Sepedophilus occultus (Casey, 1884)

Brunke, Adam J. & Marshall, Stephen A., 2011, Contributions to the faunistics and bionomics of Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) in northeastern North America: discoveries made through study of the University of Guelph Insect Collection, Ontario, Canada, ZooKeys 75, pp. 29-68 : 36

Sepedophilus occultus (Casey, 1884)

Materials.

CANADA: ON:Huron Co., Benmiller, Sharpes Creek Line, 43.691, -81.608, hedgerow nr. creek, canopy trap in buckthorn, 22-VI-2009, A. Brunke (1); Elgin Co., Orwell, 15-VI-1978, D. Morris (1); Essex Co., Point Pelee Natl. Pk., wood area by W beach, malaise/pan traps, 10 to 23-IX-1999, O. Lonsdale (1); Hald.-Norfolk Reg.,Turkey Point Provincial Park, malaise trap, 3 to 28-VIII-2009, S. Paiero (1); Kent Co., Rondeau Prov. Park, spicebush trail, 42°18'9N, 81°51'6W, Carolinian forest, WPT, 16to17-VI-2003, Paiero and Carscadden (1); Wellington Co., Guelph, University arboretum nature reserve, ex. Beech litter, 3-V-2009, Brunke and Cheung (1); Guelph, Victoria Rd. and Conservation Line, 43.580, -80.275, hedgerow, pitfall, 2-VI-2009, A. Brunke (1).

Diagnosis.

Sepedophilus occultus can be distinguished from other northeastern Sepedophilus with a reddish area at the base of each elytron by the combination of: basal abdominal segments with short bristles only; elytral epipleuron with few or no setae on its basal half; pronotum uniformly colored; elytra without coarse bristles laterally; apical ctenidium of mesotibia restricted to the apex ( Campbell 1976). The individual from Kent County has a uniformly reddish body and may be slightly teneral. Similar specimens can be recognized by the unique combination of the elytral epipleuron with few or no setae on its basal half and the impunctate elytral apex.

This species is widely distributed in eastern North America and was previously known from Connecticut, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania ( Campbell 1976), Missouri ( Watrous 2008) Rhode Island ( Sikes 2003), and Quebec ( Paquin and Dupérré 2001). Herein we report it as new for Ontario (Map 6). Sepedophilus occultus is a forest-dwelling species that has been collected mainly from leaf litter and under bark. Its presence in the Boreal Forest Region of Québec ( Paquin and Dupérré 2001) is surprising considering its more southern distribution elsewhere but this probably reflects the inadequate knowledge of Canada’s boreal insect fauna rather than a disjunct population.