Acritus komai
Lewis, 1879
clown beetle
Acritus komai is a small clown beetle ( Histeridae) described by Lewis in 1879. The exhibits a remarkably broad geographic distribution spanning Africa, Europe, Asia, North America, and Oceania. It belongs to the Abraeinae, a group of diminutive histerids often associated with decaying organic matter. The species name honors a person, following the Japanese surname 'Komai'.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Acritus komai: //əˈkraɪtəs koʊˈmaɪ//
These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.
Distribution
Documented from Africa (South Africa, Mauritius, Réunion, Djibouti, Cape Verde Islands, Ivory Coast), Europe (including Turkey), North Africa (Morocco, Tunisia), Middle East (UAE), Asia (Japan, China, Vietnam, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia), North America (western Canada: Alberta; western USA: California, Oregon), and Oceania (Solomon Islands, Guam, Mariana Islands, Hawaiian Islands, Paraguay). The GBIF records indicate 11 European occurrence records.
More Details
Taxonomic status note
The Catalogue of Life lists this as a 'synonym', though GBIF and other sources treat it as accepted. This discrepancy may reflect ongoing taxonomic revision or regional treatments.
Collection history
The has been collected across diverse biogeographic realms, suggesting either high capability or potential cryptic species complexity given the broad distribution pattern.