Belonuchus rufipennis (Fabricius)

Aballay, Fernando H., Chani-Posse, Mariana R., Ayón, María Rosana, Maldonado, María Belén & Centeno, Néstor D., 2014, An illustrated key to and diagnoses of the species of Staphylinidae (Coleoptera) associated with decaying carcasses in Argentina, Zootaxa 3860 (2), pp. 101-124 : 115

Belonuchus rufipennis (Fabricius)

( Figs. 12 , 50 )

Diagnosis (based on Smetana 1995). Belonuchus rufipennis can be recognized among other species of Belonuchus by the head, pronotum and two last abdominal segments black, elytra and first four abdominal segments reddishyellow to rufous, the antennal segments 6 to 10 transverse, the pronotum with two dorsal rows of setiferous punctures, each with five punctures, the transverse distance between punctures of elytra about as large to slightly larger than diameters of punctures and the area between the two basal lines of visible abdominal terga 2 and 3 with striate microsculpture. Length 5.0–8.0 mm.

Distribution. Belonuchus rufipennis is widely distributed in south-eastern North America, Central and South America ( Smetana 1995; Newton, unpublished data).

Bionomics. Belonuchus rufipennis has been reported from various decomposing organic matter, including carrion, dung, rotting vegetation forest leaf litter ( Smetana 1995). Adults of B. rufipennis were found in waterfilled flower bracts of the genus Heliconia ( Zingiberales : Heliconiaceae ) preying upon dipterous and lepidopterous larvae in that habitat ( Frank & Barrera 2010).

Figures

FIGURE 1 – 12. Habitus: 1, Atheta sp.; 2, Aleochara bonariensis Lynch; 3, A. puberula Klug; 4, A. signaticollis Fairmaire; 5, Anotylus Thomson; 6, Eulissus chalybaeus Mannerheim; 7, Neohypnus sp.; 8, Platydracus chrysotrichopterus Scheerpeltz; 9, Platydracus scabrosus (Curtis); 10; Creophilus maxillosus (Linnaeus); 11. Creophilus variegatus Mannerheim; 12, Belonuchus rufipennis (Fabricius).

FIGURE 50 – 51. Pronotum (lateral view): 50, Belonuchus rufipennis; 51, Philonthus bonariensis. Abbreviations: Lp, lateral puncture of pronotum.