Aglyptinus laevis (LeConte)

Peck, Stewart B., 2004, Distribution and Biology of Aglyptinus laevis (LeConte) in the United States and Canada (Leiodidae; Leiodinae; Scotocryptini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 58 (3), pp. 373-377 : 374-375

Aglyptinus laevis (LeConte)

Colenis laevis LeConte 1853: 284 . Described from a single specimen which is here designated as the lectotype, in LeConte collection in MCZC, seen. Type locality: ‘‘GA’’ [ Georgia, USA].

Aglyptus laevis (LeConte) 1866: 369 ; Horn 1880: 308; Blatchley 1910: 290.

Aglyptinus laevis (LeConte) , Cockerell 1906: 240; Hatch 1929: 82; Hlisnikovsky 1964: 188.

Study of specimens detected only one species in the United States and Canada. It is diagnosed as follows.

Diagnosis. In addition to the above tribal characters, the species has the following features. Body shape very convex, oval, globular; body size small, 1–1.5 mm long; body color light yellow-brown to dark brown to blackish; surface shiny, with only fine scattered punctures and setae; lateral margins of prothorax lighter, less darkly pigmented, weakly translucent at lateral margins. Head wide, flattened. Antennae slender, segments 1 to 3 elongate, 1 and 2 broader than 3, segments 4 to 6 shorter, equal in length; segments 7 and 9 to 11 larger, forming loose club, segment 8 smaller. Thorax short, deeply emarginate in front, rounded on sides, hind angles rectangular, broadly rounded at base. Elytra weakly projecting at apex. Male tarsi somewhat dilated, all tarsi 3–3–3 (not 4–3– 3 in males as stated by Horn (1880) and Blatchley (1910)). Aedeagus in lateral view ( Fig. 1 ) very long, thin, and pointed at tip; bent near middle, with internal sac long, membranous, and flagellum filamentous; parameres thin, short, about 1/3 length of aedeagus, with single apical seta; in dorsal view ( Fig. 2 ) sharply pointed at tip. Spermatheca ( Fig. 3 ) with a duct entering center of a bulb-like central capsule and with a thin curved appendix.

Habitats. The species is found in mixed forest habitats. Most records of microhabitats are from leaf and rotted log litter. Of the specimens which have explicit microhabitat data, 62 are from leaf and rotted log litter, 29 are from logs with fungi, 16 from leaf litter, 11 from slime molds on logs, eight from under bark, one from groundhog ( Rodentia : Marmota monax (L.)) nest debris, and one from soil litter.

Food Materials. There were no explicit label records for food items. Most records are from habitats with fungi and fungal mycelia. One record was in association with an unnamed slime mold. Stephenson et al. (1994) record the species from the myxomycete slime molds Dictydium cancellatum (Batsch) Macbr. (Cribrariaceae) and Stemonitis hyperopta Meylan (Stemoniticeae) from Marion County, West Virginia.

Distribution. The species was recorded from ‘‘ Canada, Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana, but rare’’ by Horn (1880). Blatchley (1910) reported it from sifting litter in Putnam, Monroe, and Posey counties, Indiana. Hatch (1929) gave no other new data. Since then it has been mentioned in the literature only infrequently. It is now known to be distributed throughout the deciduous forest biome of eastern North America ( Fig. 4 ) from southern Ontario and southern Quebec southwards to the Florida Keys, and from the Atlantic seaboard states west to Kansas, Oklahoma, and east Texas.

It is now known from the following provinces and states: Canada; Ontario, Quebec.

United States: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Seasonality. Adult specimens have been captured most frequently in April, May, and June, but there are records for every month of the year. The monthly distribution of specimen records (including state and province records for winter months) is as follows: January, 3 (OK); February, 11 (OK 10, TX 1); March 14 (SC 4, OK 3, Al 3, KY 2, IA 1, IL 1); April, 64; May; 54; June, 44; July, 11; August, 11; September, 13; October, 13; November, 18 (IN 9, OK 6, LA 2, NC 1); and December, 10 (OK 8, PQ 2). In a genus which is mostly Neotropical, one might expect the winter records to be in southern (warmer) localities, but there are a significant number from central and northern localities. This shows adult activity throughout the year, and that adults overwinter.

Figures

Figs. 1–3. Structures of Aglyptinus laevis (LeConte). 1) Lateral view of aedeagus with extruded internal sac and flagellum; specimen from San Jacinto Co., TX; 2) Dorsal view of tip of aedeagus; specimen from Licking Co., OH; 3) Spermatheca; specimen from Big Pine Key, Monroe Co., FL. Scale line for Figures 1 and 2, 0.1 mm; scale line for Figures 3, 0.1 mm.

Fig. 4. Distribution map of records (black dots) of Aglyptinus laevis (LeConte) in eastern North America.