PEET - Austral Staphylinidae

The beetle (Insecta: Coleoptera) family Staphylinidae (common name “rove beetles”) is one of the largest families of animals, presently including over 47,000 described species placed in roughly 3200 genera, grouped in up to 31 subfamilies, with many more species and genera yet to be described.

Staphylinidae in general are small beetles (2-8 mm), with some forms smaller (about 0.5 mm) or larger (up to 40-50 mm). Most staphylinids have a striking “non-beetle” appearance because of the flexible elongate body with shortened elytra and thus more or less exposed abdomen. Dorsally from three to more apical abdominal tergites are visible. From underside of the beetle, six or, occasionally, seven sterna are visible on the abdomen. Staphylinids, with few exceptions, have contiguous procoxae. There are some atypical Staphylinidae that do not match this diagnosis, but they constitute a very minor part of the whole family.

Only a tiny fraction of Staphylinid larvae is described. It is difficult to separate staphylinid larvae from closely related families, but all have mandibles without molar lobes and most have a pair of articulated urogomphi, and maxilla with fixed undivided inner lobe. They can be separated from the often similar-looking larvae of Carabidae by having only 5 (instead of 6) leg segments and never having a pair of tarsal claws (as do most carabids).

This elongate and flexible body allows staphylinids to dwell in litter/humus and other substrates much more effectively than many other beetles/insects do. Although able to populate such shelters and other cryptic microhabitats, which are unavailable to many other animals, most staphylinids are at the same time good flyers (having functional wings compactly folded under their short elytra). Such peculiarities in combination with great reproductive potential and other advanced features of holometabolous insects make staphylinids an evolutionarily very successful animal group.

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