Pselaphinae are a subfamily 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 in the family

Staphylinidae The rove beetles are a family (biology), 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 thousand ...

, the rove beetles. The group was originally regarded as a separate family named Pselaphidae. Newton and Thayer (1995) placed them in the Omaliine group of the family Staphylinidae based on shared morphological characters. This is a species-rich subfamily with 9,000 to 10,000 described species. They are especially diverse in the

tropics The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

. They are commonly found in decaying leaf litter on forest floors, in grass tussocks, flood refuse, moss, and other highly structured and particulate microhabitats. Little is known about their biology. They are believed to be predatory on small invertebrates, in particular

springtail Springtails (class Collembola) form the largest of the three lineages of modern Hexapoda, hexapods that are no longer considered insects. Although the three lineages are sometimes grouped together in a class called Entognatha because they have in ...

s (order Collembola) and

oribatid mites Oribatida (formerly Cryptostigmata), also known as oribatid mites, moss mites or beetle mites, are an order of mites, in the "chewing Acariformes" clade Sarcoptiformes. They range in size from . There are currently 12,000 species that have been i ...

(order Oribatida). Pselaphines have attracted the interest of

entomologists Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

due to their exquisite and variable

morphology Morphology, from the Greek and meaning "study of shape", may refer to: Disciplines *Morphology (archaeology), study of the shapes or forms of artifacts *Morphology (astronomy), study of the shape of astronomical objects such as nebulae, galaxies, ...

, which is rewarding to observe with a

microscope A microscope () is a laboratory equipment, laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic ...

. In addition, the

myrmecophilous thumb , Myrmecophilous aphids being tended by ants Myrmecophily ( , ) consists of positive, mutualistic, interspecies associations between ants and a variety of other organisms, such as plants, other arthropods, and fungi. It may also incl ...

("ant-loving") behavior of some pselaphine groups (notably certain batrisites, pselaphites, and clavigerites) has inspired behavioral studies. Spectacular morphology and myrmecophilia are both taken to extremes by the Clavigeritae. These are obligate

inquiline In zoology, an inquiline (from Latin ''inquilinus'', "lodger" or "tenant") is an animal that lives commensally in the nest, burrow, or dwelling place of an animal of another species. For example, some organisms, such as insects, may live in the ...

s which have undergone radical changes in body form, including segmental fusions within the abdomen and antennae to form strong, rigid, plate- and club-like structures, respectively. Clavigerites also possess

trichome Trichomes (; ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a plant ...

s, which secrete a solution on which ant

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e feed.

Anatomy

Pselaphines are small, compact beetles. The

elytra An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometime ...

are short, not covering the first abdominal segment. The head and

pronotum The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum (ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on e ...

are narrower than the elytra. Most have clubbed antennae. Most species have 11 antennomeres, and some have 10, 9, or 3. Most have a tarsal segmentation formula of 3-3-3, and some have 2-2-2.

Systematics

The 100 genera in North America contain 710 species. The Pselaphinae consist of six "supertribes":Chandler, D. S. 2001. Biology, morphology, and systematics of the ant-like litter beetle genera of Australia (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). Memoirs on Entomology International 15. x + 562 pp. * Faronitae *

Euplectitae Euplectitae is a supertribe of ant-loving beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 20 genera and 30 described species in Euplectitae. Genera These 27 genera belong to the supertribe Euplectitae: * ''Actiastes'' Casey, 1897 * ''A ...

Goniaceritae Goniaceritae is a supertribe of ant-loving beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are about 16 genera and at least 30 described species in Goniaceritae. Genera These 16 genera belong to the supertribe Goniaceritae: * '' Brachygluta'' Thoms ...

Pselaphitae The Pselaphitae are a supertribe of rove beetles. Tribes * Arhytodini * Ceophyllini * Pselaphini * Tmesiphorini * Tyrini * Hybocephalini * Attapeniini * Pachygastrodini * Odontalgini Genera These 13 genera belong to the supertribe Pse ...

Clavigeritae The Clavigeritae form a supertribe of beetles belonging to the family Staphylinidae.Besuchet, C.; Hlaváč, P. 2011: Contribution to the knowledge of Clavigeritae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from Fiji and Vanuatu, with the catalogue ...

Batrisitae Batrisitae is a supertribe of ant-loving beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are about 5 genera and 15 described species in Batrisitae. Genera The following genera are accepted within the supertribe Batrisitae: * ''Arianops'' Brendel, 189 ...

Gallery

File:Claviger testaceus.jpg, ''

Claviger testaceus Claviger may refer to: * ''Claviger'' (beetle), a genus of beetles in the family Staphylinidae * Claviger (title) {{Disambiguation ...

'' File:Male habitus of Labomimus mirus - ZooKeys-251-083-g001-C.jpeg, ''

Labomimus mirus ''Labomimus'' is a genus of rove beetle The rove beetles are a family (biology), family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments ex ...

'' Image: Trimioplectus obsoletus 166997 dorsal.tif, ''

Trimioplectus obsoletus ''Trimioplectus obsoletus'' is a species of ant-loving beetle in the family Staphylinidae The rove beetles are a family (biology), family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically l ...

'' File:Colilodion schulzi.tiff, ''

Colilodion schulzi ''Colilodion schulzi'' is a species of beetles belonging to the family Staphylinidae. This small, robust, reddish-brown rove beetle is known from a single specimen, a long female. It resembles the species '' C. concinnus'' and '' C. inopinatus'' ...

References

External links

Pselaphinae.
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Anatomy

Systematics

Gallery

See also

References

External links