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ALEOCHARINE BEETLES

STAPHYLINIDAE: ALEOCHARINAE

STAPHYLINIDAE: ALEOCHARINAE

subfamily

Aleocharinae

known species

12,000

distribution

Worldwide, including sub-Antarctic islands,

but not yet on mainland Antarctica. The

fauna of Europe and North America is best

known, but most species are probably in

the tropics

habitat

Aleocharines can be found in almost every

terrestrial habitat, as well as freshwater

margins and sea beaches, even between the

high and low tide marks. They are probably

most diverse in wet tropical forests, but most

of this diversity is still unknown

size

1–12 mm

diet

Adults are usually predators or scavengers

T

he Aleocharinae is presently the largest

subfamily in the Staphylinidae, possibly in the

whole Coleoptera. With more than 12,000 named

species, it forms about 20 percent of known rove

beetle diversity worldwide. However, if the rove

beetle fauna of a small, well-studied country such

as Britain is examined, it is found that aleocharines

comprise more than 40 percent of total rove

beetle diversity. Since Aleocharinae are

small and difficult to distinguish, they

are usually the last beetles to be

carefully studied, so it is likely

that a figure of at least 40

percent can be extrapolated

worldwide, implying that

we are not even halfway

into naming all the world’s

aleocharines! Taxonomic

identification of

aleocharines is demanding,

and generally involves

microscopic dissection.

In spite of the challenges of

identification, this huge subfamily

is of great ecological importance, and

can be found almost everywhere, especially

around decaying matter such as compost heaps,

below | Orphnebius This tiny

beetle, curled up on a Southeast

Asian rainforest leaf, cannot be

identified further than being

a member of this genus.