventrally and sharply produced apically (Fig. 80). Aleochara daviesi is very similar externally to the western North American Aleochara lobata Klimaszewski from which it may be readily distinguished by the shape of the median lobe.

Description

. Body length 4.9 mm; black with legs, elytra (except narrowly at base) and abdominal tergites VII and VIII, rust brown; punctation of forebody coarse, dense and flattened, interspaces between punctures with fine meshed microsculpture (Fig. 2); head broadest apically with very short frons and with strong and complete postocular carina, pubescence of dorsal surface directed toward midline of disc, eyes extremely large, protruding laterally, and close to frontal margin of head, postocular area about as long as eye; antennae with antennomeres 1-3 elongate, antennomere 4 subquadrate and 5-10 slightly transverse; pronotum slightly transverse, shorter than elytra, pubescence directed obliquely posteriad from midline of disc, punctation flattened and forming transversely impressed line at base of disc; elytra with posterior margin nearly straight with slight lateral emargination, pubescence directed lateroposteriad from suture; abdomen subparallel for most of its length, tergites II-IV with deep and V with shallow impression, impressions with dense punctures separated from each other by a distance equal to or less than diameter of a puncture, punctures often touching; basal metatarsomere slightly longer than the following segment; tarsal claws exceptionally large, elongate and with surface smooth.

Male. Tergite 8 bicolored, dark brown/black basally and yellowish apically, truncate apically and with margin slightly crenulate (Fig. 81); sternite eight produced apically (Fig. 82); median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view with large and elongate bulbus produced ventrally at base, crista apicalis narrowly elongate and large, tubus swollen ventrally and sharply produced apically (Fig. 80).

Female: Unknown.

Distribution.

Presently known only from Backus Woods, an old growth deciduous forest in southern Ontario. Aleochara daviesi almost certainly occurs in the eastern United States and elsewhere in southern Canada.

Bionomics.

The holotype was collected by submerging forest litter near the margins of forest pools (some permanent). Other members of the subgenus Echochara are inhabitants of mammal burrows or caves ( Klimaszewski 1984). As there are no cave systems at the type locality, we suspect that Aleochara daviesi occurs in the former situation. Although the staphylinids occurring in groundhog ( Marmota monax (L.)) burrows have been sampled ( Klimaszewski 1984, Smetana 1971, Smetana 1995, this paper) the fauna in burrows/nests of other mammals in eastern North America is essentially unknown. Future survey work in the nests of Nearctic moles, shrews and rodents is warranted.

Etymology.

This species is dedicated to our colleague Anthony Davies (CNC, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) in recognition of his contribution to the knowledge of Canadian Staphylinidae and in appreciation of his assistance over the years in specimen loans, distributional records and curatorial matters, especially those relevant for this project.