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Genus Platystethus

Rove beetle - Platystethus degener Staphylinidae - ? - Platystethus degener  Staphylinidae - ? - Platystethus americanus Another Staphylinid? - Platystethus degener Platystethus sp. - Platystethus spiculus Platystethus sp. - Platystethus spiculus Platystethus sp. - Platystethus spiculus Platystethus
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 Oxytelinae (Spiny-legged Rove Beetles)
Tribe Oxytelini
Genus Platystethus
Explanation of Names
Platystethus Mannerheim 1830
Numbers
3 spp. (of which one adventive) in our area(1), >50 total(2)
Identification
key to N-American species:
1. elytra distinctly bicoloured, a pallid macula on disc of each (may extend to most of elytron) => P. degener
elytra brown to black ... 2
2 head [almost] impunctate, with three longitudinally impressed lines on each side => P. spiculus
head quite densely punctate, one impressed line near inner eye margin only => P. americanus
Range
most of the world and across NA(2)(1)
Habitat
native spp. in dung, the adventive P. degener in streamedge habitats(1)
Remarks
Males have wider head and a pair of clypeal horns [American spp.]