Geostiba
Thomson, 1858
Geostiba is a of rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in the Aleocharinae, tribe Geostibini. The genus contains over 250 described distributed across Europe, Asia, North America, and Australia. Many species are placed in subgenera including Sibiota, Tropogastrosipalia, Sipalotricha, and Typhlusida. Species are predominantly found in temperate regions, with significant diversity in the Caucasus, Mediterranean, and Appalachian Mountains. Several species have been documented as of nymphs in soil .
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Geostiba: //d͡ʒiːəˈstɪbə//
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Identification
Small aleocharine rove beetles with typical staphylinid body plan: short exposing most of the , , and compact body form. Subgenera distinguished by combinations of characters including pronotal and abdominal , male genitalia, and tarsal formula. Nearctic identified using key characters including body size, coloration, punctation patterns, and .
Habitat
Soil and forest litter ; associated with montane and temperate forest .
Distribution
Europe (including Mediterranean region, Scandinavia, British Isles), Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia), Turkey, Asia Minor, Australia, and North America (United States: Tennessee, North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, Wisconsin, California, Oregon; Canada: Québec, Newfoundland).
Ecological Role
Human Relevance
Potential agents for . The documented on Ixodes ricinus nymphs suggests some may contribute to natural suppression of tick-borne .
Similar Taxa
- MeoticaFormerly confused with Geostiba; Meotica pallens was previously placed in Sipaliella, now synonymized with Meotica ( in tribe Oxypodini). Distinguished by tribal placement and morphological characters.
- StenusAnother large of staphylinid beetles with similar body form; distinguished by different mouthpart structure and labial palp .
Sources and further reading
- BugGuide
- Wikipedia
- GBIF taxonomy match
- iNaturalist taxon
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Catalogue of Life
- What Eats Ticks? Study Puts an Old Technique to New Use
- A revision of Nearctic species of the genus Geostiba Thomson, 1858 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae)
- Two new species and additional records of the genus Geostiba Thomson, 1858 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) from Turkey
- On the Geostiba fauna of Georgia. VII. Five new species from the Kakheti region and additional records (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae)
- Revision of Geostiba of the West Palaearctic region. XXVIII. New species and records from the Georgian Caucasus (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae)