Abstract
We provide a list of the 392 described species of Staphylinidae confined to coastal habitats worldwide. The list is in taxonomic sequence by subfamily, tribe, and genus and includes 91 genera. We provide the page reference of the original description of every species and genus listed and of many synonyms. We note the existence of recent reviews, phylogenies and keys of each of the tribes and genera included. Coastal Staphylinidae contain eight subfamilies: Microsilphinae, Omaliinae, Pselaphinae, Aleocharinae, Oxytelinae, Scydmaeninae, Paederinae, and Staphylininae.By ‘coastal habitats’ we mean habitats existing on the sea coast and subject to inundation or at least splashing by the very highest tides. This includes rocky, boulder, coral, sandy, and muddy seashores, and at least portions of salt-marshes, estuaries, and mangrove swamps. We exclude the sand dune habitat and higher parts of sea-cliffs.The list notes distribution of all the species, first according to the ocean or sea on whose shores it has been recorded, and second by country (and for the larger countries by province or state). Although this distribution is undoubtedly incomplete, it provides a basis for future development of a dedicated database.The ‘Habitats, Habits, and Classificatory Notes’ section is designed to provide ecologists with further taxonomic and ecological information. It includes references to descriptions of the immature stages, behavior of adults and immatures, their food, natural enemies, and habitat. We would have preferred to separate these entities, but current knowledge of ecology is developed in few instances beyond natural history.The Pacific Ocean basin was the origin and contributed to the dispersal of the majority of specialist coastal Staphylinidae at the level of genus. However, at the level of species, species belonging to non-coastal-specialist genera are about as likely to occur on the shores of other oceans as on the shores of the Pacific. This difference is a reflection of the antiquity of coastal genera and species.A complete bibliography, and habitat and habitus photographs of some representative coastal Staphylinidae species are provided.
Highlights
We struggled to find an appropriate title for this work, but eventually rejected the expressions intertidal, marine, littoral, and seashore, all of which have been used by other authors
We do not employ the terms halophile and halobiont because they refer to organisms that dwell in salt-laden habitats, which are not restricted to coastal areas; saline lakes and ponds occur hundreds of kilometers from coasts, and we do not wish to consider these
We summarize existing information not just about habitats and about behavior and physiology in the section on Habits, Habitats, and Classificatory Notes under the name of each genus
Summary
We struggled to find an appropriate title for this work, but eventually rejected the expressions intertidal, marine, littoral, and seashore, all of which have been used by other authors. This contribution is intended for the reader who is willing and able to tackle the taxonomic literature, even if the ultimate objective is ecological or ethological This contribution lists some 392 species, in 91 genera, of Staphylinidae that are believed to be confined to coastal habitats. We suppose that all of the species we list are halobionts, but we exclude halobionts living on the shores of inland saline lakes This checklist is the first to attempt to enumerate all coastal staphylinids, and their distribution. Habitats of coastal staphylinids are drifted seaweed, the intertidal zone, sandy beaches, pebble beaches, rocky shores, muddy beaches and flats, salt marshes, and mangrove swamps (Figs 2–5), but these are not necessarily mutually exclusive. EB: Inside of empty barnacles/shells; RA: rock with algae; RC: rock crevices; UB: under beach sand; UD: under debris; UG: under seagrasses; UP: under stones (gravels/pebbles/cobbles); US: under seaweeds
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