Staphylinid Beetles Research Articles

Tropical beetles more sensitive to impacts are less likely to be known to science

Insects are posited to be declining globally. This is particularly pertinent in tropical forests, which exhibit both the highest levels of biodiversity and the highest rates of biodiversity loss. However, for the hyper-diverse tropical insects there are scant data available to evidence declines. Understanding tropical insect diversity and its response to environmental change has therefore become a challenge, but it is estimated that 80% of tropical insect species remain undescribed1. Insect biodiversity predictions are based mostly on well-studied taxa and extrapolated to other groups, but no one knows whether resilience to environmental change varies between undescribed and described species. Here, we collected staphylinid beetles from unlogged and logged tropical forests in Borneo and investigated their responses to environmental change. Out of 252 morphospecies collected, 76% were undescribed. Undescribed species showed higher community turnover, reduced abundance and decreased probability of occurrence in logged forests. Thus the unknown components of tropical insect biodiversity are likely more impacted by human-induced environmental change. If these patterns are widespread, how accurate will assessments of insect declines in the tropics be?

A Fossil Paederinae from a Lacustrine Deposit at Orapa Diamond Mine in Botswana1

Abstract A staphylinid beetle morphotype, Mesostaphylinus orapa sp. n., is described based on a single well–preserved compression fossil from an Upper Cretaceous lacustrine deposit at Orapa Diamond Mine in Botswana. Mesostaphylinus Zhang is placed in the extant subfamily Paederinae based on general habitus and an unambiguous synapomorphy, the concealed antennal insertions. Mesostaphylinus is a genus of convenience for fossils belonging in Paederinae, but lacking diagnostic features (e.g., maxillary palpomeres) to assign and delineate them into appropriate tribes and subtribes. The fossil described here is morphologically similar to M. laiyangensis Zhang, M. fraternus Zhang, Wang and Xu, M. elongatus Solodovnikov and Yue, M. yixianus Solodovnikov and Yue, and M. antiquus Solodovnikov and Yue. Compared to other fossil staphylinid beetles that have been described thus far, the fossil also portrays morphological conservatism, morphological stasis, or arrested evolution dating back to the Cretaceous, thereby suggesting a punctuated equilibrium pattern of evolution.

Cretafrica orapensis: a new genus and species of Mycetoporinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from lacustrine deposits at Orapa Diamond Mine, Botswana

Abstract A new genus and species of staphylinid beetle, Cretafrica orapensis gen. nov. et sp. nov. is described using a single well-preserved impression fossil from an Upper Cretaceous fossil insect deposit, the Orapa Diamond Mine in Botswana. Cretafrica is placed in the extant subfamily Mycetoporinae based on its general habitus, typical sublimuloid medium-to-large body form, elongated head, visible ridge on ventral side of head under eyes, antennomeres increasing in length and width apically, scutellum with basal carina that is distinctly divided medially, elevated area along suture of the elytra, and presumably large metacoxae, and tapering abdomen. It differs from other Mycetoporinae by its triangular head and elytra with broadly rounded apico-lateral margins. A possible preservation distortion illustrates brush-like or fork-like mouthparts. The fossil insect may have been found in forest litter or fresh and rotting mushrooms at Orapa. It confirms the widespread distribution of mycetoporines with phytophagous or mycophagous lifestyles during the mid-Cretaceous. Moreover, like other described fossil staphylinids, the fossil portrays morphological stasis dating back to the Cretaceous. It further confirms the proposed punctuated equilibrium pattern of evolution.

Paleothius mckayi sp. n.: A New Species of Staphylininae (Arthropoda: Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) from Orapa in Botswana1

Abstract A new species of a staphylinid beetle, Paleothius mckayi sp. n. is described using a single fossil from the Orapa Diamond Mine in Botswana. Paleothius is placed in the extant subfamily Staphylininae based on its general symmetrical habitus, typical sub-limuloid and elongated medium-to-large body form, elongated head, remarkably long antennomere 1, antennal density increasing apically, antennal insertions closer to the eye than to each other, tapering abdomen with two pairs of paratergites, and intersegmental membranes with ‘brick-wall’ pattern. It is separated from its sister clade Paederinae by having exposed antennal insertions and a small post-coxal process. It can be distinguished from all other Staphylininae by its significantly curved temples and large subtriangular pro-, meta- and meso-coxae. The specimen is preserved with flexed, distally-sharpened, extended or protruding scissor-like mouthparts. It is possible that it was primarily using these extended or protruding scissor-like mouthparts to actively hunt prey in leaf litter and other microhabitats in and around the crater lake at Orapa. This fossil further confirms the widespread distribution of staphylinines during the Cretaceous. Moreover, similarly to other previously described fossil staphylinine staphylinid beetles, it portrays morphological stasis, or morphological conservatism. This is also known as arrested evolution. Therefore, it provides evidence for punctuated evolution dating back to the Cretaceous. Moreover, it highlights that morphological similarities between Staphylininae and Paederine date back to the Jurassic period.

Identification of soil-dwelling predators of tick nymphs (Acari: Ixodidae) by stable isotope labeling.

Ticks (Family Ixodidae) spend most of their life cycle as immature stages in the soil and litter, and as any other soil invertebrates, are likely to be controlled top-down by soil-dwelling predators. To date, the ability of soil invertebrate predators to control ixodid tick population remains little known, partly due to methodological difficulties. In the current study, we developed and successfully tested a novel method of labeling live Ixodes ricinus (L., 1758) (Ixodida: Ixodidae) nymphs with a 15N isotope label. Labeled ticks were used in a small-scale 8-day-long microcosm experiment to reveal soil predators attacking nymphs. Only a small fraction (4.1% of all samples) of soil generalist predators preyed upon nymphs. A strong 15N label was found in 5 predator species, namely 2 spiders (Pachygnatha listeri Sundevall, 1830, Tetragnathidae and Ozyptila sp., Theridiidae), 2 gamasid mites (Pergamasus beklemischevi Sellnick, 1929 and Pergamasus quisquiliarum [Canestrini, 1882], Parasitidae), and 1 staphylinid beetle (Geostiba circellaris [Gravenhorst, 1806], Staphylinidae). The isotopic labeling can be a useful tool in revealing a range of invertebrate predators that can control tick populations in soil.

Monitoring Arthropods in maize and pasture fields in São Miguel and São Jorge Islands: IPM-Popillia Project.

The dataset presented here is an achievement of the H2020 European project "Integrated Pest Management of the Invasive Japanese Beetle, Popilliajaponica (IPM-Popillia)". This project addresses the challenge of a new risk to plant health in Europe, the invasion of the Japanese beetle, Popilliajaponica (Newman, 1838) (Coleoptera, Rutelidae) and provides an environmentally friendly IPM Toolbox to control the expanding pest populations across Europe. This study aims to present the records of terrestrial arthropod diversity with a special focus on four groups belonging to Carabids and Staphylinid beetles (Coleoptera), Opiliones and Anisolabididae (Dermaptera), collected with the potential to be used as biocontrol agents against P.japonica in future Integrated Pest Management programmes. A thorough sampling programme was conducted in maize and pasture fields in two Islands of the Azores (São Miguel and São Jorge) in the summer of 2022. We provided an inventory of the arthropods recorded in two Azorean agroecosystems (maize and pasture fields) from São Miguel and São Jorge Islands. A total of ten maize and ten pasture fields were sampled and a total of 360 pitfall traps were installed, 216 in São Miguel and 144 in São Jorge, for seven consecutive days in August and September of 2022.We collected 18559 specimens belonging to the phylum Arthropoda, four classes, twelve orders, twenty-six families and forty morphospecies (two identified at the family level as carabid and Staphylinid larvae and 38 identified at the species level). We identified 38 taxa at the species level (n = 18281). Of the 38 identified taxa, 18 species were predators, 15 were plant feeders and five were omnivores. The 18 predators belong to the following families: 10 species were Carabidae, two Staphylinidae, one Anisolabididae, one Chrysopidae, one Leiobunidae, one Nabidae, one Phalangiidae and one Scathophagidae. Concerning the origin of the predators, we recorded five native species: two Carabidae, one Leiobunidae, one Scathophagidae and one Nabidae. The other 13 predator species were introduced or indeterminate.

Effects of habitat disturbance on the reproductive ecology of Arum pictum ssp. sagittifolium: from pollination to seedling recruitment.

The loss of natural habitats may strongly affect the fitness of plants that depend on animals for reproduction. However, very little is known regarding the differential effects of habitat disturbance on the distinct phases of the reproductive cycle of plants, especially in non-rewarding species. We assessed the effects of habitat disturbance on the entire reproductive cycle of Arum pictum ssp. sagittifolium, a species with deceptive pollination that is endemic to the western Mediterranean Basin. For this, we performed hand-pollination and bagging experiments, evaluated the role of pollinators and dispersers on reproduction, and estimated seedling recruitment in three natural and three disturbed populations (according to their surrounding natural habitat) in Mallorca Island. Pollinators were sphaerocerid flies (mainly Coproica, with ~50 % of visits) and staphylinid beetles, and were required for sexual reproduction. Habitat disturbance differently affected the reproductive phases of A. pictum ssp. sagittifolium. Habitat disturbance had a positive effect on Shannon pollinator diversity (but not on pollinator richness), and total pollinator and Coproica abundance were three times higher in disturbed habitats, where overall seed production was also ~30 % higher in natural habitats. Seed production increased with Coproica abundance, but only in natural habitats. Seed dispersers of A. pictum ssp. sagittifolium were birds, mainly Sylvia atricapilla. Although habitat disturbance did not influence disperser diversity or abundance, the majority of seedlings appeared under adult plants and in natural habitats. Overall recruitment was higher in natural habitats, but this effect could have been masked by only assessing pollinator and disperser numbers, as processes related to the quality of these interactions might be influencing fitness. Our study highlights the need to study different reproductive phases and their multiple components and processes to properly understand the effects of habitat disturbance on the regeneration of plant populations.

Arthropod overwintering in agri-environmental scheme flowering fields differs among pollinators and natural enemies

Arthropod diversity in agricultural landscapes is important to maintain numerous ecosystem services. Most arthropods, however, need shelter habitats for overwintering embedded in agricultural landscapes. Habitats created by perennial agri-environmental schemes (AES) such as flowering fields can provide such overwintering places in addition to nesting sites and food resources. However, it is unclear, to which extent arthropods use such flowering fields for overwintering. We assessed the emergence of six functionally relevant arthropod groups (wild bees, hoverflies, wasps, carabid beetles, staphylinid beetles and spiders) with emergence cages on wheat fields and on four types of flowering fields differing in temporal continuity (age and time since last soil disturbance). Wild bee richness and abundance was highest in flowering fields that had undergone soil disturbance in the previous year while recent soil disturbance was clearly detrimental. Natural enemies were mostly unaffected by temporal continuity and hoverflies emerged most abundantly from wheat fields. Carabid beetle richness and densities of carabid and staphylinid beetles were positively affected by recent soil disturbance while hoverfly densities were negatively affected. Further assemblage composition of emerging wild bees and carabid beetles differed between habitat types. Our results indicate that most natural enemies overwinter even in flowering fields with low temporal continuity and recent soil disturbance while wild bees need habitats of higher temporal continuity for overwintering. We thus propose a mix of flowering habitats with different degrees of temporal continuity embedded in the agricultural landscape to make AES more effective towards the provisioning of overwintering sites for ecosystem service providers. We conclude that a better understanding of the overwintering ecology of different arthropod groups is required to counteract current biodiversity decline in agricultural landscapes.

Contrasting responses of terrestrial and aquatic consumers in riparian – stream networks to local and landscape level drivers of environmental change

The biodiversity of streams and riparian zones is highly interlinked by multiple cross-habitat flows of organisms, nutrients and materials, and are thus increasingly recognized as forming an extended “meta-ecosystem” network spanning both within and across entire catchments. However, current understanding of how these extended networks respond to environmental change is limited by the lack of studies quantifying the local and larger-scale drivers of biodiversity in both terrestrial and aquatic systems simultaneously. Using high-resolution species and environmental data from eight boreal riparian – stream meta-ecosystems, half of which were situated in forest and half in agricultural catchments, we quantified land-use impacts and the importance of catchment and local (riparian, instream) scale variables on the diversity and community composition of three epigeal arthropod groups (spiders and staphylinid and carabid beetles) and aquatic macroinvertebrates. All four organism groups responded to quantifiable environmental variables. Staphylinid beetle and spider assemblages differed significantly between forested and agricultural sites and were strongly correlated with riparian variables such as vegetation type and soil properties, but also instream variables such as conductivity and floating macrophytes. By contrast, carabid beetle and aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages did not differ between forested and agricultural sites and showed similar responses to catchment and local scale variables. Our results indicate that measures that only address local scale drivers of terrestrial biodiversity might be ineffective if the catchment-scale variables regulating aquatic biodiversity and aquatic – terrestrial linkages are not adequately addressed in ecosystem management.

Flower availability drives effects of wildflower strips on ground-dwelling natural enemies and crop yield

Wildflower strips have been heralded as a promising way to enhance ecosystem services by providing organisms which may help make farming less dependent on external inputs. However, recent studies show inconsistent effects on delivery of ecosystem services and crop yield, warranting a more detailed analysis of the factors determining the effects of wildflower strips. We examined how the natural enemy groups of spider, carabid beetle and staphylinid beetle, as well as aphid pest and crop yield respond to wildflower strips. We furthermore determined whether the response of natural enemies, aphids and crop yield depends on flower cover and species richness, and how this is influenced by fertilizer and insecticide applications to the crop in 16 winter wheat fields in the Netherlands. We used an experimental approach with a nested design that included all combinations of wildflower strips (present/absent), fertilizer application (yes/no) and insecticide application (yes/no). Presence of wildflower strips did not affect ground-dwelling natural enemies, aphids or crop yield. However, flower availability across wildflower strips and control margins was positively related to the abundance of the pooled number of examined natural enemies, spiders and carabid beetles. Positive effects in the crop were observed over limited distances; up to 5 m from the edge for spiders and wheat yield. The effects of flower availability and on-field management practices on natural enemies, aphids and wheat yield did not interact suggesting that, in our study, effects of flowers were not influenced by insecticide or fertilizer applications but were mainly additive. Our study indicates that cover and richness of wildflowers in field margin habitat, rather than establishment of wildflower strips per se, drove increases in natural enemies and crop yield. This suggests that more attention should be given to the optimization of establishment success of seed mixtures and management practices enhancing wildflower cover and diversity. Furthermore, biodiversity enhancing management of the herbaceous vegetation in linear landscape elements may represent a cost-effective alternative to boost ecosystem services regulating crop production in agricultural landscapes.

Checklist of Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) of El Salvador.

This paper is primarily a compilation of published data on the staphylinid beetle species reported for El Salvador. It is based on taxonomic and ecological literature, with inclusion of some new records from different entomological collections. Thirty eight genera and 96 species are reported in the list, including a first country record: Eulissus chalybaeus. Country-level distribution outside of El Salvador, locality references and topographic zones are included for each species. In the list, three endemic species are recorded: Seeversiella badia, S. minima and Stenus salvadorensis. It is remarkable that 14 genera (37%) and 52 species (54%) have only been reported at a country level in the literature, without a specific locality of collection, indicating the need for local inventories of this coleopteran family in the salvadoran territory.

A multitaxa assessment of the effectiveness of agri-environmental schemes for biodiversity management

Agri-environmental schemes (AES) aim to restore biodiversity and biodiversity-mediated ecosystem services in landscapes impoverished by modern agriculture. However, a systematic, empirical evaluation of different AES types across multiple taxa and functional groups is missing. Within one orthogonal design, we studied sown flowering AES types with different temporal continuity, size, and landscape context and used calcareous grasslands as seminatural reference habitat. We measured species richness of 12 taxonomic groups (vascular plants, cicadas, orthopterans, bees, butterflies, moths, hoverflies, flower visiting beetles, parasitoid wasps, carabid beetles, staphylinid beetles, and birds) representing 5 trophic levels. A total of 54,955 specimens were identified using traditional taxonomic methods, and bulk arthropod samples were identified through DNA metabarcoding, resulting in a total of 1,077 and 2,110 taxa, respectively. Species richness of most taxonomic groups, as well as multidiversity and richness of pollinators, increased with temporal continuity of AES types. Some groups responded to size and landscape context, but multidiversity and richness of pollinators and natural enemies were not affected. AES flowering fields supported different species assemblages than calcareous grasslands, but assemblages became more similar to those in seminatural grasslands with increasing temporal continuity. Our results indicate that AES flowering fields and seminatural grasslands function synergistically. Flowering fields support biodiversity even when they are relatively small and in landscapes with few remaining seminatural habitats. We therefore recommend a network of smaller, temporally continuous AES flowering fields of different ages, combined with permanent seminatural grasslands, to maximize benefits for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service delivery in agricultural landscapes.

Diversity and phylogenetic community structure across elevation during climate change in a family of hyperdiverse neotropical beetles (Staphylinidae)

Environmental stress from abiotic conditions imposes physiological limits on individuals within communities, and these stressful conditions can act as a filter on the species present in any given environment. Such abiotic stressors can reduce a community's diversity and make its composition more phylogenetically clustered. Using a decade of staphylinid beetle (Staphylinidae, Coleoptera, rove beetles) collections made across a 1500 m elevation gradient in northwestern Costa Rica (2008–2017) we asked what species lived there, how large and overlapping were the communities across this gradient, and what relationship was there between elevation and diversity. Using DNA barcodes for identification and phylogenetic estimates of community structure, we found high turnover across elevation, and that staphylinid diversity increased linearly with elevation. Because of this, we found staphylinid diversity was negatively related to surface area and temperature, and positively with precipitation. We suggest that historical biogeography and contemporary environmental stress have combined to produce these observed patterns. The forests in which these beetles are found are heating and drying rapidly and our finding that diversity increases with elevation suggests that there will be catastrophic biodiversity loss in the coming decades.

Imitation of fermenting fruits in beetle-pollinated Calycanthus occidentalis (Calycanthaceae)

Calycanthus (Calycanthaceae), a genus for which three species are described, belongs to an early diverging lineage of angiosperms. As far as known, all species have highly specialized sap beetle (Nitidulidae) pollination systems. While the floral scent is likely to play a key role in attracting the beetles to the flowers, its chemistry is not known for any of the species of this genus. Herein, we analyzed the floral scent of the species Calycanthus occidentalis by dynamic headspace and gas chromatography / mass spectrometry (GC/MS), and determined its floral visitors in plants cultivated in the Botanical Garden of the University of Ulm. The protogynous flowers had one-to-two days lasting anthesis, similar to what was previously reported for native stands in California. More than ten pollinating beetle species, mainly Nitidulidae and Staphylinidae, were collected from the floral chambers of pistillate-stage flowers and identified to species level by DNA barcoding. The high number of beetle species inside the flowers was surprising, especially considering that only the nitidulid species Colopterus truncatus was known so far as pollinator in native habitats. In addition, we observed some drosophilid flies on, but not inside the flowers, which suggests that they are not pollinators. The scent of flowers had a strong alcoholic note, especially in the pistillate phase. The GC/MS data revealed that the most prominent scent compounds were ethanol, ethyl acetate, acetoin, 2,3-butanediol isomers, acetoin acetate, 2,3-butandiol monoacetate, and 2,3-butandiol diacetate. Interestingly, besides scent compounds that were previously found in plants pollinated by nitidulid and staphylinid beetles, some other compounds, including acetoin acetate and 2,3-butandiol monoacetate, were observed for the first time as floral scent of plants attracting such beetles. However, further studies will be required to investigate whether the stereoisomeric pattern of these compounds differs among plant species and whether the stereoisomers attract different pollinator species. Overall, the scent of C. occidentalis is similar to that of other plant species that release scents reminiscent of fermenting fruits and are pollinated by beetles and/or drosophilid flies, such as Asimina triloba, Ceropegia crassifolia and Arum palaestinum.

Phylogeny and Density Dynamics of Wolbachia Infection of the Health Pest Paederus fuscipes Curtis (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae).

Simple SummaryWolbachia pipientis is a maternally inherited endosymbiont of arthropods and filarial nematodes, and was reported to occur in Paederus fuscipes, a beetle that causes dermatitis linearis and conjunctivitis in humans when they come in contact with skin. In this study, we report the phylogenetic position and density dynamics of Wolbachia in P. fuscipes. The phylogeny of Wolbachia, based on an analysis of MLST genotyping, showed that Wolbachia from P. fuscipes belongs to supergroup B. Quantitative PCR indicated that the infection density in adults was higher than in any other life stage (egg, larva or pupa), and that reproductive tissue in adults had the highest infection densities, with similar densities in the sexes. These findings provide a starting point for understanding Wolbachia infection dynamics in P. fuscipes, and interactions with other components of the microbiota.The maternally inherited obligate intracellular bacteria Wolbachia infects the reproductive tissues of a wide range of arthropods and affects host reproduction. Wolbachia is a credible biocontrol agent for reducing the impact of diseases associated with arthropod vectors. Paederus fuscipes is a small staphylinid beetle that causes dermatitis linearis and conjunctivitis in humans when they come into contact with skin. Wolbachia occur in this beetle, but their relatedness to other Wolbachia, their infection dynamics, and their potential host effects remain unknown. In this study, we report the phylogenetic position and density dynamics of Wolbachia in P. fuscipes. The phylogeny of Wolbachia based on an analysis of MLST genotyping showed that the bacteria from P. fuscipes belong to supergroup B. Quantitative PCR indicated that the infection density in adults was higher than in any other life stage (egg, larva or pupa), and that reproductive tissue in adults had the highest infection densities, with similar densities in the sexes. These findings provide a starting point for understanding the Wolbachia infection dynamics in P. fuscipes, and interactions with other components of the microbiota.

Pest control potential of adjacent agri‐environment schemes varies with crop type and is shaped by landscape context and within‐field position

Abstract Increasing natural pest control in agricultural fields is an important aim of ecological intensification. Combined effects of landscape context and local placement of agri‐environmental schemes (AES) on natural pest control and within‐field distance functions of natural pest control agents have rarely been addressed but might affect the distribution of biocontrol providers. Importantly, it is currently unknown whether ecosystem services provided by adjacent AES are consistent for different crop types during crop rotation. In this study, we assessed whether crop rotation from oilseed rape to cereals altered within‐field distance functions of ground‐dwelling predators from adjacent agri‐environmental fields along a gradient in landscape context. Additionally, we recorded crop pests, predation rates, parasitoids as well as crop yields on a total of 30 study sites. Distance functions varied between trophic levels: Carabid richness decreased while densities of carabid beetles, staphylinid beetles as well as crop yields increased towards the field centres. Distance functions of parasitoids and pests were modulated by the amount of semi‐natural habitat in the surrounding landscape, while the effects of adjacent AES were limited. Distance decay functions found for ground‐dwelling predators in oilseed rape in the previous year were not always present in cereals. Increasing distance to the field edge also increased effects of crop rotation on carabid beetle assemblages, indicating a source habitat function of field edges. Synthesis and applications. Distance functions of natural pest control are not universal and the effects of agri‐environmental schemes (AES) in different adjacent crops during crop rotation vary and depend on ecological contrasts. A network of semi‐natural habitats and spatially optimized AES habitats can benefit pest control in agricultural landscapes, but constraints as a result of crop type need to be addressed by annually targeted, spatially shifting agri‐environment schemes for different crops.

Elevational gradients of species richness, community structure, and niche occupation of tropical rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Steninae) across mountain slopes in Northern Thailand

We evaluated patterns of species richness, heterogeneity, niche occupation, and community structuring/similarity of staphylinid beetles of the subfamily Steninae across a 2500-m elevational gradient of a tropical mountain area in Northern Thailand. Predaceous Steninae were collected from a variety of habitat types. Increasing Sørensen dissimilarity with increasing elevation was explained by both species turnover (especially across the lower elevational zones) and declining numbers of species (especially across elevations > 1400 m). Unlike the strong decline of the number of species with increasing elevation, species density (i.e., total number of species divided by the number of collection sites at the respective elevational zone) showed a much smoother decline suggesting that the negative gradient in the number of species was superimposed by a land-area effect inherent in mountain shape. In both the litter-inhabiting species and waterfall-associated species, the numbers of species showed a mid-elevational peak. Species frequency was positively correlated to both elevational (“Dianous” and Stenus) and habitat niche width (Stenus only). Stenus showed high interspecific variety of wide to narrow niche widths for both elevation and habitat. Numbers of Palearctic and Oriental species deviated from statistical expectation, suggesting that climate niche conservatism has played a role in their elevational distribution. The distributional patterns of “Dianous” beetles, with their strong hygrobiont preferences associated with rocks in running water and waterfalls, are potentially explained by source–sink dynamics along mountain streams.

Effects of Strip Tillage in Sugar Beet on Density and Richness of Predatory Arthropods.

Strip tillage, in which tillage and seedbed preparation are limited to a narrow band where the subsequent crop is planted, provides many potential agronomic benefits, including reduced fuel and labor costs, reduced erosion, and improved soil tilth. Lower soil disturbance and enhanced water retention associated with strip tillage also may affect density and diversity of predatory arthropods, which have been little studied in sugar beet. We examined the effects of tillage (conventional versus strip) on the predatory epigeal arthropod fauna in sugar beet. Studies were conducted over three growing seasons (2010-2012) in Idaho using both fenced and unfenced pitfall traps to sample arthropods. Unfenced pitfall traps often captured a greater activity density and richness of predators, and showed no bias of higher captures in conventionally tilled plots as has been shown elsewhere. Total density of predators was higher in strip tillage only during 2011. Density and species richness of carabid beetles did not differ between tillage treatments during the course of the study. Density of the other major taxa (staphylinid beetles, spiders, and Opiliones) was higher under strip tillage during some years, especially early in the season, but richness showed little or no relationship with tillage. Predaceous arthropods might be favored by enhanced ground cover, higher humidity, more moderate temperatures, and/or less habitat disturbance associated with strip-tilled plots. The results suggest that certain groups of soil-dwelling predatory arthropods can be favored by strip tillage in sugar beet, which further adds to the benefits of conservation tillage in this system.

Porongurup, a new genus of pselaphine staphylinid beetles from Western Australia (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae, Faronitae).

A new genus and three new species of pselaphine staphylinid beetles, supertribe Faronitae, from Western Australia are described as follows: Porongurupgen. nov. is based on Porongurup angulatussp. nov., with the two additional new species, Porongurup clarkeisp. nov. and Porongurup tenuissp. nov. Illustrations of their habitus, and major diagnostic characters as well as a distribution map are included. A key to the species is provided.

Porongurup, a new genus of pselaphine staphylinid beetles from Western Australia (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae, Faronitae)

A new genus and three new species of pselaphine staphylinid beetles, supertribe Faronitae, from Western Australia are described as follows: Porongurupgen. nov. is based on Porongurup angulatussp. nov., with the two additional new species, Porongurup clarkeisp. nov. and Porongurup tenuissp. nov. Illustrations of their habitus, and major diagnostic characters as well as a distribution map are included. A key to the species is provided.