Aleochara

Aleochara is an unusual genus in the beetle family Staphylinidae, the Rove beetles; larvae of Staphylinidae occur in many assorted ecological roles, most being scavengers, predators or carrion feeders, but the larvae of at least those species of Aleochara whose life histories are known, are parasitoids; they feed in the puparia of suitable species of flies, killing the host in the process. Adult Aleochara are predators.

Aleochara
Aleochara kenyasinuosa
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Staphylinidae
Tribe: Aleocharini
Genus: Aleochara
Gravenhorst, 1802
Diversity
at least 150 species
Aleochara villosa
Aleochara asiatica

Aleochara are found worldwide except in Antarctica. There are at least 150 and possibly more than 400 species in 16 subgenera. The adults of many species can be found near dung or carrion, commonly feeding on the eggs, larvae, and puparia of various scatophagous and necrophagous Diptera.

The most extensively studied aleocharine rove beetle is Aleochara bilineata Gyllenhal, which is a significant biological control agent against some fly pests (notably Delia spp. in the family Anthomyiidae) of agricultural crops in the mustard and cabbage family Brassicaceae, such as cabbage, rutabaga, canola, and many others.

Among the species of this genus, Aleochara bilineata is very well studied, and Aleochara wrightii was named after Jane Wright, the entomologist who discovered it[1][2]

Subgenera

The genus Aleochara contains at least 150 and possibly more than 400 species, distributed into 16 subgenera. Below is a list of subgenera:[3]

  • Heterochara
  • Aleochara
  • Aidochara
  • Euryodma
  • Ceranota
  • Emplenota
  • Triochara
  • Maseochara
  • Echochara
  • Calochara
  • Mesochara
  • Xenochara
  • Rheochara
  • Polystomota
  • Coprochara
  • Megalogastria

See also

References
  1. Haritos, Victoria (2000). "Dr Jane Wright, Entomologist". Australian Academy of Science. Archived from the original on 29 November 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
  2. A.G. Duff (2012). Checklist of Beetles of the British Isles, second edition (PDF). Pemberley Books. ISBN 978-0-9573357-0-7.
  3. "forestis.rsvs.ulaval.ca". Archived from the original on 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2015-02-09.

Other sources
  • Klimaszewski, J. 1984. A revision of the genus Aleochara Gravenhorst in America north of Mexico (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada 129: 1-211.
  • Maus, C., B. Mittman, K. Peschke. 1998. Host records of parasitoid Aleochara Gravenhorst species (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) attacking puparia of cyclorrhapheous Diptera. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 45: 231-254.
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