Aleochara asiatica Kraatz, 1859 male (7147588411)

''Aleochara'' is a genus in the

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

family

Staphylinidae The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With roughly 63,000 species in thousands of genera, the ...

, the

Rove beetle The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra (wing covers) that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With roughly 63,000 species in thousands of genera, the ...

s; 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

parasitoid In evolutionary ecology, a parasitoid is an organism that lives in close association with its host (biology), host at the host's expense, eventually resulting in the death of the host. Parasitoidism is one of six major evolutionarily stable str ...

s; they feed in the puparia of suitable species of flies, killing the host in the process. Adult ''Aleochara'' are predators. ''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 Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a herbivorous feeding b ...

Diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advanced ...

. The most extensively studied aleocharine rove beetle is ''

Aleochara bilineata ''Aleochara'' is a 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 '' ...

'' Gyllenhal, which is a significant

biological control Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, such as insects, mites, weeds, and plant diseases, using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or other natural mechanisms, but typically also invo ...

agent against some fly pests (notably '' Delia'' spp. in the family

Anthomyiidae The Anthomyiidae are a large and diverse family of Muscoidea flies. Most look rather like small houseflies, but are commonly drab grey. The genus ''Anthomyia'', in contrast, is generally conspicuously patterned in black-and-white or black-and- ...

) of agricultural crops in the mustard and cabbage family

Brassicaceae Brassicaceae () or (the older) Cruciferae () is a medium-sized and economically important family of flowering plants commonly known as the mustards, the crucifers, or the cabbage family. Most are herbaceous plants, while some are shrubs. The le ...

, such as

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of ''Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.&nb ...

rutabaga Rutabaga (; North American English) or swede (British English and some Commonwealth English) is a root vegetable, a form of ''Brassica napus'' (which also includes rapeseed). Other names include Swedish turnip, neep (Scots), and turnip (Scott ...

canola Close-up of canola blooms Canola flower Rapeseed oil is one of the oldest known vegetable oils. There are both edible and industrial forms produced from rapeseed, the seed of several cultivars of the plant family Brassicaceae. Historically, i ...

, and many others. Among the species of this genus, ''

'' is very well studied, and ''

Aleochara wrightii ''Aleochara'' is a 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 ' ...

'' was named after Jane Wright, the

entomologist Entomology () is the scientific study of insects, a branch of zoology. In the past the term "insect" was less specific, and historically the definition of entomology would also include the study of animals in other arthropod groups, such as arach ...

who discovered it

Subgenera

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

Aleochara ''Aleochara'' is a 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 '' ...

* Aidochara * Euryodma * Ceranota * Emplenota * Triochara * Maseochara * Echochara * Calochara * Mesochara * Xenochara * Rheochara * Polystomota * Coprochara * Megalogastria

References

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. {{Taxonbar, from=Q1941985 Aleocharinae genera Beetles of Europe Beetles of North America Taxa named by Johann Ludwig Christian Gravenhorst

Subgenera

See also

References

Other sources