''Actocharis'' is a genus of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

s and the only genus in the tribe Actocharini.

Distribution

''Actocharis'' species are found underneath

seaweed Seaweed, or macroalgae, refers to thousands of species of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae. The term includes some types of ''Rhodophyta'' (red), '' Phaeophyta'' (brown) and ''Chlorophyta'' (green) macroalgae. Seaweed species such as ...

and other debris in the

intertidal zone The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various ...

of sandy beaches along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Europe and are rarely collected due to this restricted habitat.

Description

Members of this genus are long, narrow, and parallel sided. They can be identified by their 4-4-5

tarsal formula A tarsal formula states the number of segments of an insect's tarsi as three numbers, a-b-c, starting with the fore leg (a), then the middle leg (b), then the hind leg (c). For example, a tarsal formula of "5-5-4" as found in the Trictenotomid ...

and by the structure of their mouthparts, which include two-segmented labial palps and lacinia that are longer than the galea.

Taxonomy

''Actocharis'' is placed in the tribe Actocharini, which was erected in 1911, as its only genus. The genus has been placed in several other tribes by different authors, including Homalotini, Myllaenini, and Phytosini, and in the 1920s it was briefly placed in a different subfamily

Oxytelinae The Oxytelinae are a subfamily of the Staphylinidae, rove beetles. There are about 20 genera and at least 320 described species in Oxytelinae. Genera These 20 genera belong to the subfamily Oxytelinae: * '' Anotylus'' Thomson, 1859 * '' Aplode ...

. Recent studies have revealed morphological and phylogenetic similarities between Actocharini and another coastal tribe, the

Liparocephalini Liparocephalini is a tribe of rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are about 5 genera and more than 20 described species in Liparocephalini. Genera These five genera belong to the tribe Liparocephalini: * ''Amblopusa'' Casey, 1893 * ' ...

, which raises the hypothesis that they should be synonymized.

Species

Three species have been recognized: *'' Actocharis calabrica'' Assing, 2004 *'' Actocharis cassandrensis'' Assing, 1992 *'' Actocharis readingii'' Sharp, 1870

References

{{taxonbar, from1=Q19850688, from2=Q21214526 Aleocharinae Polyphaga tribes