Aleochara pseudochrysorrhoa, a new species from southern Brazil (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae), with a complete checklist of Neotropical species of the genus

Abstract

The ectoparasitoid habit of larvae and the active predatory habit of adults of Aleochara Gravenhorst, 1802 established this group as natural fly regulators and important for ecological studies, biological control programs and forensic entomology. In the current study, a new aleocharine species, Aleochara pseudochrysorrhoa sp. nov., from southern Brazil, is described and its natural history is briefly discussed. The species has a robust body, uniformly dark-brown to black with apex of abdomen rust-brown, median lobe of male with expanded bulbus, sclerites of internal sac forming complex arrangement, and female with spermatheca L-shaped. Aleochara pseudochrysorrhoa sp. nov. may be considered to be closely related to the species belonging to the lustrica group. A complete checklist of Neotropical species of Aleochara is also provided. Nomenclatural problems are also discussed. Aleochara lateralis Erichson, 1839 is a junior primary homonym of A. lateralis Heer, 1839, and is replaced by the available name Aleochara bonariensis Lynch, 1884. A new name, Aleochara newtoni nom. nov., is proposed to replace Maseochara (= Aleochara) duplicata Sharp, 1883, which is a junior secondary homonym of A. duplicata Erichson, 1839.