Immature stages and phylogenetic importance of Astrapaeus, a rove beetle genus of puzzling systematic position (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylinini)

Abstract

For the first time eggs, larvae and pupae obtained by rearing are described for Astrapaeus, a monotypic West Palearctic rove beetle genus of a puzzling phylogenetic position within the megadiverse tribe Staphylinini. Morphology of the immature stages of Astrapaeus ulmi is compared to that of other members of the tribe and discussed in a phylogenetic context. Contrary to conventional systematics and in accordance with recently developed phylogenetic hypotheses based on morphology of adults, larval morphology supports the non-Quediina affiliation of Astrapaeus. Eggs and pupae provided fewer characters with putative phylogenetic signal. Under laboratory conditions, a peculiar preference for isopod prey was observed for A. ulmi. However, this could not be evaluated in an evolutionary context because of the lack of data on the diet of this and related taxa in nature.

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

“…Finally, the precise position of the tropical Australian genus Antimerus within Staphylinini remains unclear, although the results of our analysis unambiguously exclude it from Staphylinini propria, where it had first been hypothesized to belong based on an analysis of morphology (Solodovnikov, ). The other hypothesis raised by that and subsequent studies (Brunke and Solodovnikov, ), that Antimerus belongs to an early diverging lineage of Staphylinini, is supported by the present analysis and is also suggested by larval morphology (Solodovnikov and Newton, ; Pietrykowska‐Tudruj et al., ). As there is still insufficient signal from and congruence between the molecular and morphological data presently available to resolve these relationships, a revised classification of the above enigmatic taxa must wait.…”

“…A close relationship between the Palaearctic Astrapaeus and the Neotropical Cyrtoquedius was first recovered by Brunke and Solodovnikov () in a morphological phylogeny based primarily upon the glabrous elytral epipleuron bearing only macrosetae. The rather distant relationship between these taxa and the genus Quedius is also supported by larval morphology (Pietrykowska‐Tudruj et al., ), although the larvae of Cyrtoquedius are unknown. The position of the morphological apomorphy‐rich genus Bolitogyrus has been inconsistent in previous phylogenetic analyses, ranging from sister to Staphylinini propria (Chatzimanolis et al., ), to sister to the genus Indoquedius based on several widely homoplastic morphological characters such as the prosternal ridge and shape of the infraorbital ridge (Brunke and Solodovnikov, ).…”

Pupae of the mega-diverse rove beetle tribe Staphylinini (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae): their traits and systematic significance

“…The terminology follows Staniec (1999a, b, 2002) and Pietrykowska-Tudruj and Staniec (2011). Measurements and their abbreviations are after Pietrykowska-Tudruj and Staniec (2012) and Pietrykowska-Tudruj et al (2014b) marked on Figures 1, 2, 5, 18, 26, and 32 as follows: BL body length, BW body width, HW head width, HL head length, PW pronotum width, Abbreviations of the body parts as follows: A accessory, An antenna, As atrophied spiracle, El elytra, Fs functional spiracle, Fti fore tibia, H head, Hti hind tibia, K knee, Li labium, Lr labrum, Md mandible, Mp maxillary palp, Ms mesonotum, Mt metanotum, Mti mid tibia, P pronotum, Pr protuberance, Sap spiracular appendage, S spine, Sp setiform projection, St sternite, Tp terminal prolongation, Tr tergite, W wing, Vp ventral prolongation.…”

Immature stages and biology of the enigmatic oxyporine rove beetles, with new data on Oxyporus larvae from the Russian Far East (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)

“…In Oxyporus it is shorter in comparison to diverse Staphylinidae living in the ground-based debris (e.g. up to one month in Steninae (WEINREICH 1968); 1.5-2 months in laboratory for various Staphylininae (PIETRYKOWSKA-TUDRUJ & STAINEC 2012;PIETRYKOWSKA-TUDRUJ et al 2014); several months including overwintering larvae for temperate Omaliinae (THAYER 1985)), but similar to staphylinids developing in dung (LIPKOW 2011). Larvae of Oxyporus feed, starting seconds after hatching (LESCHEN & ALLEN 1988, HANLEY & SETSUDA 1999.…”