Species Philonthus politus

Classification · Explanation of Names · Identification · Range · Works Cited

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 Staphylininae

Tribe Staphylinini

Subtribe Philonthina

Genus Philonthus

Species politus (Philonthus politus)

Explanation of Names

Philonthus politus (Linnaeus 1758)

Identification

adult habitus(1); strong sexual dimorphism in width of head (well transverse in males)

Acrocostal suture (the fine line bordering the anteriour margin of terga) on first visible segments

of abdomen sharply angular in middle - this discriminates against most other species. Seen here:

Range

native to, and widespread across, the Palaearctic, adventive and widespread in NA (transcontinental); introduced long ago (ca. 1670)(2) and sometimes considered holarctic

Works Cited

1.	Borowiec L. (2007-) Iconographia Coleopterorum Poloniae

2.	Introduced Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) in the Maritime Provinces of Canada Majka C.G., Klimaszewski J. 2008. The Canadian Entomologist 140: 48-72.

Contributed by tom murray on 21 April, 2006 - 7:35am
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Boris Bueche, v belov
Last updated 19 March, 2021 - 11:48am

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