Olibrus liquidus Erichson, 1845 Figure 31

Distribution.

Native to the Palaearctic region, widespread in Europe and North Africa ( Švec 2007). Adventive in the Nearctic region (British Columbia, Canada).

Canadian records.

British Columbia: Burnaby, 20-Apr-2015 to 08-May-2015 (1 ex, CBG).

Diagnostic information

(based on Thompson 1958; Vogt 1967b). Body length 1.9-2.6 mm. Habitus (Fig. 31) elongate-oval, narrower towards the elytral apex. Dark brown, elytra paler towards the apex, antennae, palpi and legs yellow-brown. Head and pronotum without microsculpture. Elytra fully covered by fine, net-like microsculpture in females, anterior third without microsculpture in males. Elytra with two sutural striae, which converge and usually meet towards the apex. Metaventrite densely and coarsely punctate, especially laterally. See Thompson (1958) for figures of the male genitalia (tegmen) and female ovipositor.

Bionomic notes.

This species feeds on a variety of Asteraceae genera, usually in dry and warm habitats in Europe (Koch 1989b). The Canadian specimen was collected with a Malaise trap in a suburban residential area.

Comments.

Lack of a modern revision of North American Olibrus prevents detailed comparison of O. liquidus to the native species. It is most reliably identified using male genitalia or DNA barcodes. Good illustrations of the genitalia are provided in volume 5, part 5b of the Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects (Thompson 1958).