Revision of Brazilian species of Aleochara Gravenhorst of the subgenus Aleochara (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae)

Abstract

Adults and larvae of Aleochara are found in fly-infested habitats, where the larvae are ectoparasitoids of fly pupae. There are three subgenera recorded in Brazil. This study provides a taxonomic revision of Brazilian species of the subgenus Aleochara. As a result, we recognize seven species in Brazil, A. bonariensis Lynch, A. bugnioni Fauvel, A. lustrica Say, A. chrysorrhoa Erichson and three species described by Sharp: A. auricoma, A. mundana and A. prisca. Redescriptions and illustrations of the male and female genitalia are provided for all species. Nomenclatural changes: A. bugnioni is considered a new junior synonym of A. lateralis Erichson, and A. pseudochrysorrhoa Caron, Mise & Klimaszewski is a new junior synonymy of A. bonariensis. In addition, the type of A. verecunda Sharp, was not studied and the name is considered as species inquirenda, while A. curtula (Goeze) is not confirmed in Brazil and its Neotropical records is discussed. Finally, a key to species is provided and an updated checklist of the Brazilian species of Aleochara (Aleochara), including synonyms, is compiled.

The complete mitochondrial genome of Aleochara postica Walker, 1858 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

“…Aleochara postica Walker, 1858, a rove beetle species, belongs to the genus Aleochara Gravenhorst (Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Aleocharini). Aleochara with more than 500 species distributed worldwide is not only one of the most speciose genera in Aleocharinae, but also a distinctive group in lifestyle (Klimaszewski 1984;Caron et al 2019). Most of its species have their larvae specifically feeding on pupae of cyclorrhaphous Diptera as ectoparasitoids, and adult beetles preying on dipteran eggs and larvae (Luo and Zhou 2012;Yamamoto and Maruyama 2016;Caron et al 2019).…”

“…Aleochara with more than 500 species distributed worldwide is not only one of the most speciose genera in Aleocharinae, but also a distinctive group in lifestyle (Klimaszewski 1984;Caron et al 2019). Most of its species have their larvae specifically feeding on pupae of cyclorrhaphous Diptera as ectoparasitoids, and adult beetles preying on dipteran eggs and larvae (Luo and Zhou 2012;Yamamoto and Maruyama 2016;Caron et al 2019). Thus, they could be utilized for biological control against noxious flies (Yamamoto and Maruyama 2016;Caron et al 2019).…”

“…Most of its species have their larvae specifically feeding on pupae of cyclorrhaphous Diptera as ectoparasitoids, and adult beetles preying on dipteran eggs and larvae (Luo and Zhou 2012;Yamamoto and Maruyama 2016;Caron et al 2019). Thus, they could be utilized for biological control against noxious flies (Yamamoto and Maruyama 2016;Caron et al 2019). Nevertheless, no complete mitogenome of Aleochara was available so for.…”

“…Thus, they could be utilized for biological control against noxious flies (Yamamoto and Maruyama 2016 ; Caron et al. 2019 ). Nevertheless, no complete mitogenome of Aleochara was available so for.…”