Sepedophilus immaculatus (Stephens, 1832)†

Webster, Reginald P., Davies, Anthony E., Klimaszewski, Jan & Bourdon, Caroline, 2016, Further contributions to the staphylinid fauna of New Brunswick, Canada, and the USA, with descriptions of two new Proteinus species (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), ZooKeys 573, pp. 31-83 : 45-46

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Staphylinidae

Sepedophilus immaculatus (Stephens, 1832)† Figs 14-15

Material examined.

New Brunswick, York Co. 15 km W of Tracy, off Rt. 645, 45.6848°N, 66.8821°W, 16-30.VI.2010, R. Webster & C. MacKay, coll. // Old red pine forest, Lindgren funnel trap (1 ♂, RWC).

Distribution in Canada and Alaska.

NB (New North American record). This is the first record of this Palaearctic species for North America. Sepedophilus immaculatus is a common species in Europe, occurring in southeastern, eastern, middle Europe, the southern part of northern Europe to western Siberia, Great Britain south to Algeria, Tunisia, Cyprus, Iran, Lebanon, and Turkey ( Schülke & Smetana 2015: 472).

Natural history.

In Europe, Sepedophilus immaculatus occurs in various forest types and habitats, including beech ( Fagus ) forest, steppe with shrubbery, mixed hardwood forest, mixed forest, Quercus forest, flood plain forest, Quercus - Carpinus [ oak–hornbeam] forest, and stream ravine ( Schülke 2011). Specimens were found in leaf litter, a pinewood wood pile, flood debris, in refuse, vinegar trap, chestnut bark, and sifted from litter in a Platanus tree hole in the above habitats.

Comments.

This adventive species is distinguished from other North American species of Sepedophilus by the distinctively shaped internal structures of the aedeagus (Figs 14-15) (See Schülke 2011 for additional details; Figs 3 & 4, p 1613), with a “corkscrew-shaped” sclerite in the internal sac, and the complete lack of lateral bristles on the abdomen.