Creophilus Leach, 1819

SMETANA, ALEŠ & DAVIES, ANTHONY, 2000, Reclassification of the North Temperate Taxa Associated with Staphylinus Sensu Lato, Including Comments on Relevant Subtribes of Staphylinini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), American Museum Novitates 3287, pp. 1-1 : 1-

Creophilus Leach, 1819

TYPE SPECIES: Staphylinus maxillosus Linne´, 1758 .

COMMENTS: Members of this genus may be easily recognised by the following shared character states: ( 1) palpifer with one long subapical seta and three to four shorter apical setae; ( 2) disc of pronotum and most of dorsal face of pronotum virtually impunctate and asetose; ( 3) middle coxae widely separated by broadly rounded apical margin of mesosternum; ( 4) pronotal hypomeron with superior line becoming obsolete near anterior angles of pronotum and not joining the inferior line ( fig. 49 ); ( 5) presence, on both dorsal and ventral faces of body, of long, more­or­less variegate pubescence varying in color from black to grayish­silver, grayishgolden, yellowish­red, or brownish­red (such pubescence not present in a few species occurring elsewhere); ( 6) anterior projection of metasternum very broad, with margins obsolete; and ( 7) dorsal apicolateral lobe of hind coxa without distinct spines, or spines very fine.

Further character states include: mandibles each with microsculpture on mediobasal portion; mandibular prostheca copiously ciliate along entire length, with long, dense basal ciliae gradually shortening apicad; postmandibular ridge absent; deflected portion of pronotal disc visible in ventral view from about anterior edge of pronotal epimeron, which is well developed and membranous; metasternum oblique, highly convex between coxae, then horizontal.

This genus is assigned by some authors (e.g., Coiffait, 1974: 557; Moore and Legner, 1979: 32) to the subtribe Xanthopygina based on the configuration of the superior and inferior lines of the pronotal hypomeron (see above). Although Creophilus (with Hadrotes and Thinopinus ) seems to be intermediate between the two subtribes, characters 1, 6, and 7 above are shared exclusively with members of the Staphylinina ; together with the absence of the postmandibular ridge, these confirm their closer affinity with the Staphylinina .

Figures

Figs. 45–52. 45. Philonthus caeruleipennis, superior and inferior marginal lines of pronotal hypomeron not joined, ventral view. 46. Agelosus carinatus, superior and inferior marginal lines of pronotal hypomeron distinctly not joined, ventral view. 47. Ocypus weisei, superior and inferior marginal lines of pronotal hypomeron not quite joined, ventral view. 48. Ocypus tenebricosus, superior and inferior marginal lines of pronotal hypomeron not quite joined, ventral view. 49. Creophilus maxillosus, superior marginal line of pronotal hypomeron becoming obsolete near anterior angles, ventral view. 50. Staphylinus dimidiaticornis, joining of superior and inferior marginal lines of pronotal hypomeron, ventral view. 51. Miobdelus sp., joining of superior and inferior marginal lines of pronotal hypomeron, ventral view. 52. Platydracus stercorarius, superior and inferior marginal lines of pronotal hypomeron not quite joined, appearing as a grooved carina anteriorly, ventral view.