Corresponding author: Jan Klimaszewski (
Academic editor: Volker Assing
This paper treats 13 species of the subgenus
Klimaszewski J, Webster RP, Sikes D, Bourdon C, Labrecque M (2015) A review of Canadian and Alaskan species of the genera
Aleocharines are species rich in the boreal forest of Canada but knowledge of them, despite recent progress (
This paper deals with Canadian species of the subgenus
About 100 adults of the genera
Morphological terms mainly follow those used by
– Alberta – British Columbia – Labrador – Manitoba – New Brunswick – Newfoundland (island) – Nova Scotia – Northwest Territories – Nunavut – Ontario – Prince Edward Island – Quebec – Saskatchewan – Yukon Territory
USA state abbreviations follow those of the US Postal Service.
Two labels were used on some specimens (
Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service, Laurentian Forestry Centre, R. Martineau Insectarium, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Reginald Webster Collection, Charters Settlement, New Brunswick, Canada
University of AlaskaMuseum, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, Alaska, U.S.A. :
Zoological Museum of Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany
Museum of Zoology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
New jurisdictional records are indicated in bold type.
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The following combination of characters is distinctive for
Some species of
1 | Elytra at suture about as long as or shorter than pronotum (Figs |
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− | Elytra at suture longer than pronotum (Figs |
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2 | Body bicoloured, head and abdomen dark brown, and pronotum and elytra or elytra only yellowish brown or orange brown (Figs |
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− | Body approximately uniformly brown to black; genitalia differently shaped |
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3 | Pronotum in most specimens orange and elytra yellowish brown (Fig. |
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− | Pronotum brown to light brown and entire elytra or only central part of disc yellowish (Fig. |
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4 | Elytra distinctly broader than maximum width of pronotum (Figs |
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− | Elytra about as wide as maximum width of pronotum (Figs |
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5 | Pubescence on forebody sparse, on elytra directed straight posteriad (Fig. |
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− | Pubescence on forebody dense, on elytra directed obliquely posteriad (Fig. |
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6 | Pronotum as broad as head (Fig. |
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− | Pronotum broader than head (Fig. |
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7 | Elytra almost twice as long as pronotum; median lobe of aedeagus with enlarged oval bulbus and narrow tubus that is ventrally produced at apex; spermatheca S-shaped |
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− | Elytra 1.2−1.3 times longer than pronotum (Figs |
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8 | Pronotum dark brown to black and elytra light brown to yellowish-brown (Fig. |
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− | Pronotum and elytra about the same colour, dark brown with elytra in some specimens only slightly paler (Figs |
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9 | Elytra 1.2 times broader than pronotum, shoulders moderately angular (Fig. |
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− | Elytra at least 1.3 times broader than pronotum, shoulders strongly angular (Figs |
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10 | Pronotal punctation coarse and sparse (Fig. |
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− | Pronotal punctation fine and dense (Figs |
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11 | Body dark brown, almost black, strongly glossy, with dense, meshed and strongly pronounced microsculpture, punctation and pubescence sparse (Fig. |
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− | Body dark brown, moderately glossy, meshed microsculpture present but not strongly pronounced, punctation and pubescence dense (Figs |
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12 | Pubescence on elytra forming wavy pattern (Fig. |
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− | Pubescence on elytra directed obliquely posteriad from midline of disc (Fig. |
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Species of this group are characterized by: elytra at suture at least as long as pronotum (Figs
Body length 1.5−2.0 mm, subparallel, flattened, reddish brown to dark brown, head and abdomen darker than pronotum and elytra in some specimens, legs yellowish brown (Fig.
The
Adults of
Recorded from
The taxonomic position of
Species of this group are characterized by elytra at suture ranging from shorter to longer than pronotum (Figs
The specific name
Body length 2.0–2.3 mm, subparallel, moderately convex, dark brown, abdomen slightly darker than remainder of the body, legs yellowish brown (Fig.
Adults were found in an eastern white cedar swamp under moose dung in May.
Known only from
This species is distinguished by the moderately transverse pronotum, and the shape of the median lobe of the aedeagus and spermatheca.
Recorded only from
In Canada, recorded from
This species may be readily separated from other Nearctic congeners by the following combination of characters: pronotum rounded and margined, as wide as head and at least 1.5 times narrower than elytra; elytra elongate about twice as long as pronotum with wavy pattern of pubescence posteriorly; male tergite VIII truncate apically; sternite VIII rounded apically; median lobe of aedeagus with large oval bulbus and small triangular tubus in dorsal view, apical part of tubus narrow and produced ventrally in lateral view; female tergite VIII truncate apically, and sternite VIII rounded apically and with antecostal suture sinuate and pointed medially; spermatheca S-shaped with club-shaped capsule bearing deep invagination and sinuate stem looped posteriorly, similar to that of
AK, WA (
This species is somewhat similar to
Recorded only from
Species of this group are characterized by elytra at suture ranging from as long as or longer than pronotum (Figs
This is the first record with habitat data for this species. The
All known Canadian specimens of
The specific name
Body length 2.6–2.8 mm, subparallel, moderately convex, head and posterior part of abdomen dark brown, pronotum medium to dark brown, elytra with centre of disc yellowish brown and darker edges, base of abdomen light brown, legs yellowish brown (Fig.
Adults were found in association with nests of black ants in the genus
Known only from
This species is probably closely associated with nests of the ant genus
This species was recorded in Canada from
Species of this group are characterized by elytra at suture at least as long as pronotum (Fig.
This native Nearctic species was recorded only from the type locality in southeastern
Species of this group are characterized by the strongly glossy body, elytra at suture slightly longer than pronotum (Fig.
The specific name
Body length 2.7 mm, subparallel, flattened, brownish-black, tibiae and tarsi brown (Fig.
A single male was found in eastern white cedar in sphagnum and litter near a brook, in May.
Known only from
This species is known only from a single male collected in sphagnum and litter.
The following combination of characters is distinctive for
Species of this genus may be confused with
1. | Elytra longer than pronotum and at least 1.3 times broader than pronotum (Figs |
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− | Elytra at most as long as pronotum and about 1.1 times broader than pronotum (Fig. |
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2. | Body reddish-brown (Fig. |
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− | Body dark brown (Fig. |
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The specimens from
This species was originally reported by
Originally described from Dyea, AK (
In AK, the holotype was captured in alder litter, and the recent AK specimens were collected primarily in pitfall traps from old-growth Pacific rain forests at low elevations although two specimens were collected in an alpine habitat above 650 m elevation. In
Females of this species have a spermatheca extremely similar to those of
The specific name
Body length 2.2 mm, subparallel, flattened, dark brown, abdomen slightly darker than remainder of the body, legs yellowish brown (Fig.
One adult was found in the nest contents of a Great Horned Owl, –
Known only from
We thank J. Frisch (