Fauna of New Zealand Number 48 Scaphidiinae (Insecta : Coleoptera : Staphylinidae)

Ivan Löbl and Richard A B Leschen

There are about 1400 species of Scaphidiine beetles worldwide. Robust beetles,  generally black in colour and shiny, their interesting body form, morphology and biology make this group one of the more intrinsically interesting members of Staphylinidae. Although their relatives are predatory, all scaphidiines feed on fungus and often have very well defined host-use patterns. New Zealand is particularly important to the development of a stable classification for the entire world fauna, because it contains some of the most primitive members of the group.

In this contribution, the 23 species of New Zealand’s fauna are revised and illustrated, with one genus and 15 species described as new.  A key to the species is provided, as are diagnoses for the genera, including larval information where available. Distribution and other biological information is summarised for each species.

Twenty-one of the 23 New Zealand species are endemic. While some species are widespread throughout the country, others are more regionally distributed. About half are flightless and lack well-developed hind wings for flight. Most species are mainly forest dwelling and are collected by leaf litter sifting or by hand collecting from host fungi. Rarely collected species may be indicative of certain microhabitats that are threatened or rare.

Contributor Ivan Löbl was born in Bratislava, Slovakia. He studied entomology at college and completed a PhD at Komenius University, and assisted in the Dept of Entomology at the National Museum of Slovakia, focussing on Scaphidiinae. He then served as head of the Dept of Entomology at the Museum d’Histoire Naturelle in Geneva. He has published over 200 papers, having visited insect collections throughout the world. Since retirement, Ivan continues to work on the taxonomy of staphylinids and the Catalogue of the Palearctic Coleptera.

Contributor Rich Leschen was born in Arkansas, USA and raised in St Louis. He first became interested in scaphidiines when doing his Masters thesis at the University of Arkansas where he studied fungus beetles, and collected Scaphidiinae. He has published over 70 papers detailing his work on world Coleoptera, and since joining Landcare Research he has maintained an interest in Coleoptera systematics and an involvement with the local and international beetle community, and is science editor of the New Zealand Entomologist, and co-editor of the Handbook of Zoology on Coleoptera.

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Author: Ivan Löbl and Richard A B Leschen
ISBN: 978-0-47-809353-7
Publisher: Manaaki Whenua Press
Publication date: 2003
Pages: 94
Format: Paperback