STAPHYLINIDAE

Ferro, Michael L., Nguyen, Nhu H., Tishechkin, Alexey, Park, Jong-Seok, Bayless, Victoria & Carlton, Christopher E., 2013, Coleoptera Collected from Rotting Fishhook Barrel Cacti (Ferocactus wislizeni (Engelm.) Britton and Rose), with a Review of Nearctic Coleoptera Associated with Succulent Necrosis, The Coleopterists Bulletin 67 (4), pp. 419-443 : 431-432

STAPHYLINIDAE

Aleocharinae

Aleochara (Maseochara) depressa (Sharp) ( Fig. 17 )

Comments. The genus is relatively well known in North America ( Klimaszewski 1984). Detailed life history observations for the genus were made by Wadsworth (1915), life history and host records were reviewed and updated by Maus et al. (1998).

Range. Arizona, southern California, western Texas, Mexico, Guatemala ( Klimaszewski 1984).

Habitat. Collected from decaying saguaro ( Hubbard 1899, as Maseochara puberula ); collected from decaying cacti and dead sotol ( Klimaszewski 1984).

Biology. Members of subgenus Maseochara Sharp are typically found in decaying cacti and occasionally carrion ( Klimaszewski 1984), adults are predators of eggs and larvae of Diptera , typically Syrphidae , and larvae are ectoparasitic on fly pupae within the puparium; collected March to August ( Klimaszewski 1984, and references therein). Larva illustrated as Maseochara sp. in Böving and Craighead (1930).

Additional References. Blackwelder 1957; Casey 1893 (as Maseochara puberula ), 1906 (as Maseochara basalis Casey ), 1911 (as Maseochara musta Casey ); Fall 1901 (as Maseochara puberula Casey ); Fall and Cockerell 1907 (as Maseochara puberula Casey ); Hunter et al. 1912 (as Maseochara puberula ); Klimaszewski 1984 (key to species); Moore 1937 (as Maseochara puberula ); Navarrete- Heredia et al. 2002 (key to genus, Mexico); Sharp 1887 (as Maseochara depressa ); Woodworth 1913 (as Maseochara basalis Casey and Maseochara puberula Casey ).

Aleochara (Maseochara) valida LeConte ( Fig. 18 )

Comments. See comments under A. depressa above.

Range. Arizona, southern California, and Mexico ( Klimaszewski 1984).

Habitat. Reared from fly puparium from Opuntia engelmannii ( Coquillett 1891) ; decaying cacti at altitudes up to 1,371 m ( Klimaszewski 1984); under decomposing Opuntia stems (LeConte 1858a).

Biology. See A. depressa above and Coquillett (1891) for description of life history; adults collected February to September and December from decaying cacti; host species Copestylum marginatum (Say) , some sawflies ( Klimaszewski 1984).

Additional References. Blackwelder 1957 (as Maseochara robusta ); Bland 1865; Casey 1884b (as Tithanis valida (LeConte)), 1885 (as Maseochara californica Casey ), 1906 (as Maseochara ponderosa Casey and Maseochara ruficauda Casey ); Fall 1901 (as Maseochara valida ); Henshaw 1885 (as Maseochara valida ); Horn 1894 (as Maseochara valida ); Hunter et al. 1912 (as Maseochara valida ); Klimaszewski 1984 (key to species, figure); LeConte 1858a; Moore 1937 (as Maseochara valida ); Navarrete-Heredia et al. 2002 (key to genus, Mexico); Riley 1893; Woodworth 1913.

Diestota Mulsant and Rey ( Fig. 19 )

Comments. Diestota is in need of revision. About 50 species are known worldwide, with the highest diversity in the Neotropical region (Navarrete-Heredia et al. 2002) and Hawaii ( Nishida 2002). Members of this genus are generally found in moist, decaying vegetable matter. Numerous specimens of Diestota rufipennis (Casey) in the Snow Entomological Museum (SEMC) were collected in Arizona during 2003 from rotting saguaro cactus (Zachary Falin, personal communication). Pace (1986) provided a key to subgenera. Scattered records and numerous generic and specific synonymies make this a difficult group to assess. The status of the named species known from America north of Mexico is summarized below.

Diestota ambiguum (Notman)

described as Elachistarthron ambiguum Notman 1920: 715

= Elachistarthron anomala Notman 1920 (sensu Moore and Legner 1975)

Range. Florida ( Notman 1920, Peck and Thomas 1998)

Diestota angustula (Casey) described as Amenusa angustula Casey 1906:

349 = Amenusa spissula Casey 1911: 197 Range. California ( Casey 1906, 1911) Diestota funebris Sharp 1887: 252 Range. Guanajuato, Mexico; USA (Navarrete-

Heredia et al. 2002) Diestota flavipennis innotabilis (Notman) Homalota flavipennis Erichson (1840: 118)

was transferred to Diestota by Pace (1986:

421), then Orthodiatelus innotabilis

Notman (1920: 716) was made a subspe-

cies of H. flavipennis by Pace (1986: 422) Range. Florida ( Notman 1920, as Orthodiatelus

innotabilis; Peck and Thomas 1998, as

Diestota innotabilis ), St. John Island, U.S.

Virgin Islands ( Erichson 1840, as Homalota

flavipennis) Diestota oblonga (Casey) described as Pectusa oblonga Casey 1911: 198 Range. Mississippi ( Casey 1911) Diestota rufipennis (Casey) described as Apheloglossa rufipennis Casey

1893: 349 Range. Arizona ( Casey 1893)

Paederinae

Deroderus Sharp ( Fig. 20 )

Comments. The genus is in need of revision. Frania (1986b) provided a review of the complicated history of the genus and several species of Deroderus . The only species reported in North America north of Mexico, Deroderus tabacinus (Casey) , was originally described in the genus Lithocharis Casey (1884a) , moved to Polymedon Casey (1905) , and then moved to Lypomedon Blackwelder (1952) before being placed in Deroderus ( Frania 1986b) . Five named species and about 10 undescribed species are known ( Frania 1986b).

Range. Arizona, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama ( Frania 1986b).

Habitat. Moist pulp of saguaro ( Hubbard 1899, as Lithocharis tabacina Casey ); tropical and subtropical evergreen forests, under loose bark, xeric uplands on rotting cacti ( Frania 1986b; Newton et al. 2001).

Biology. Unknown; immature described by Frania (1986a).

Additional References. Blackwelder 1939a (as Polymedon tabacinum Casey ), 1939b, 1952 ( Deroderus and as Lypomedon Blackwelder ), 1957; Casey 1884a (as Lithocharis tabacina ), 1905 (as Polymedon tabacinum ); Leng 1920 (as Polymedon tabacinum Casey ); Navarrete-Heredia et al. 2002 (key to genus, Mexico); Newton et al. 2001 (key to genus); Sharp 1887.

Staphylininae

Belonuchus ephippiatus (Say) ( Fig. 21 )

Comments. A quandary exists concerning whether B. ephippiatus and Belonuchus erythropterus Solsky represent separate species ( Smetana 1995). Both species are sympatric in southern Texas, and both are associated with rotting cacti. Nine species of Belonuchus Nordmann are known from America north of Mexico and were reviewed by Smetana (1995). The genus is pantropical with greatest diversity in the Neotropical region. It contains about 200 species ( Newton et al. 2001) and is in need of revision ( Smetana 1995).

Range. Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas ( Smetana 1995).

Habitat. Typically occurs in decaying large Cereus and Opuntia , occasionally in Agave ( Smetana 1995).

Biology. Unknown; larvae and pupae of Belonuchus formosus Gravenhorst described by Mank (1923); members of this genus are predacious and are generally found in decaying organic material ( Smetana 1995).

Additional References. Blackwelder 1957; Crotch 1873; Fall 1901 (under rotting squash and in decaying yucca); Fall and Cockerell 1907; Griffith 1900; Henshaw 1885; Horn 1894; Hubbard 1899 (collected from decaying Carnegiea gigantea ); LeConte 1858a; Leng 1920; Moore 1937 (under dead Opuntia leaves); Navarrete-Heredia et al. 2002 (key to genus, Mexico); Wickham 1898 (in decaying yuccas).

Additional References for B. erythropterus . Blackwelder 1957; Leng 1920; Navarrete-Heredia et al. 2002 (key to genus, Mexico); Sharp 1887.

Tachyporinae

Tachinomorphus grandis (Solsky) ( Fig. 22 )

Comments. The genus contains 19 species scattered around the world, five in North and Central America. See Campbell (1973) for a recent revision and key to species.

Range. Arizona and southern California south to Costa Rica ( Campbell 1973).

Habitat. Collected from decaying agave and rotting banana pseudostems ( Musa sp. ) ( Campbell 1973).

Biology. Unknown other than habitat, collected December through August ( Campbell 1973).

Additional References. Blackwelder 1 957; Sharp 1887 (as Tachinoderus grandis ).

Figures

Figs. 13–19. Habitus images of Coleoptera in decayed barrel cacti. 13) Dactylosternum cacti; 14) Litargus balteatus; 15) Carpophilus discoideus; 16) Carpophilus lugubris; 17) Aleochara (Maseochara) depressa; 18) Aleochara (Maseochara) valida; 19) Diestota sp.

Figs. 20–25. Habitus images of Coleoptera in decayed barrel cacti. 20) Deroderus sp.; 21) Belonuchus ephippiatus; 22) Tachinomorphus grandis; 23) Tachinomorphus grossulus; 24) Cynaeus angustus; 25) Bitoma gracilis, photograph by Nathan Lord.