Actocharis is a genus of beetles and the only genus in the tribe Actocharini.[1]

Actocharis
Actocharis readingii
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Staphylinidae
Subfamily: Aleocharinae
Tribe: Actocharini
Bernhauer & Schubert, 1911
Genus: Actocharis
Sharp, 1870[1]
Species

Distribution

edit

Actocharis species are found underneath seaweed and other debris in the intertidal zone of sandy beaches along the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Europe and are rarely collected due to this restricted habitat.[2]

Description

edit

Members of this genus are 1–1.5 mm (0.039–0.059 in) long, narrow, and parallel sided.[2] They can be identified by their 4-4-5 tarsal formula and by the structure of their mouthparts, which include two-segmented labial palps and lacinia that are longer than the galea.[2]

Taxonomy

edit

Actocharis is placed in the tribe Actocharini, which was erected in 1911, as its only genus. The genus has been placed in several other tribes by different authors, including Homalotini, Myllaenini, and Phytosini, and in the 1920s it was briefly placed in a different subfamily Oxytelinae.[2] Recent studies have revealed morphological and phylogenetic similarities between Actocharini and another coastal tribe, the Liparocephalini, which raises the hypothesis that they should be synonymized.[2][3]

Species

edit

Three species have been recognized:[4]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Actocharis Sharp, 1870 | COL". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2023-05-09.
  2. ^ a b c d e Orlov, Igor; Newton, Alfred F.; Solodovnikov, Alexey (November 8, 2021). "Phylogenetic review of the tribal system of Aleocharinae, a mega-lineage of terrestrial arthropods in need of reclassification". Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research. 59 (8): 1903–1938. doi:10.1111/jzs.12524.
  3. ^ Orlov, Igor; Leschen, Richard A.B.; Żyła, Dagmara; Solodovnikov, Alexey (August 8, 2021). "Total-evidence backbone phylogeny of Aleocharinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)". Cladistics. 37 (4): 343–374. doi:10.1111/cla.12444. PMID 34478192.
  4. ^ "Actocharis Sharp, 1870". GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Retrieved 2023-05-09.