Atheta Thomson, 1858

Glotov, S., Hushtan, K., Hushtan, H., Koval, N. & Diedus, V., 2022, The Genus Atheta (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae) In The Ukrainian Carpathians, Zoodiversity 56 (1), pp. 91-110 : 93-94

Genus Atheta Thomson, 1858

D i a g n o s i s. Body ovoid or subparallel, rather loosely articulated, length 2.5–4.8 mm in most species; color: dark brown to black, integument usually with meshed microsculpture; pronotum with pubescence on disc forming distinct pattern, usually directed lateroposteriad from midline, but with specific patterns in different subgenera; hypomera completely visible in lateral view; mesocoxae narrowly separated; process of mesoventrite slender; tarsal formula 4–5–5; athetine bridge located in dorso-basal part of median lobe of aedeagus; spermatheca with club-shaped capsule and long stem that is narrowly looped posteriorly in most species (there are many spermathecal forms presented in Atheta ).

This genus is treated here as Atheta sensu lato, and embraces a wide range of species with diverse morphology forming the Atheta complex. It includes several more or less clearly defined subgenera that are not sufficiently delimited to justify elevating them to generic status, and such an act would bring only more confusion.

The subgenera of Atheta are listed below in alphabetical order because the relationships between them are not clear. For species identification, dissection and examination of genital structures is necessary (Klimaszeski et al., 2018).

Subgenus Anopleta Mulsant & Rey, 1874

Atheta corvina (Thomson, 1856)

Material. 1 ex. IFR.: Pistyn [Pistyń], date not specified, 1 ex. ( SMNH) .

D i s t r i b u t i o n. Europe, Siberia ( Schülke & Smetana, 2015); Ukrainian Carpathians: Ivano-Frankivsk Region, between Pistyn (Glotov & Hushtan, 2020). “ Poland ”, without indication of region ( Łomnicki, 1913)

Bionomics. The species occurs in mixed and deciduous forests, in the mountains, where they live in forest litter, decaying organic residues, and in moss (Nikitskij et al., 1996; Semenov, 2007). Adults occur in V–VII ( Ganglbauer, 1895).