Introduction

This paper reports new records from New Brunswick, Canada of the Coleoptera families Dryopidae, Elmidae, Psephenidae, and Ptilodactylidae. There have been no recent records of these families from New Brunswick or the region since the publications of LeSage (1991a, b, c, d). Sampling in New Brunswick by the first author since 2003 has yielded additional 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 below.

Methods and conventions Collection methods

Various methods were employed to collect the specimens reported in this study. Details are outlined in Webster et al. (2009, Appendix). Specimens in the family Ptilodactylidae were collected as by-catch in Lindgren 12-funnel traps during a study to develop improved tools for detection of invasive species of Cerambycidae. See Webster et al. (in press) for details of the methods used to deploy funnel traps and for sample collection. 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, as well as additional collecting notes, are summarized and discussed in the collection and habitat data section for each species.

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 using the following abbreviations for the provinces. New records for New Brunswick are indicated in bold under Distribution in Canada.

Acronyms of collections examined or where specimens reside referred to in this study are as follows:

CNC Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

NBM New Brunswick Museum, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada

RWC Reginald P. Webster Collection, Charters Settlement, New Brunswick, Canada

Results Species accounts

All records below are species newly recorded for New Brunswick, Canada. Species followed by ** are newly recorded from the Maritime provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island) of Canada.

The classification of the Dryopidae, Elmidae, Ptilodactylidae, and Psephenidae follows Bouchard et al. (2011).

Family Dryopidae Billberg, 1820

In North America, the Dryopidae (long-toed water beetles) are generally aquatic as adults and terrestrial as larvae; they are herbivorous (Shepard 2002b). Adults are usually found in riffle areas of the streams in leaf packs, log jams or other stream substrates. The larvae occur in moist soil along creek margins (LeSage 1991a). Five species of Dryopidae were reported from Canada by LeSage (1991a), including the adventive Dryops viennensis (Heer). Only Helichus basalis LeConte and Helichus striatus LeConte were reported from New Brunswick by LeSage (1991d). Here, we newly record Dryops viennensis from New Brunswick (Table 1).

Family Elmidae Curtis, 1830

The Elmidae (riffle beetles) occurring in eastern Canada are aquatic both in the larval and adult stages and seldom leave the water (LeSage 1991b; Shepard 2002a). Most elmids live in cool, rapid-flowing, and well-oxygenated streams, and adults and larvae feed on diatoms, encrusted algae detritus, or submerged decaying wood (LeSage and Harper 1976a; Shepard 2002a). Thirty-two species were reported from Canada, including ten species from New Brunswick (LeSage 1991b). Here, we report an additional species for the province (Table 1).

Subfamily Eliminae Curtis, 1830 Family Psephenidae Lacordaire, 1854

The Psephenidae (the water penny beetles) is a small family of riparian species associated with brooks, streams, and rivers. The larvae, which are aquatic, are usually found on stones or on submerged wood in fast-flowing water (Shepard 2002c). The larvae of Psephenus are flat and disk shaped, and are found on rocks in streams, and thus their common name water penny beetles (Shepard 2002c). Adults are found on rocks or foliage near streams and are often attracted to lights. Three species of Psephenidae were reported from Canada by LeSage (1991c). Psephenus herricki (DeKay) was the only species recorded from New Brunswick. Ectopria thoracica was treated as a synonym of Ectopria nervosa by LeSage (1991c). However, Brigham (1981) treated Ectopria nervosa and Ectopria thoracica as distinct species, based on differences in genitalia and coloration, and provided a key to separate members of the genus. We treat them as two distinct species, and both are newly recorded from New Brunswick (Table 1).

Subfamily Eubrianacinae Jakobson, 1913 Family Ptilodactylidae Laporte, 1836

The Ptilodactylidae (ptilodactylid or toed-winged beetles) are primarily tropical in distribution and only three species are known from Canada (LeSage 1991d). Depending on the species, larvae occur in and feed on decaying vegetation in aquatic or damp terrestrial habitats (Ivie 2002; LeSage and Harper 1976b). Adults are taken at lights or beaten from vegetation, usually near riparian habitats (LeSage 1991d; Ivie 2002). Adult Ptilodactylinae feed on spores (Stribling and Seymour 1988), otherwise little is known about the feeding habits of other groups. No species of Ptilodactylidae were reported from New Brunswick by LeSage (1991d). Here, we report Anchytarsus bicolor (Melsheimer) and the family Ptilodactylidae for the first time for New Brunswick and the Maritime provinces (Table 1.).

Subfamily Anchytarsinae Champion, 1897