Microedus

LeConte, J. L., 1874

Species Guides

Microedus is a of small rove beetles in the Staphylinidae, Omaliinae, tribe Anthophagini. The genus was historically known only from North America but was expanded to the Palaearctic Region following taxonomic revision in 2022, which synonymized two Palaearctic genera (Altaiodromicus and Liophilydrodes) with Microedus. The genus currently contains 16 : seven in the Nearctic Region and nine in the Palaearctic Region. Members of this genus belong to the Hygrogeus group of omaliine rove beetles.

Microedus fenderi by (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon. Used under a CC-BY license.

Microedus austinianus by (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Microedus: /ˈmaɪ.kroʊˌɛ.dəs/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Microedus can be distinguished from related in the Hygrogeus group by genitalic and mouthpart ; the and mouthparts of the type M. austinianus have been illustrated for comparative purposes. Accurate identification to species level requires examination of male genitalia and is supported by the provided key to Palaearctic species.

Images

Distribution

Nearctic Region: western North America including California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Alaska (USA), Alberta, British Columbia (Canada). Palaearctic Region: Russia (Altai), Kazakhstan (Altai Mountains, Dzhungar Mountains), India (Uttarakhand, Kashmir), Japan. The spans temperate to montane regions across both hemispheres.

Similar Taxa

GeodromicusFormerly included M. brevitarsis, which was transferred to Microedus based on revised generic concepts; distinguished by differences in aedeagal structure.
AltaiodromicusSynonymized with Microedus in 2022; previously recognized as distinct for Palaearctic now placed in Microedus.
LiophilydrodesSynonymized with Microedus in 2022; served as replacement name for Lioplax and included multiple now transferred to Microedus.

More Details

Taxonomic History

The was established by LeConte in 1874 based on North American material. A major revision in 2022 (Zootaxa 5443) expanded the genus concept to include Palaearctic , resulting in 16 total species and establishing numerous new combinations and synonymies.

Species Diversity

Nearctic : M. austinianus, M. ewingi, M. fenderi, M. giulianii, M. laticollis, M. porterae, M. rogersi. Palaearctic species include M. brevitarsis, M. kastcheevi, M. schilenkovi, M. subtilis, and five additional combinations from former Liophilydrodes.