Alisalia Casey, 1911

Klimaszewski, Jan, Webster, Reginald, Savard, Karine & Couture, Jérôme, 2009, First record of the genus Alisalia Casey from Canada, description of two new species, and a key to all Nearctic species of the genus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae), ZooKeys 25 (25), pp. 1-18 : 4-6

Genus Alisalia Casey, 1911

Figs 1–38

Alisalia Casey 1911: 219 ; Fenyes 1918: 21; Blackwelder 1952: 46; Seevers, 1978: 80; Moore and Legner 1975: 337; Ashe 2001: 305, 363. Type species: Alisalia brevipennis Casey , fixed by Fenyes (1918), by subsequent designation.

Description. Body minute and slender, length 1.0–1.9 mm, subparallel and dorsoventrally flattened (Figs 1–4, 23–30); coloration yellowish rust-brown to brown, with head, elytra and part or entire abdomen darker than remainder of body and brown to dark brown; integument of forebody with approximately uniformly distributed microsetae and a few macrosetae on head, pronotum and base of elytra; isodiametric meshed microsculpture present, but scarcely visible; head with well-developed temporal region, tempora longer than diameter of eye; infraorbital carinae present and complete; gular suture subparallel and broadly separated; eyes small, finely faceted and broadly separat- ed; labrum broadly oval; maxillary palpus with 4 articles, last one needle-shaped, about as long as 1/3 of penultimate article; labial palpus with 3 articles; right mandible bearing one small internal tooth, left mandible entire and does not bear teeth; ligula short, narrow and entire; antennae with three basal segments elongate, 3 rd slightly shorter than 2 nd, 4 th segment small and quadrate to slightly transverse, 5 th slightly broader than 6 th, 4–10 segments transverse and incrassate (Figs 1–4, 23–30); pronotum transverse with visible hypomera from the side; mesocoxae contiguous; mesosternal process short, acute at tip and separated by long isthmus; metasternal process triangular and small; elytra more or less transverse, and as broad as pronotum or slightly broader (Figs 1–4, 23–30); abdomen subparallel with strongly impressed horizontal, broadly arcuate basal carinae; tarsal formula 4-4-4; tarsal claws falcate; spermatheca small and weakly sclerotized, covered by multiply coiled duct, capsule narrowly elongate and attached to elongate stem connected with coils of duct (Figs 9, 16, 35); median lobe of aedeagus variably shaped in lateral view, tubus bearing smaller or larger median swell; internal sac usually with two inconspicuous small structures; flagellum well developed, and

Figure Ι. Alisalia testacea Casey , dorso-lateral view.

normally exerted beyond apex of internal sac (Figs 5, 12, 19, 31–34, 36–38); paramere with broad and short apical lobe bearing 3 macrosetae (Figs 6, 15, 22); male tergite 8 truncate apically (Figs 7, 13, 20); sternite 8 broadly rounded apically and often slightly pointed medially (Figs 8, 14, 21).

Alisalia (tarsal formula 4-4-4) is similar in general appearance to the genus Meotica Mulsant and Rey (tarsal formula 5-5-5) but may be readily distinguished by the tarsal formula, falcate tarsal claws and different genital features.

Bionomics. Adults of Alisalia in New Brunswick were collected on cobblestone beaches along lake and river margins, under cobblestones and rocks, on the margin of a large vernal pond in moist leaf litter, and at a light (one specimen).

Geographic distribution. Casey (1911) and Moore and Legner (1975) recorded 7 species of Alisalia in America north of Mexico. Seevers (1978) recorded 8 Nearctic species, and two additional species from Haiti, and Ashe (2001) confirmed 8 Nearctic species scattered from New England to California and mentioned one undescribed species from Mexico. Two additional new species are described from Canada and including the present new synonymy, there are now 8 valid species of Alisalia in the Nearctic region (same number as Ashe 2001, but different set of species).

Imm Alisalia minuta Alisalia testacea Alisalia elongata

Figures 2–4. Alisalia species in dorsal view (apical part of abdomen removed): 2 A. minuta Klimaszewski and Webster , sp. n. 3 A. testacea (Casey) 4 A. elongata Klimaszewski & Webster , sp. n.

Phylogenetic affiliation. Alisalia and allied genera (Meotica Mulsant & Rey, Gyronycha Casey , Apimela Mulsant & Rey , Bamona Sharp , and Leptobamona Casey ) are currently considered to comprise the subtribe Meoticina Seevers of the tribe Oxypodini ( Seevers 1978) .

Checklist of Alisalia Casey species occurring in C anada with the U nited States records

Conventions. Junior synonyms are indented. Countries and provinces in bold represent new records. Species follow alphabetical order.