Paraquedius Casey, 1915 stat. res.

Brunke, Adam J., 2022, A world generic revision of Quediini (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylininae), part 1. Early diverging Nearctic lineages, ZooKeys 1134, pp. 129-170 : 129

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1134.87853
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C79C5E40-D9C6-4E3B-816F-0201713DBA77
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scientific name	Paraquedius Casey, 1915 stat. res.
status

Treatment

Figs 2G, H View Figure 2 , 5A, B View Figure 5 , 8A-J View Figure 8 , 9F-G View Figure 9

Paraquedius Casey, 1915: 397, 400.

Quedius (Paraquedius) : Leng 1920; Hatch 1957 (characters); Smetana 1971 (redescription); Solodovnikov 2006 (phylogeny); Brunke 2016 (phylogeny); Brunke et al. 2019 (phylogeny), 2021 (phylogeny, non- Quedius , to be re-instated as genus).

Type species.

Quedius puncticeps Horn, 1878.

Diagnosis.

Paraquedius is easily recognized within Quediini by a combination of the dark metallic blue/green reflections on the forebody, the punctate head and punctate scutellum. Within the Nearctic Region, Paraquedius is the only genus of Quediini with the disc of the head evenly punctate, at least on the posterior half. Worldwide, Paraquedius is superficially similar to the members of 'Clade L’ of Brunke et al. (2021) (the Oriental and Palaearctic Multipunctatus and Intricatus groups of Quedius (Raphirus) ), which are also metallic blue or green and have extensive head punctation. However, the latter have an impunctate scutellum, larger eyes and shorter appendages. Paraquedius is also superficially similar in habitus to members of the West Palaearctic clade (part of 'Clade B’, Brunke et al. 2021) that consists of Quedius riparius and its close relatives. However, in Paraquedius the head is evenly punctate on the posterior half and the scutellum is punctate.

Redescription.

Medium sized rove beetles, with metallic blue to greenish forebody and long appendages (Fig. 2G, H View Figure 2 ). With the character states of Quediini (see Brunke et al. 2021) and the following: antennomere 3 longer than 2, with dense but not tomentose setae; all antennomeres longer than wide; head with eyes large, slightly more than twice as long as temples, convex, bulging from lateral head outline, subparallel and with inner margin well separated from suprantennal ridge (Fig. 5A, B View Figure 5 ); antennal insertions distant from inner margin of eye, separated by about 1.5 times the width of antennal sclerite (Fig. 5A, B View Figure 5 ); frons well developed anterolaterad of antennal insertions (Fig. 5A, B View Figure 5 ); head chaetotaxy obscured by the presence of many setae, though with clearly present anterior and posterior frontal punctures and frontal area glabrous, with interocular setae absent, genal puncture absent; labrum notched medially, creating two lobes; apical maxillary and labial palpi fusiform and glabrous, penultimate maxillary palpomere setose, some setae quite long, extending to about half length of apical maxillary palpomere; infraorbital ridge complete to mandibles; gular sutures converging towards neck and narrowly spaced posteriad; mandibles with dorsal lateral groove; right mandible with single bifid proximal tooth; pronotum subquadrate; hypomeron slightly inflexed, partly visible in lateral view; with only single large lateral puncture; dorsal row of pronotum with three to five punctures; sublateral row not reaching level of large lateral puncture; basisternum with pair of macrosetae though surrounded by many shorter setae, with longitudinal ridge on apical half; elytron with subbasal ridge complete, forming scutellar collar; scutellum punctate; row of humeral spines reduced to short row of darker, shorter regular setae; disc of elytra with even punctation, without microsculpture; foretibia with lateral spines and apical spurs; metatarsomeres with disc setose; metatibia spinose with at least three spines on outer face; abdominal tergite I with prototergal glands weakly developed as shallow impressions, impressions surrounded by some setae; abdominal tergites without impressed, glabrous basal areas; abdominal sternite III with basal transverse carina forming obtuse angle at middle, not produced; abdominal sternite VII unmodified; abdominal sternite VIII with distinct median emargination but emargination lacking membranous extension; aedeagus with well-developed paramere bearing peg setae (Fig. 8E, F, I, J View Figure 8 ).

Distribution.

Paraquedius is endemic to western North America, from coastal British Columbia, along the Coast, Cascade and Sierra Nevada Ranges, and as far south as the San Bernardino Mountains of California ( Smetana 1981).

Bionomics.

Most specimens were taken in water-soaked moss or algae-covered rocks at waterfalls, fast streams or freshwater outflows to ocean beaches. A few specimens were collected near a stream under stones on muddy ground covered in algae ( Smetana 1971).

Comments.

The two available specimens from the San Bernardino Mountains were females and males should be sought to determine whether there are additional species present. Given that some specimens were collected at cold seeps amongst rather dry, scrubby forest, this genus may eventually be found further south in California, and potentially in the forested mountain valleys of Baja California and Baja California Sur, Mexico.