Latridiidae (Coleoptera) of Atlantic Canada: new records, keys to identification, new synonyms, distribution, and zoogeography

Abstract

AbstractThirty-five species of Latridiidae are reported in Atlantic Canada as a whole, 17 in New Brunswick, 14 in Newfoundland, 31 in Nova Scotia, and 14 on Prince Edward Island. Fifty-six new provincial records are reported (11 in New Brunswick, 9 in Newfoundland, 23 in Nova Scotia, 13 in Prince Edward Island). Twenty-two species are newly recorded for Atlantic Canada. Of these,Cartodere(Aridius)bifasciata(Reitter),Enicmus histrioJoy and Tomlin,Latridius consimilis(Mannerheim),Corticaria elongata(Gyllenhal),C. impressa(Olivier),C. saginataMannerheim,Corticarina longipennis(LeConte),Melanophthalma helvolaMotschulsky, andM. inermisMotschulsky are newly recorded in Canada, andC. bifasciata,E. histrio, andC. saginataare newly recorded in North America.Dienerella filiformis(Gyllenhal) is removed from the New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island lists.Corticaria dentigeraLeConte is removed from the Labrador and Atlantic Provinces lists.Melanophthalma incultaMotschulskysyn. nov.andM. signataBelonsyn. nov.are designated as a junior synonyms ofM. inermisMotschulsky andM. picta(LeConte), respectively.Melanophthalma helvolaMotschulsky is reinstated as a valid species. Lectotypes and paralectotypes ofM. helvolaandM. americana(Mannerheim) are designated. Approximately half of the species are adventive (16 Palaearctic, 1 Australian) and half are native (13 Nearctic, 3 Holarctic). Two species are of uncertain zoogeographic status. Although some species are synanthropic, several have colonized native habitats. Nova Scotia has the largest number of adventive species, probably as a result of trans-Atlantic shipping. New Brunswick has the fewest, at least in part because of insufficient collecting there. Early detection dates and introduction processes are discussed. The native faunas on Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton Island, and Newfoundland appear diminished (33%–40%) compared with those of the neighbouring mainland. Although all latridiids are mycetophagous, many in the region show clear habitat preferences; however, the ecological role of those species requires further investigation.