New Coleoptera records from New Brunswick, Canada: Gyrinidae, Carabidae, and Dytiscidae

Abstract Dineutus assimilis Kirby and Dineutus discolor Aubé of the Family Gyrinidae are newly reported from New Brunswick, Canada. Four species of Carabidae, Agonum (Agonum) piceolum (LeConte), Bembidion (Pseudoperyphus) rufotinctum Chaudoir, Harpalus (Harpalus) opacipennis (Haldeman), and Pterostichus (Melanius) castor Goulet & Bousquet are newly reported from New Brunswick and the Maritime provinces, and one species of Dytiscidae, Liodessus noviaffinis Miller, is newly recorded for the province. Collection, habitat data, and distribution maps are presented for each species.


Introduction
This paper treats new species records from New Brunswick, Canada of the Coleoptera families Gyrinidae, Carabidae, and Dytiscidae. The fauna of these families from New Brunswick and the Maritime provinces was recently treated by Majka and Kenner (2009) (Gyrinidae), Webster and Bousquet (2008) (Carabidae), and Webster (2008) (Dytiscidae). Intensive sampling in New Brunswick by the first author has yielded ad-ditional new provincial records in the above families. The purpose of this paper is to report on these new records. A brief synopsis of each family is included in the results.

Methods and conventions
The following records are based on specimens collected during a general survey by the first author to document the Coleoptera fauna of New Brunswick.

Collection methods
Various methods were employed to collect the specimens reported in this study, and these are included in the bionomic notes accompanying each species. A description of the habitat was recorded for all specimens collected during this survey. Locality and habitat data are presented exactly as on labels for each record. This information is summarized and discussed in collection and habitat data section for each species.

Specimen preparation
Males of some species were dissected to confirm their identity. The genital structures were dehydrated in absolute alcohol and either mounted in Canada balsam on celluloid microslides or glued onto cards and then pinned with the specimens from which they originated.

Distribution
Distribution maps, created using ArcMap and ArcGIS, are presented for each species in New Brunswick. Every species is cited with current distribution in Canada and Alaska, using abbreviations for the state, provinces, and territories. New records for New Brunswick are indicated in bold under Distribution in Canada and Alaska. The following abbreviations are used in the text:

Family Gyrinidae Latreille, 1810
A general overview of the Gyrinidae (the whirligig beetles) of North America was provided by Roughley (2001). Gyrinids are often observed in aggregations on the surface of the water and swim rapidly in circles when disturbed. Adults occur in both lentic and lotic habitats and are scavengers and predators of small insects on the water surface (Roughley 2001). Larvae are predaceous on aquatic insect larvae and nymphs (Oygur and Wolfe 1991;Roughley 2001). Majka and Kenner (2009) Webster, 28.VI.2005, 6.V.2006, river margin in embayment with sand gravel bottom, sun-exposed (5, RWC).
Collection and habitat data. In Quebec, Dineutus discolor was usually found in clear, running water (Morrisette 1979). New Brunswick specimens were collected along river margins in embayments. Adults were collected during May, June, and September in New Brunswick.

Family Carabidae Latreille, 1802
The Carabidae (the ground beetles) is a large family with 2,635 species and subspecies in North America (Ball and Bousquet 2001). Ball and Bousquet (2001) provided a general review of the Carabidae of North America with keys to genera and information on the distribution and bionomics of the North American genera. Later, Larochelle and Larivière (2003) summarized the known natural history and biology of the North American species of this family. Most recently, Bousquet (2010) provided an illustrated key to the adults and larvae of the ground beetles of northeastern North America. These works should be consulted for details on the taxonomy, natural history, and biology of members of this family. Many Carabidae are predators on arthropods or scavengers of dead or dying arthropods; others are predators on seeds (Ball and Bousquet 2001;Larochelle and Larivière 2003). Carabids are usually ground dwellers, as their common name implies, although some species are arboreal and live under bark, on trunks or branches, or are associated with vegetation. Many species are hygrophilous or periaquatic, occupying marshes, swamps forests, riparian zones, and other damp habitats. Other species are xerophiles and live in dry forests, grasslands, and sandy habitats (Ball and Bousquet 2001;Larochelle and Larivière 2003). Webster and Bousquet (2008) provided an overview of the Carabidae of New Brunswick and reported 50 species new to the province, bringing the total number of species known from the province to 328. Recent survey work by the first author has resulted in the discovery of four additional species from New Brunswick, all of which are new to the Maritime provinces. See Webster and Bousquet (2008) and Bousquet (2010) for a list of the other species known from New Brunswick.
Distribution in Canada and Alaska. QC, NB (Bousquet 1991;Maddison 2008). The closest localities of B. rufotinctum to New Brunswick are in Quebec, Ste.-Raphaël, Bellechasse Co., on exposed bedrock near waterfalls along the Rivière du Sud (Webster, unpublished), and in New Hampshire (Maddison 2008). Bembidion rufotinctum has not yet been reported from Maine (Majka et al. 2011) but will undoubtedly be found in the state once appropriate habitats are sampled.

Subfamily Harpalinae Bonelli, 1810
Collection and habitat data. Agonum piceolum is a northern transcontinental species usually found near rivers, streams, and lake shores in shaded areas, often among dead leaves on sparsely vegetated soil (Lindroth 1966;Larochelle and Larivière 2003). Specimens from New Brunswick were collected from gravel on gravel bars along cold, shaded brooks in a northern hardwood forest and an eastern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) forest. Adults were collected during June and August.

Family Dytiscidae Leach, 1815
The family Dytiscidae (predaceous diving beetles) of Canada and Alaska was reviewed by Larson et al. (2000). Species of Dytiscidae, as their common name implies, are predaceous (and scavengers) and aquatic and occur in a variety of a aquatic habitats, including small ponds, lake and stream margins, vernal ponds, springs and seeps, and even in saturated moss (Larson et al. 2000). Webster (2008) reviewed the Dytiscidae of New Brunswick and reported 18 species new for the province, including Hydrocolous filiolus (Fall), which was new to Canada, bringing the total number of species known from the province to 104. Here, we report another species that is new for New Brunswick. See Webster (2008) for a list of the other species occurring in the province. Collection and habitat data. Miller (1998) reported that this species occurs in coastal ponds and may be somewhat halophilic. The specimens from New Brunswick were collected during late May from saline tidal ponds and pools near the margin of a salt marsh. Adults were abundant, along with numerous salt marsh mosquito larvae.

Liodessus noviaffinis
Distribution in Canada and Alaska. NB, NS (Larson et al. 2000). The determination was based on dissected individuals. This species was previously known from Canada from coastal habitats on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia (Larson et al. 2000).