Towards a natural classification of the subtribe Philonthina (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini): a phylogenetic analysis of the Neotropical genera

Philonthina, the largest subtribe of the rove beetle tribe Staphylinini, is a hyperdiverse group in the Neotropical Region, accounting for about half of the genera of the subtribe. Despite such diversity, Neotropical Philonthina have never been analysed phylogenetically, deterring formulation of a modern classification of the Staphylinini. A cladistic analysis of Neotropical Philonthina was performed based on 110 morphological characters and 77 terminal taxa. Representatives of Philonthina from other regions and other main lineages of Staphylinini, Arrowinini and Platyprosopini were included to test their relationships with Neotropical Philonthina. The major results are the monophyly of 11 of the 17 endemic Neotropical genera of Philonthina, the placement of Holisus Erichson (Hyptiomina) into this clade showing a sister group relationship to myrmecophile genera, and the position of Erichsonius Fauvel outside of Philonthina within Staphylinini. Six of the current seven species of Endeius Coiffait & Sáiz group with Neotropical species of Philonthus Stephens. The separation of Gondwana about 65 my and major landscape modifications in the vast interior of northern South America during the past 25 my is proposed to explain the evolution of the endemic Neotropical genera of Philonthina. The following taxonomic changes are proposed: Erichsonius Fauvel, 1874 now placed as incertae sedis in Staphylinini; Endeius Coiffait & Sáiz, 1968, n.syn. of Philonthus Stephens, 1929 and Endeius nitidipennis (Solier, 1849) placed as incertae sedis in Philonthina. The following new combinations are proposed: Philonthus franzi (Sáiz, 1971), comb.n. , Philonthus loensis (Coiffait & Sáiz, 1968), comb.n. , Philonthus lugubris (Sáiz, 1971), comb.n. , Philonthus ovaliceps (Coiffait, 1981), comb.n. , Philonthus punctipennis (Solier, 1849), comb.res. and Philonthus subpunctipennis (Coiffait & Sáiz, 1968), comb.n. Philonthus herberti, n.nov., is proposed for Philonthus franzi Schillhammer, 1998 , which is a junior secondary homonym of Philonthus franzi (Sáiz, 1971).     

Phylogeny of the hyper‐diverse rove beetle subtribe Philonthina with implications for classification of the tribe Staphylinini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

With 71 genera and over 2700 described species, Philonthina is the most speciose subtribe of rove beetle tribe Staphylinini and forms a major component of the largest remaining higher systematics challenge in Staphylinini, the ‘Staphylinini propria’ clade. A related systematics issue concerns the position of the genus Holisus (Hyptiomina), which was recovered within the Neotropical philonthine lineage in several recent analyses of morphology. With the aims of resolving the phylogeny of Philonthina and the position and, thus, validity of Hyptiomina, we performed phylogenetic analyses of the tribe Staphylinini based on molecular (six genes, 4471 bp) and morphological (113 characters) data including 138 taxa from all relevant lineages of Staphylinini. We found that ‘Staphylinini propria’ is a monophylum consisting of six lineages: current subtribes Anisolinina, Philonthina, Staphylinina and Xanthopygina; and two new subtribes, Algonina Schillhammer and Brunke and Philothalpina Chatzimanolis and Brunke. While the previously hypothesized Neotropical lineage of Philonthina was corroborated, Holisus was recovered as a separate subtribe, outside of Philonthina, within an informal ‘Southern Hemisphere clade’. Based on our analyses, we propose tentative new concepts of the polyphyletic genera Belonuchus and Philonthus. We propose the following taxonomic changes: synonymy of the subtribes Staphylinina Latreille (valid name) and Eucibdelina Sharp; resurrection of genera Barypalpus Cameron and Trapeziderus Motschulsky from synonymy with Rientis Sharp and Belonuchus Nordmann, respectively; transfer of 38 Belonuchus species, 16 Hesperus Fauvel species and one Philonthus Stephens species to Trapeziderus as new combinations; transfer of two Hesperus species to Eccoptolonthus Bernhauer as new combinations; transfer of one Belonuchus species to Paederomimus Sharp as a new combination; and transfer of Pridonius Blackwelder new status from its position as a subgenus of Quedius (subtribe Quediina) to Philonthina as a genus, and new combinations for its two described species.     

Molecular phylogeny of the mega‐diverse rove beetle tribe Staphylinini (Insecta,Coleoptera, Staphylinidae)

Chatzimanolis, S., Cohen, I. M., Schomann, A. & Solodovnikov, A. (2010). Molecular phylogeny of the mega‐diverse rove beetle tribe Staphylinini (Insecta, Coleoptera, Staphylinidae). —Zoologica Scripta, 39, 436–449. Phylogeny of the rove beetle tribe Staphylinini is explored by parsimony and Bayesian analyses of sequences of four genes (COI, wingless, Topoisomerase I, and 28S) for 43 ingroup (various genera of Staphylinini) and eight outgroup (two genera of Paederinae, six genera of other tribes of Staphylininae) taxa. Analyses were conducted for each gene independently and for the concatenated data set. Results of the most robust combined analyses were compared with the morphology‐based phylogenies of Staphylinini (‘test phylogeny’), and with the conventional classification of this tribe. Molecular results were congruent with the ‘test phylogeny’ in the following: ancestors of Staphylinini were ‘Quediina‐like’ lineages; formal subtribe Quediina mixes at least two relatively basal groups, ‘Quediina propria’ and ‘southern Quediina’; specialized subtribe Amblyopinina is an internal clade within ‘southern Quediina’; a relatively deeply nested ‘Staphylinini propria’ that unites current subtribes Staphylinina, Eucibdelina, Anisolinina, Xanthopygina and Philonthina is well supported as a monophyletic group. In strong contrast with morphology, molecular data place the tribes Othiini and Xantholinini nested within Staphylinini. Molecular results strongly conflict with morphology by uniting morphologically very different genera Holisus and Atanygnathus in one clade that has uncertain position within Staphylinini. Consistently with the most congruent areas of the morphology‐ and molecular‐based phylogenies, taxonomic changes are implemented for the formal subtribes Quediina and Amblyopinina.     

Alesiella gen.n. and a newly discovered relict lineage of Staphylinini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

This study aimed to identify the sister group of the poorly known and morphologically isolated Burmese species Quedius lineipennis within the tribe Staphylinini (Staphylinidae: Staphylininae) using morphological characters. Phylogenetic analysis of a broad taxon sample demonstrated that this Asian species is not a member of the genus Quedius but forms the sister taxon to the Neotropical genus Quediomacrus. Both taxa were shown to be members of a hitherto unrecognized lineage with a highly disjunct distribution. The lineage is hypothesized to be Asian in origin, with dispersals to the Americas during the early Eocene climatic maximum via Beringia and to Australia via land connections in the late Miocene. The current distribution of the lineage is considered to be relictual. New phylogenetic hypotheses within ‘Quediina’ and Staphylinini as a whole are proposed and the general tree topology of Staphylinini recovered by recent morphological studies is refined. Phylogenetic relationships within the Quedius complex remain unclear. Alesiella Brunke and Solodovnikov gen.n. , is erected for Quedius lineipennis and the Quedius subgenus Quedionuchus is reinstated to genus level with new combinations as follows: Quedionuchus atl (Smetana, 1975), comb.n. ; Quedionuchus calli (Smetana, 1976), comb.n. ; Quedionuchus cipactli (Smetana, 1976), comb.n. ; Quedionuchus coatl (Smetana, 1976), comb.n. ; Quedionuchus ehacatl (Smetana, 1976), comb.n. ; Quedionuchus ollin (Smetana, 1976), comb.n. ; Quedionuchus ozomatli (Smetana, 1975), comb.n. ; Quedionuchus reitterianus (Bernhauer, 1944), comb.n. ; Quedionuchus samuraicus (Bernhauer and Schubert, 1916), comb.n. ; Quedionuchus schultzei (Smetana, 1975), comb.n. ; Quedionuchus tecpatl (Smetana, 1976), comb.n. ; Quedionuchus xochitl (Smetana, 1976). Quedius lugubris Lokay, 1913 is transferred from the subgenus Quedionuchus to the subgenus Distichalius and placed in synonymy: Quedius punctatellus (Heer, 1839) = Quedius lugubris Lokay, 1913, syn.n . This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9C7D3C90‐FCB9‐414F‐911B‐194A1A6602DE .     

Revised concept of the genus Euryporus Erichson (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylininae) and phylogenetic significance of Staphylinini from New Guinea

The Staphylinini rove beetle genus Euryporus Erichson from the subtribe Quediina is restricted to include only three species from the Western Palearctic region: Euryporus picipes (Paykull, 1800), Euryporus aeneiventris (Lucas, 1846), and Euryporus princeps Wollaston, 1864. Euryporus argentatus Fauvel, 1881, Euryporus warisensis Last, 1987 and Euryporus multicavus Last, 1980, which do not even belong to the subtribe Quediina, are excluded fromthe genus. Of these, two were transferred to different genera: Tympanophorus argentatus (Fauvel, 1881), comb. nov., from Sumatra;and Hesperus warisensis (Last, 1987), comb. nov.,from New Guinea. "Euryporus" multicavus could not be placed to any of the described genera of Staphylinini and is left as incertae sedis pending a broader study of the relevant fauna of this tribe in New Guinea and adjacent regions. The taxonomic history of Euryporus is reviewed, and an updated diagnosis of this genus is provided.     

Rove beetle subtribes Quediina, Amblyopinina and Tanygnathinina: systematic changes affecting Central European fauna (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylinini)

In preparation for the new edition of the identification keys of rove beetles of Central Europe (Volume 4 of the “Die Käfer Mitteleuropas”), the following systematic problems affecting the Central European fauna of the tribe Staphylinini are addressed: phylogeny-based, new concepts for the subtribes Quediina and Amblyopinina; status of the subtribe Tanygnathinina; systematic position of the genus Astrapaeus; status of Quedionuchus, the subgenus of Quedius; identity of some species of Quedius and Heterothops. As a result, new wordwide and Central Europe-based diagnoses are given for the subtribes Quediina and Amblyopinina; earlier recognized but not widely accepted synonymies of the genera Quedius and Velleius, and of the species Heterothops praevius and Heterothops niger, are justified; new synonyms are established for: Quedius pseudonigriceps Reitter, 1909 (= Quedius noricus Bernhauer, 1927, syn. n.); Quedius maurorufus (Gravenhorst, 1806) (= Quedius richteri Korge, 1966, syn. n.); Quedius suturalis Kiesenwetter, 1845 (= Quedius merlini Drugmand & Bruge 1991, syn. n.); lectotypes are designated for Quedius meridiocarpathicus Smetana, 1958, Quedius noricus Bernhauer, 1927, and Quedius pseudonigriceps Reitter, 1909. As a result of synonymy of Quedius and Velleius, the following new combinations are proposed: Quedius amamiensis (Watanabe, 1990), comb. n.; Quedius circumipectus (Cho, 1996), comb. n.; Quedius elongatus (Naomi, 1986), comb. n.; Quedius japonicus (Watanabe, 1990), comb. n.; Quedius pectinatus (Sharp, 1874), comb. n.; Quedius setosus (Sharp, 1889), comb. n.; Quedius simillimus (Fairmaire, 1891), comb. n. As a result of new combinations, Quedius japonicus (Watanabe, 1990) (non Quedius japonicus Sharp, 1874) is replaced with the new name Quedius watanabei Solodovnikov, nom. n., while Quedius pectinatus Lea, 1908 (non Quedius pectinatus (Sharp, 1874)) is replaced with the new name Quedius arthuri Solodovnikov, nom. n.     

Discovery of the Quedius antipodum Sharp larva from New Zealand: phylogenetic test of larval morphology for Staphylinini at the intratribal level (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

Quedius antipodum Sharp is an endemic species from New Zealand. Here we describe its larva, the first of the species‐rich group of the south temperate ‘Quedius’ spp. This finding throws light on the controversy between the conventional systematics of Quedius Stephens and newer phylogenetic analyses, both of which are based on non‐larval characters only. We compare the larva of Q. antipodum with those of the north temperate Quedius (Quediina), where it was traditionally placed, and with the known larvae of Amblyopinina, a group where Q. antipodum was placed by recent phylogenetic studies. Sister‐group relationships of Q. antipodum within the tribe Staphylinini are explored based on larvae by means of parsimony analysis: 77 morphological characters scored for 20 species from 17 genera. Consistent with the adult morphology and DNA sequences, larvae‐based cladistic analysis confirms that Q. antipodum should not be placed in the north temperate genus Quedius. However, larval analysis alone remains dubious with respect to finding the exact sister relationships of that species.     

Two quediine species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae) new to Korea

Two quediine species (Quedius samuraicus Bernhauer and Schubert, and Velleius elongatus Naomi) were identified for the first time in Korea. Diagnoses and illustrations of the habitus and male genitalia are presented.     

Ultrastructure of sensilla on the maxillary and labial palps of three species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae)

Most species of Staphylinidae are predators in an agroecosystem. They acquire prey information from their environment through receptors. In this study, the sensilla on maxillary and labial palps of Philonthus kailiensis, Philonthus lewisius and Quedius robustus were examined with scanning electron microscopy to identify and analyse the external morphology and distribution of the sensilla to enhance our knowledge of the sensilla of Staphylinidae and provide a rationale of taxonomical studies on the two genus. Results showed that the sensilla are classified into six types: Böhm bristles, sensilla chaetica, sensilla furcate, sensilla coeloconica, sensilla placodea and sensilla basiconica. No sexual dimorphism exists among the three species. The relationships and functions of sensilla on maxillary and labial palps were also speculated. There may be a certain correlation between the sensilla on maxillary and labial palps of the staphylinid and its habitat.     

Multilocus phylogeny defines a new classification of Staphylininae (Coleoptera,Staphylinidae), a rove beetle group with high lineage diversity

We provide the first multilocus molecular phylogeny of a group corresponding to the former subfamily Staphylininae. Results are corroborated by the morphological, biogeographical and palaeobiological evidence to serve as a baseline for an updated suprageneric classification. The former subfamily Staphylininae is proven to be a lineage sister to the monophyletic Paederinae and reclassified according to a robust phylogeny resolving a number of long-standing controversies. The subfamily Xantholininae (revised status) is reinstated to contain the tribes Xantholinini, Othiini, Maorothiini and Diochini. Subfamily Platyprosopinae (revised status) is reinstated for the tribes Platyprosopinini, Arrowinini and †Thayeralinini. For a highly peculiar genus Coomania Cameron, formerly in Diochini, a new subfamily Coomaniinae subfam.n. is established and the composition of Diochini (revised status) is changed accordingly. The subfamily Staphylininae (revised status) is reduced to contain the former tribe Staphylinini only. Elevating this mega-diverse tribe to the subfamily rank opened up an opportunity for its more fractional classification by raising several subtribes to the tribal level as follows: Acylophorini, Afroquediini, Amblyopinini, Antimerini, †Baltognathini, Cyrtoquediini, Erichsoniini, Hyptiomini, Indoquediini, Quediini and Tanygnathinini (revised status for all). As a result, the most species-rich tribe Staphylinini (revised status) is reduced to the more homogeneous lineage containing the subtribes Algonina, Anisolinina, Philonthina, Philothalpina, Staphylinina and Xanthopygina. Morphological synapomorphies and diagnostic characters supporting all newly defined higher taxa are provided. This published work has been registered on ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:DED8B042-83C9-4D10-B0CB-B50372B067A9 .     

Revision and phylogenetic assessment of the rove beetle genus Pseudohesperus Hayashi,with broad reference to the subtribe Philonthina (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylinini)

This paper studies the phylogeny of the rove beetle subtribe Philonthina, to test its hypothetical monophyly and to unravel the evolutionary relationships of the subtribe and its included genus‐level taxa, with emphasis on the genus Pseudohesperus and its close‐allied relatives. The phylogenetic analyses are based on 105 adult morphological characters and 66 terminal taxa, i.e., all six members of Pseudohesperus, 51 species to represent 29 other genera of the subtribe Philonthina, seven species to represent the other six subtribes of Staphylinini, one species of the tribes Arrowinini, and one of the Platyprosopini. According to the phylogenetic results obtained, the genus Erichsonius should move out from the hitherto‐defined subtribe Philonthina and thus the monophyly of this taxon is challenged. The phylogenetic tree suggests that the genera Hesperus and Belonuchus might not be monophyletic, but the monophyly of Pseudohesperus and the sister relationship between it and Bisnius are well supported. The species‐level phylogenetic relationships of the genus Pseudohesperus reveal a clear pattern of species diversification that can be correlated well with the species' zoogeographical patterns. The paper also revises the taxonomy of Pseudohesperus and describes five new species from China: Pseudohesperus luteus Li & Zhou sp. nov. , Pseudohesperus pedatiformis Li & Zhou sp. nov. , Pseudohesperus tripartitus Li & Zhou sp. nov. , Pseudohesperus sparsipunctatus Li & Zhou sp. nov. , and Bisnius lubricus Li & Zhou sp. nov. An identification key to the species of Pseudohesperus is provided and their geographical distributions are mapped. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 163 , 679–722.     

Early evolution of the hyperdiverse rove beetle tribe Staphylinini (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae) and a revision of its higher classification

The rove beetle tribe Staphylinini (Staphylinidae: Staphylininae) is a monophyletic lineage of over 5500 relatively large and charismatic species, yet its higher classification remains deeply rooted in historical concepts. Despite recent progress toward inferring phylogenetic relationships within this group using morphological and molecular datasets, relationships among taxa that were united under a polyphyletic “Quediina” remain largely unknown. To infer these relationships, we analysed a six‐gene dataset (4370 bp) using parsimony and model‐based analyses and the results were placed in the context of morphology. While all genes contributed synapomorphies for major lineages or relationships between them, carbamoyl synthetase (CAD), topoisomerase I (TP) and wingless (Wg) were the most informative. TP was generally most informative at the level of subtribe, Wg above this level and CAD throughout the tree. The monophyly of Staphylinini was strongly supported and analyses support seven clades that correspond to higher taxonomic levels, four of which are formally described as subtribes here: Acylophorina stat. rev., Cyrtoquediina new subtribe, Erichsoniina new subtribe and Indoquediina new subtribe. The majority of Staphylinini taxa were recovered within a well‐supported “northern hemisphere clade” that is weakly represented in the southern hemisphere. The composition and morphological diagnosis of the “Staphylinini propria” clade are revised, and the pronotum shape historically associated with this group is shown to have evolved multiple times elsewhere in Staphylinini. The genus Stevensia is moved from Staphylinina to Acylophorina based on morphological evidence. Cyrtoquedius stat. nov., previously a subgenus of Quedius, is raised to the genus level. The following 32 new combinations (from Quedius) are proposed: Cyrtoquedius anthracinus (Solsky); C. arrogans (Sharp); C. basiventris (Sharp); C. bolivianus (Sharp); C. bruchi (Bernhauer); C. clypealis (Sharp); C. concolor (Sharp); C. flavicaudus (Sharp); C. flavinasis (Bernhauer); C. frenatus (Erichson); C. graciliventris (Sharp); C. jacobi (Scheerpeltz); C. jocosus (Sharp); C. labiatus (Erichson); C. laeviventris (Bernhauer); C. mexicanus (Sharp); C. ochropygus (Bernhauer); C. ogloblini (Bernhauer); C. ornatocollis (Bierig); C. protensus (Sharp); C. rufinasus (Sharp); C. verecundus (Sharp); C. verres (Smetana); Indoquedius borneensis (Cameron); I. dispersepunctatus (Scheerpeltz); I. javanus (Cameron); I. malaisei (Scheerpeltz); I. micantiventris (Scheerpeltz); I. parallelicollis (Scheerpeltz); I. philippinus (Cameron); I. recticollis (Scheerpeltz); and I. sanguinipennis (Scheerpeltz). Cyrtoquedius verres is recorded from the state of Georgia (USA) for the first time, which, together with its transfer from Quedius, extends the distribution of the Cyrtoquediina significantly northward into the Nearctic.     

Systematic position and review of Deinopteroloma Jansson, 1946, with descriptions of four new species (Coleoptera, Silphidae and Staphylinidae (Omaliinae))

Abstract. The genus Deinopteroloma Jansson 1946 is transferred from the family Silphidae to the family Staphylinidae and assigned to the subfamily Omaliinae, tribe Anthophagini. The genus Mathrilaeum Moore 1966 is shown to be congeneric with Deinopteroloma and considered a junior synonym. The genus Deinopteroloma is redescribed and its position in the Anthobium group of genera is discussed. Nine species are recognized, five in the Nepal Himalayas, two in northeastern Burma and two on the Pacific coast of North America. A key for identification is given. Each species is described and illustrated and all available bionomic and distributional data are presented. Deinopteroloma crenatum, D.spectabile, D.egregium and D.insigne , all from the Nepal Himalayas, are described as new and Lathrimaeum subcostatum Maklin, L.pictum Fauvel and L.notabile Cameron are transferred in Deinopteroloma (comb.nov.). Lectotypes are designated for D.subcostatum (Mäklin), D.humerale (Casey), D.pictum (Fauvel) and D.notabile (Cameron).     

Revision of the rove beetle genus Antimerus (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylininae), a puzzling endemic Australian lineage of the tribe Staphylinini

The genus Antimerus Fauvel, 1878, endemic to eastern Australia and Tasmania and a phylogenetically enigmatic member of the large rove beetle tribe Staphylinini, is revised. The genus and each of its four previously known species are redescribed, and a lectotype is designated for Antimerus punctipennis Lea, 1906. Five species are described as new: Antimerus metallicussp. n., Antimerus jamesrodmanisp. n., Antimerus gracilissp. n., Antimerus bellussp. n. and Antimerus monteithisp. n., so that the number of known species in this genus now totals nine. For the first time Antimerus larvae are described, tentatively identified as Antimerus smaragdinus Fauvel, 1878, Antimerus punctipennis and Antimerus metallicus. Available distributional and bionomic data are provided for each species and summarized in the discussion. Adult and larval morphology of Antimerus and its distribution patterns are discussed in the broader context of new data on the evolution of the entire tribe Staphylinini, and with respect to the formation of the Australian fauna of this tribe. The phylogenetic position of Antimerus within Staphylinini remains unresolved pending a targeted formal study. However, a majority of currently available data suggests that it could be a basal member of the recently recovered monophyletic clade of Staphylinini tentatively called "Staphylinini propria".     

Reclustering the cluster flies (Diptera: Oestroidea,Polleniidae)

A phylogenetic analysis of selected oestroid taxa based on 66 morphological traits and sequences from three nuclear protein‐coding genes (CAD, MAC, MCS) resolved the composition and phylogenetic position of the former subfamily Polleniinae of the Calliphoridae – here resurrected at family rank as Polleniidae Brauer & Bergenstamm, 1889 stat. rev. Six species are transferred from the family Rhinophoridae to the Polleniidae: the Palaearctic genus Alvamaja Rognes, along with its single species Alvamaja chlorometallica Rognes, and five Afrotropical species comprising the carinata‐group formerly in the genus Phyto Robineau‐Desvoidy but here assigned to genus Morinia Robineau‐Desvoidy, i.e. M. carinata (Pape, 1987) comb.n. , M. lactineala (Pape, 1997) comb.n. , M. longirostris (Crosskey, 1977) comb.n. , M. royi (Pape, 1997) comb.n. and M. stuckenbergi (Crosskey, 1977) comb.n. The Polleniidae are monophyletic and, in agreement with most recent phylogenetic reconstructions, sister to the Tachinidae. The female of A. chlorometallica and a new species of Morinia of the carinata‐group (Morinia tsitsikamma sp.n. from South Africa) are described. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:25B0C220‐DEE4‐4B0C‐88EA‐35FDE298EBC5 .     

A revision of the Neotropical species of Bolitogyrus Chevrolat,a geographically disjunct lineage of Staphylinini (Coleoptera,Staphylinidae)

The Neotropical species of the rarely collected genus Bolitogyrus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Staphylininae: Staphylinini) are revised. The genus exhibits an uncommon, disjunct distribution between the Neotropical and Oriental Regions and is of unknown phylogenetic position within Staphylinini. Morphological evolution remarkable for Staphylinini was discovered within Bolitogyrus, including sexually dimorphic modifications of the pronotum that may be involved in male competition for females. rSEM interactive animations were used to establish morphological species boundaries between two highly variable species and are provided to illustrate diagnostic characters of the genitalia in unconventional views. The genus is redescribed based on the world fauna and twenty-eight Neotropical species are considered valid. Of these, nineteen are described as new to science: Bolitogyrus ashei sp. n.; B. apicofasciatus sp. n.; B. brevistellus sp. n.; B. bufo sp. n.; B. cheungi sp. n.; B. cornutus sp. n.; B. divisus sp. n.; B. falini sp. n.; B. gracilis sp. n.; B. inexspectatus sp. n.; B. longistellus sp. n.; B. marquezi sp. n.; B. newtoni sp. n.; B. pseudotortifolius sp. n.; B. pulchrus sp. n.; B. silex sp. n.; B. thomasi sp. n.; B. tortifolius sp. n.; and B. viridescens sp. n. Bolitogyrus sallei (Kraatz), stat. r. is removed from synonymy with B. buphthalmus (Erichson) and the following new synonyms are proposed: Cyrtothorax cyanescens Sharp, 1884, syn. n. = Quedius buphthalmus Erichson, 1840; C. nevermanni Scheerpeltz, 1974, syn. n. = C. costaricensis Wendeler, 1927. A summary of all available bionomic and distributional data, as well as an illustrated identification key to and diagnoses of all Neotropical species are provided.     

Comparative karyology of seven species of staphylinoid beetles (Polyphaga: Coleoptera)

The morphology of chromosomes of two species of Silphidae and five species of Staphylinidae and the behaviour of chromosomes in mitosis and meiosis were studied. These staphylinoid beetles did not exhibit a modal karyotype. However, Xy_p was found to be the most common male sex-chromosome mechanism althoughPhilonthus varius andQuedius fuliginosus possessed XO. Dicentric chromosomes were found inPhilonthus fuscipennis. Dicentrics were also found in both European and one East Siberian populations ofPhosphuga atrata.In the seven species, the diploid chromosome number ranged from 2n=24 to 2n=56. The evolution of karyotype and the interrelationships between species are dicussed.     

Evolution,systematics, and natural history of a new genus of cryptobiotic fungus‐growing ants

Xerolitor , a new, monotypic genus of fungus‐growing ants, is described to accommodate the phylogenetically isolated, relict species Mycetosoritis explicatus Kempf. We also diagnose the male and the larva of Xerolitor explicatus (Kempf) comb.n. and report ecological observations for the species, including nest architecture and foraging behaviour. Xerolitor explicatus comb.n. inhabits the dry habitats of the Brazilian Cerrado and the Bolivian and Paraguayan Gran Chaco. Bayesian multilocus phylogenetic analyses indicate that X. explicatus comb.n. is, contrary to some prior hypotheses, a member of the ‘higher’ fungus‐growing ants and the sister taxon of the genus Sericomyrmex Mayr. Results from phylogenetic analyses of the fungal cultivar grown by X. explicatus comb.n. in Paraguay, as well as the presence of gongylidia, indicate that the fungal mutualist is a member of the clade of higher fungal cultivar species and that it is probably the same species cultivated by some Trachymyrmex Forel and Sericomyrmex species.