Dasycerinae is a
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...
of
rove beetles
The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With over 66,000 species in thousands of genera, the g ...
. Dasycerinae currently only contains 1 extant genus and 3 extinct genera.
Genera
There are currently 4 described genera in Dasycerinae:
* †''
Cedasyrus''
* ''
Dasycerus''
* †''
Protodasycerus''
* †''
Vetudasycerus''
(† = extinct)
Anatomy
They have antennae with 11 segments and trisegmented antennal clubs. The tarsi have three segments, and the elytra cover or nearly cover the entire abdomen.
Ecology
These beetles inhabit moist broadleaf forest litter.
[Ferro, M. L., M. L. Gimmel, K. E. Harms, and C. E. Carlton. 2012a. Comparison of the Coleoptera communities in leaf litter and rotten wood in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA. Insecta Mundi 259: 1–58]
Eastern species are wingless with small eyes; dissected females have only been found with a single egg. They are known to occur on fruiting fungi, but may not specifically feed on them.
References
Further reading
*Herman, L.H. 2001: Catalog of the Staphylinidae (Insecta, Coleoptera): 1758 to the end of the second millennium. I. Introduction, history, biographical sketches, and omaliine group. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, (265): 1–650
* Löbl, I., and F. G. Calame. 1996. Taxonomy and phylogeny of the Dasycerinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). Journal of Natural History 30: 247–291.
*Wheeler, Q. D., and J. V. McHugh. 1994. A new southern Appalachian species, Dasycerus bicolor (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Dasycerinae), from declining endemic fir forests. The Coleopterists Bulletin 48: 265–271.
External links
Dasycerinae at Bugguide.net
{{Taxonbar, from=Q350392
Staphylinidae