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Genus Paederus

Malcolm McElvaney's rove beetle - Paederus Staphylinid beetle - Paederus Gorgous Rove Beetle - Paederus Red Rover - Paederus Rove beetle - Paederus littorarius Rove - Paederus Red RoveBeetle - Paederus Florida Beetle for ID - Paederus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
No Taxon (Series Staphyliniformia)
Superfamily Staphylinoidea
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.