The Leiodidae (Coleoptera) of Atlantic Canada: new records, faunal composition, and zoogeography
Author
Majka, Christopher
Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, NS, Canada
Author
Langor, David
Natural Resources Canada, Edmonton, Canada
text
ZooKeys
2008
2008-09-04
2
2
357
402
journal article
10.3897/zookeys.2.56
719fd3b2-e591-4d51-b512-88e1fdeac745
1313–2970
576397
Agathidium fawcettae
Miller and Wheeler, 2005
NEW BRUNSWICK
:
Northumberland
Co.:
Tabusintac
,
19.VI.1939
,
20.VI.1939
,
W.J. Brown
, (2,
CNC
)
;
York
Co.:
Fredericton
,
2.VII.1928
,
W.J. Brown
, (1,
CNC
)
;
Westmorland
Co.
:
Shediac
, 4.VII, 1939,
W.J. Brown
, (1,
CNC
).
NOVA SCOTIA
:
One
hundred and forty specimens were examined from
Annapolis
,
Colchester
,
Cumberland
,
Guysborough
,
Halifax
,
Inverness
,
Lunenburg
,
Pictou
,
Queens
,
Victoria
, and
Yarmouth
counties.
The
earliest record is from 1929 (
Colchester Co.
:
Portapique
,
25.VIII.1929
,
C.A. Frost
, (1,
CNC
))
.
Agathidium fawcettae
is newly recorded in
New Brunswick
. It was reported from
Nova Scotia
by
Miller and Wheeler (2005)
(
Fig. 6
). It was collected throughout the year in coniferous and deciduous forests from a wide variety of litter
types
. In
Nova Scotia
, it was found in variously aged deciduous forests (red maple, red oak, birch), in coniferous forests (red spruce, black spruce, hemlock, balsam fir), and in mixed and coastal forests. It was collected with flight-intercept traps, pitfall traps, and by hand collecting. There is one record from leaf litter, and one specimen found in a decomposing red spruce log. Recorded hosts include the slime molds
Fulgio septica
(L.) Wigg.,
Physarum viride
(Bull.) Pers.
,
Leocarpus fragilis
(Dicks.) Rost.
,
Hemitrichia clavata
(Pers.) Rostaf.
, and
Badhamia
sp. (
Miller and Wheeler 2005
).
Prior to the description of this species, several specimens in this series had been identified as
Agathidium exiguum
Melsheimer. These
two species can only be reliably separated on the basis of the features of male genitalia. All the males examined and micro-dissected as part of this study proved to be
A. fawcettae
. Accordingly, the present authors conclude that there is no evidence that
A. exiguum
occurs in the region.
Miller and Wheeler (2005)
reported
A. exiguum
in North America east to
Ontario
and north to
New Hampshire
.