The coastal rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) of Atlantic Canada: a survey and new records
Author
Majka, Christopher
Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, NS, Canada
Author
Klimaszewski, Jan
St. Francis Xavier University, Department of Biology, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada
Author
Lauff, Randolph
St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish ,, Canada
text
ZooKeys
2008
2008-09-04
2
2
115
150
journal article
10.3897/zookeys.2.2
6a4658b7-ce15-45fb-8985-b925e1490704
1313–2970
576408
Oligota parva
Kraatz, 1858
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
: Kings Co.:
Launching,
26.VIII.2003
, C.G. Majka, ocean beach: under coastline drift at the top of the littoral zone, (4, CGMC).
Figs 1-4.
Dorsal habitus: Fig. 1,
Acrotona avia
; Fig. 2,
Oligota parva
; Fig. 3,
Strigota ambigua
; Fig. 4,
Myrmecopora vaga
.
Oligota parva
(
Fig. 2
) is newly recorded in
Canada
(
Fig. 12
). It has been previously recorded from California, Massachusetts, Missouri, and Texas (Moore and Legner 1975). It has been introduced to the western Palearctic and northern Africa and is now widespread there (
Horion 1967
;
Smetana 2004
). It is found in compost, on dung, in fermenting materials, in old hay and grass, and in other decomposing situations (
Horion 1967
). The ecology of
Oligota
species are not well known, however, at least some species prey on mites (
Frank et al. 1992
). While
O. parva
has not previously been reported as a beach drift species, all the specimens collected on
Prince Edward Island
were found in this habitat. One European species,
Oligota pusillima
Gravenhorst, 1806
has been recorded in decaying seaweed (
Fowler 1888
; Moore and Legner 1975).
Other characteristic beach drift species collected together with
O. parva
at Launching (PEI), include
Atheta acadiensis
,
Strigota ambigua
(see below) [
Staphylinidae
],
Hypocaccus fraternus
(Say, 1825)
[
Histeridae
],
Monotoma producta
LeConte, 1855
[
Monotomidae
], and
Blapstinus metallicus
(Fabricius, 1801)
[
Tenebrionidae
].