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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Series Staphyliniformia » Rove, Carrion and Fungus Beetles (Staphylinoidea) » Rove Beetles (Staphylinidae) » Paederinae » Paederini » Paederina » Paederus

Genus Paederus

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Life Cycle · Remarks · Works Cited

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles)

No Taxon (Series Staphyliniformia)

Superfamily Staphylinoidea (Rove, Carrion and Fungus Beetles)

Family Staphylinidae (Rove Beetles)

Subfamily Paederinae

Tribe Paederini

Subtribe Paederina

Genus Paederus

Explanation of Names

Paederus Fabricius 1775

Numbers

15 spp. in our area, >600 worldwide(1)ж 3 spp. reach Canada (P. littorarius transcontinental + 2 only range into ON)(2)

Size

7-10 mm

Identification

brightly colored (red/orange & black/blue)

Range

worldwide and throughout NA; P. riparius is the only holarctic member of our fauna(1)

Habitat

moist habitats; adults come to lights

Life Cycle

eggs laid singly on moist substances and typically develop in 3-19 days; larvae pass through two instars before reaching adulthood

Remarks

some species contain a toxic chemical (pederin) in their hemolymph which causes contact dermatitis in humans, usually as a result of slapping the beetle and crushing it against exposed skin. The affected area becomes red, swollen, and itchy, causing the skin to peel when scratched.(3) Extracts of Paederus beetles have been used by the Chinese since at least 739 AD in the medicinal treatment of boils, nasal polyps, and ringworm.

Works Cited

1.	American Beetles, Volume I: Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga: Staphyliniformia Arnett, R.H., Jr., and M. C. Thomas. (eds.). 2000. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.

2.	Checklist of beetles (Coleoptera) of Canada and Alaska. Second edition Bousquet Y., Bouchard P., Davies A.E., Sikes D.S. 2013. ZooKeys 360: 1–402.

3.	Medical and Veterinary Entomology Gary Mullen, Lance Durden. 2002. Academic Press.

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 23 June, 2005 - 2:50am
Additional contributions by v belov
Last updated 22 May, 2019 - 5:23pm

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