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Subfamily Aleocharinae
Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)
Superfamily Staphylinoidea (Rove, Carrion and Fungus Beetles)
Family Staphylinidae (Rove Beetles)
Subfamily Aleocharinae
Numbers The Aleocharinae is one of the largest lineages, and taxonomically the most difficult lineage, of staphylinid beetles. It includes 52 tribes, over 1,000 described and probably valid genera and over 12,000 described species. The great described diversity of these beetles only hints at the true diversity of aleocharines, with many thousands of species, and numerous higher taxa, remaining to be described from throughout the world, especially in tropical regions. - Tree of Life Size Average size is about 3 mm (1)
Aleocharines are mostly small to minute beetles. A few are as large as 10 millimeters in length, but the vast majority are 3-5 millimeters in length, and a few are 1 millimeter or less in length, making them among the smallest of beetles. - Tree of Life Identification Identifying genera of the subfamily Aleocharinae is distinctly challenging. This is primarily a result of the small size in most taxa and the consequently minute size of many distinctive features, coupled with the vast number of valid taxa, many of which are superficially similar. (1)
Correct counting of tarsomeres is central to identification of the Aleocharinae genera. Given their tiny size, viewing the tarsi under high magnification (70-100X or more) is recommended. (1)Habitat Aleocharines are distributed throughout the world in virtually all terrestrial habitats, where they are among the most abundant and diverse of the microcoleoptera in many microhabitats. - Tree of Life Remarks ...the virtual lack of illustrated keys and descriptions of aleocharines for most geographical regions make[s] the Aleocharinae one of the most taxonomically difficult groups of beetles. For example, Casey (1906, 1911), who described most North American aleocharines, did not provide keys to most taxa, and recent comprehensive identification guides (Arnett 1968, Moore and Legner 1974, 1979) did not provide keys to aleocharine genera. Consequently, it is virtually impossible for a specialist in the Staphylinidae to identify the vast majority of aleocharines from most geographic regions even to genus, much less to species, using the available literature. - Tree of Life Print References Casey, T.L. 1906. Observations on the staphylinid groups Aleocharinae and Xantholinini. Trans. Acad. Sci. Saint Louis 16: 125-434.
Casey, T.L. 1911. New American species of Aleocharinae and Myllaeninae. Mem. Coleopt. 2: 1-259. Internet References Aleocharinae - Tree of Life
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