Mocyta discreta (Casey)

Klimaszewski, Jan, Webster, Reginald P., Bourdon, Caroline, Pelletier, Georges, Godin, Benoit & Langor, David W., 2015, Review of Canadian species of the genus Mocyta Mulsant & Rey (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae), with the description of a new species and a new synonymy, ZooKeys 487, pp. 111-139 : 124-126

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Staphylinidae

5. Mocyta discreta (Casey) Figs 7 a–g, Map 2

Eurypronota discreta Casey 1894 [1893]: 335; Moore and Legner 1975: 359 (as Acrotona ). LECTOTYPE (male): USA: Ia [Iowa], Cedar Rapids, Dr. E. Brendel [in orig. description]; Eurypronota discreta Casey; Casey bequest 1925; Lectotype label designated by V.I. Gusarov, 1999, but because he never published his designation, we here formally designate this specimen as a lectotype with J. Klimaszewski’s designation label 2014 (USNM). PARALECTOTYPES: USA: Ia [Iowa], paratype 2(USNM)1 female; Ia, paratype 3(USNM)1 female; Ia, paratype 4(USNM)1 female; Ia, paratype 5(USNM)1 male; Ia, paratype 6(USNM)1 female; Ia, paratype 7(USNM)1 female; and Ia, paratype 8(USNM)1 female. All these specimens bear V.I Gusarov paralectotype labels, but because he never published his designations we here formally designate these specimens as paralectotypes with J. Klimaszewski’s designation label 2014 (USNM).

Diagnosis.

Body broadly oval (Fig. 7a), length 2.4-2.8 mm; head and entire abdomen or its basal part only from brown to almost black, pronotum and basal half of abdomen in most specimens light brown, testaceous or reddish-brown, elytra yellowish to reddish-brown with some irregular small dark brown spots and darker than pronotum, legs and palps yellowish to reddish-brown and antennae either uniformly yellowish to light brown; antennal articles I-IV elongate and V-X variable in length from subquadrate to slightly elongate (Fig. 7a); pronotum transverse, usually very large but variable in width, from slightly broader than elytra to 1/7 wider [pronotum usually broader in females than in males], strongly rounded laterally, and arcuate basally; elytra transverse and shorter than pronotum; abdomen broadly arcuate laterally and with very strong macrosetae apically. MALE: median lobe of aedeagus as illustrated (Fig. 7b); tergite VIII truncate apically (Fig. 7c); sternite VIII slightly produced and rounded apically and with numerous strong macrosetae in apical part of disc, space between base of disc and antecostal suture broad, antecostal suture sinuate medially (Fig. 7d). FEMALE: spermatheca pear-shaped with small and shallow apical invagination, stem thin and straight anteriorly and coiled posteriorly (Fig. 7e); tergite and sternite VIII truncate apically (Fig. 7f, g).

This species is readily recognisable from other Mocyta species by its bicoloured body, large pronotum, very strong macrosetae on the apical part of the abdomen, and antennal articles V-X subquadrate to elongate.

Distribution.

This nearctic species is newly reported from Canada and the provinces of Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan (Map 2), and from Minnesota. Casey (1894) described this species from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA, and no other records of this species were published from North America until now.

Natural history.

In Ontario, adults were collected in forest litter, deciduous leaf mold, and maple forest from March through October. In Quebec, adults were found in maple-oak forest litter and other deciduous tree litter, from May through August. In Saskatchewan, adults were collected from deciduous forest litter in October.

New jurisdictional records.

CANADA: Ontario: 7 km W Petawawa, 16.IV.1988, A. Smetana (CNC) 1 male; Chaffeys Locks, 24.X.1971, forest litter, S. Peck (CNC) 4 females, 1 male, 2 sex undetermined; Kinburn, 8.IV.1962, Acer sp., J.E.H. Martin (CNC) 3 sex undetermined; 89 mi. N. Pickle Lake, 21.VI.1973, Campbell and Parry (CNC) 1 male; South March, 19.X.1967, A. Smetana (CNC) 1 female; Merivale, 19.VI.1953, deciduous leaf mold (CNC) 1 female; Mer Bleue, 3.VIII.1973, Redner and Starr (CNC) 1 sex undetermined. Quebec: Chelsea, 8.VI.1953, E.C. Becker (CNC) 1 sex undetermined; Chelsea, 22.VIII. 1957, J.R. Vockeroth (CNC) 1 sex undetermined; Danford Lake, 30.VI.1953, Berlese deciduous duff, E.C. Becker (CNC) 1 sex undetermined; Rigaud, 15.V.1979, A. Smetana and E.C. Becker (CNC) 1 male, 3 sex undetermined; Rigaud, end Ch. de la Croix, 5.V.1988, A. and Z. Smetana (CNC) 1 female, 1 sex undetermined; 5 km W. Farrellton, Lake Bernard, 8.VII.1973, maple-oak litter, A. Davies (CNC) 2 sex? undetermined. Saskatchewan: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan River, 52.127°N, 106.662°W, 477 m, 6.X.2008, litter sifting, deciduous, B. Godin (BGC) 3 males, 3 females.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Minnesota: Ramsey Co., Lake Vadnais, 10.V.1960, soil sample (CNC) 1 male; Brainerd, 10.VI.1965, E.J. Kiteley (CNC) 1 male [new state record].