New records of Canadian Aleocharinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

New records are reported for 53 species of Canadian aleocharines. Eighty-eight new Canadian provincial records (nine from Alberta, 11 from British Columbia, eight from New Brunswick, 23 from Nova Scotia, one from the Northwest Territories, 27 from Ontario, one from Prince Edward Island, and eight from Québec) are provided as well as six new state records from the United States (three from Alaska, two from Washington, and one from Oregon). Of these, six species including Aleochara (Xenochara) quadrata Sharp, Gnathusa eva Fenyes, Phymatura blanchardi (Casey), Aloconota sulcifrons (Stephens), Myrmedonota aidani Maruyama and Klimaszewski, and Pella caliginosa (Casey) are newly recorded in Canada. Th ese new records are examined in the context of what insights they provide in relation to the distribution and biogeography of the Canadian aleocharine fauna.


Introduction
As the most species-rich subfamily (Ashe (2000) estimated 1,385 described North American aleocharines) of the most species-rich family (Marske and Ivie (2003) reported 4,153 species of North American staphylinids), the Aleocharinae are clearly a very important component of the continent's beetle biodiversity. Th ey are found in forests, caves, along seashores, in bogs, in association with ants, along watercourses, and in many open habitats. Th ey are particularly abundant in forested environments

Tinotus caviceps
Tinotus caviceps Casey is newly recorded in Ontario. Th e bionomics of the species are unknown.

Meronera venustula
Meronera venustula is newly recorded in New Brunswick. Adults and larvae feed on fungal mycelia and live in wet vegetable litter (Ashe 1985).
Cypha inexpectata is newly recorded in Ontario. Th e bionomics of the species are unknown.

Homalota plana
Th is adventive, Palaearctic species is newly recorded in Ontario. In the Old World it is widely distributed across Europe, North Africa, and Asia including eastern and western Siberia (Smetana 2004). In Nova Scotia H. plana has been found in sub-cortical environments under the bark of white pine (Pinus strobus L.) between December and early May where it is active on sunny days when the sun warms this micro-environment (Klimaszewski et al. 2007a). Klimaszewski & Pelletier, 2004 CANADA: ALBERTA: no locality noted, 30.V.1995, H.E.J. Hammond, (1m, NFRC).

Leptusa gatineauensis
Leptusa gatineauensis is newly recorded in Alberta. Many species of Canadian Leptusa occur in fungi, under bark, in scolytine burrows, and in forest litter where they apparently feed on fungal hyphae. Some species overwinter as adults in barkbeetle galleries or under bark. Specimens of L. gatineauensis have been found in both coniferous [red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.] and eastern hemlock [Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.] and deciduous forests and on a specimen of Piptoporus betulinus (Fr.) Kar. . Casey, 1894 Although not recorded from New Brunswick in Gouix and Klimaszewski (2007), it is worth drawing attention to the records of this species from that province reported in Klimaszewski et al. (2004).

Phymatura blanchardi
Phymatura blanchardi is newly recorded in Alberta and Canada as a whole. Th is species is associated with fungi.

Atheta brunswickensis
Atheta brunswickensis is newly recorded in Nova Scotia and Ontario. We suspect that this species is continuously distributed in northern Canada and Alaska. It has been found in red spruce (P. rubens) forests; two specimens were collected on Amanita gemmata. Klimaszewski & Majka, 2006 NEW BRUNSWICK: Albert Co.: Mary's Point, 12.V.2007, C.G. Majka, seashore, under dead deer, (4, CGMC).

Atheta (Datomicra) dadopora
Atheta dadopora is newly recorded in Alberta, Ontario, and Alaska. It is widely distributed across Europe east to portions of Asia (Smetana 2004). In Europe it is found in decaying fungi, on cow dung, under fallen leaves, and on other kinds of decomposing matter (Burakowski et al. 1981). Although Gusarov (2003a) listed it as an adventive Palaearctic species, the increasingly wide range of its distribution in North America ( Table 1) may indicate that it is Holarctic in distribution. Further evidence is still required, however, to determine its zoogeographic status. (Lohse, 1990) NEW BRUNSWICK: Albert Co.: Mary's Point, 9.VIII.2002, C.G. Majka, white spruce forest, on Russula virescens, (1, CGMC).

Atheta (Dimetrota) crenuliventris
Atheta crenuliventris is newly recorded in Ontario. Th e bionomics of the species are unknown. Casey, 1911  Atheta districta is newly recorded in Alberta, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. Th e specimens from Nova Scotia associated with carrion provide the fi rst information on the bionomics of this species. It has been found in coniferous, mixed, coastal, and eastern hemlock (T. canadensis) forests.   Klimaszewski and Winchester (2002) but no specifi c locality records were reported], Nova Scotia, and Ontario. Atheta hampshirensis was originally described under the preoccupied name of Homalota moesta Mäklin from Sitka Island, Alaska (Mäklin 1852). In the Maritime Provinces it has been found in various coniferous and deciduous forests and in open habitats, on living and decaying mushrooms, in compost, and on carrion. It is sometimes found together with superficially similar Strophogastra penicillata Fenyes and Atheta dadopora.  1994, 24.VIII.1994, 11.IX.2001, 29.IX.2001, 24.VIII-7.IX.1994, 28.VII-9.VIII.1994.

Dinarea angustula
Th is adventive, Palaearctic species is newly recorded in Ontario. In the Old World it is widely distributed across Europe, east through western and eastern Siberia (Smetana 2004). It is found in un-forested, arable land; in Canada it has been found in or adjacent to agricultural fi elds (Klimaszewski et al. 2007a). Th is Holarctic or Palaearctic species (its zoogeographic status is still uncertain) is newly recorded in Québec. In the Old World it is found in continental Europe from France north to Fennoscandia, south to Greece, and east across Russia and Siberia to Korea (Smetana 2004). In Europe this species is usually found in fl oodplain habitats (meadows and leaf litter near water) (Volker Assing, pers. comm.).

Philhygra rostrifera
Philhygra rostrifera is newly recorded from Alaska. Except for the information above, nothing further is known about the bionomics of the species.
Myrmedonota aidani is newly recorded in Ontario and in Canada as a whole. It was described by Maruyama et al. (2008) from Ohio in the United States. Most species of Lomechusini are considered myrmecophilous and M. aidani is no exception. Specimens in the United States were collected in association with 14 species of ants of the genera Lasius, Brachymyrmex, Prenolepis, Formica, Myrmica, Stenamma, Solenopsis, Aphaenogaster, and Ponera (Maruyama et al. 2008).
Pella caliginosa is newly recorded in Alberta and in Canada as a whole. North American species of the genus Pella have been associated with ant species of the genus Lasius (subgenus Dendrolasius) and occasionally with species in the genera Crematogaster, Formica, Liometopum, and Tapinoma (Klimaszewski et al. 2005a).

Discussion
As a result of the present investigations new jurisdictional records are reported for 53 species of aleocharines. Eighty-eight new Canadian provincial records (nine from Alberta, 11 from British Columbia, eight from New Brunswick, one from the Northwest Territories, 23 from Nova Scotia, 27 from Ontario, one from Prince Edward Island, and eight from Québec) are provided as well as six new state records for the United States (three from Alaska, two from Washington, and one from Oregon). Of these, six species including Aleochara (Xenochara) quadrata, Gnathusa eva, Phymatura blanchardi, Aloconota sulcifrons, Myrmedonota aidani, and Pella caliginosa are newly recorded in Canada. Th e ninety-one new records (88 from Canada and 3 from Alaska) increase the number of provincial and state records for Canada and Alaska to 1029, an almost 10% increase in distribution of the known fauna. Five species, including Homalota plana, Aloconota sulcifrons, Atheta (Chaetida) longicornis, Dinaraea angustula, and Mocyta fungi are adventive Palaearctic species; four including Atheta (Datomicra) dadopora, Atheta (Microdota) platanoffi , Dochmonota rudiventris, and Philhygra botanicarum are Holarctic (or probably Holarctic) species; and the remaining 44 species are native, Nearctic ones.
In many cases these new records dramatically alter our understanding of the range of the species involved. Examples include: a) Range extensions of Aleochara quadrata and Gnathusa eva, previously known from the Pacifi c coast of the United States, show them to occur further northward than previously known; b) Phloeopora arctica, Cypha inexpectata, Clusiota impressicollis, and Hydrosmecta pseudodiosica, previously known from the western Canadian arctic, are newly recorded from Ontario in central Canada; c) Mocyta breviuscula previously known from western North America, is newly recorded from Atlantic Canada; d) Leptusa gatineauensis, Atheta strigosula, Atheta klagesi, Atheta frosti, Atheta modesta, and Philhygra botanicarum, all previously known from eastern North America, are newly recorded in the western portions of the continent; e) Atheta burwelli, previously known from the northeastern and northwestern subarctic, is newly recorded in Atlantic Canada; f ) Liogluta alconotoides, previously known from the northeastern and northwestern subarctic, is newly recorded from central and Atlantic Canada; g) Philhygra rostrifera, previously known from the northeastern subarctic, is newly recorded from Alaska in the northwest; h) Phymatura blanchardi and Pella caliginosa, previously known from the central United States are newly recorded from Alberta in western Canada; i) Myrmedonota aidani, previously known only from Ohio in the United States, is newly recorded in central Canada; j) Meronera venustula, Atheta annexa, Atheta burwelli, Atheta hampshirensis, Atheta prudhoensis, Atheta klagesi, Atheta frosti, Earota dentata, Seeversiella globicollis, and Xenodusa refl exa are all newly recorded in Atlantic Canada; k) Th e distributions of the adventive species Aloconota sulcifrons, Atheta longicornis, Dinarea angustula, Homalota plana, and Mocyta fungi are shown to be more extensive than previously known. In particular A. sulcifrons is newly recorded in Canada, and both this species and A. longicornis are newly recorded in western North America.
Even with this new information it is clear that much still remains to be done to establish the composition and distribution of the Canadian aleocharine fauna. With such a knowledge it will be increasingly possible to develop an understanding of the role that these abundant beetles play in the many environments that they inhabit.