Cryptophilus propinquus Reitter, 1874

Pentinsaari, Mikko, Anderson, Robert, Borowiec, Lech, Bouchard, Patrice, Brunke, Adam, Douglas, Hume, Smith, Andrew B. T. & Hebert, Paul D. N., 2019, DNA barcodes reveal 63 overlooked species of Canadian beetles (Insecta, Coleoptera), ZooKeys 894, pp. 53-150 : 53

Cryptophilus propinquus Reitter, 1874

Distribution.

This species was confused with Cryptophilus angustus (Rosenhauer, 1856) under the name Cryptophilus integer (Heer, 1841) until recently. Therefore, its distribution is not yet very well known. Cryptophilus propinquus was described from Japan, and has been recorded at least from Germany, India, Italy, Turkey, and the United States ( Esser 2016, 2017). Adventive in the Nearctic region (Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Wisconsin, United States ( Esser 2017), and British Columbia and Ontario, Canada).

Canadian records.

British Columbia: Victoria, 25-Jun-2014 to 02-Jul-2014 (1 ex, CBG); Victoria, 23-Jul-2014 to 30-Jul-2014 (2 exx, CBG). Ontario: Cambridge, 04-Jun-2015 to 11-Jun-2015 (1 ex, CBG); Guelph, 15-Jul-2010 to 01-Aug-2010 (1 ex, CBG); Guelph, 17-Sep-2017 (2 exx, CBG); Rouge National Urban Park, 15-Sep-2013 (1 ex, CBG).

Diagnostic information

(based on Esser 2016). Body length ca. 2 mm. Red-brown without black markings on the elytra. Sides of pronotum evenly rounded in dorsal view, no concavity before blunt hind angles. Meso- and metatibiae dilated distally, sometimes with a blunt angle on the dorsal edge in males, but not bent ventrad in either sex. Parameres relatively longer than in C. obliteratus , but shorter than in C. angustus . For habitus and genital figures, see Esser (2016) and Jens Esser’s homepage: http://cryptophagidae.de/Cryptophilus-Erotylidae-pleasing-fungus-beetles/

Bionomic notes.

This species is found in decaying plant material, e.g., in compost heaps ( Koch 1989b, Ruta et al. 2011). The DNA barcoded Canadian specimens were collected in Malaise traps in suburban residential areas, in pitfall traps in forest fragments, and by sifting compost heaps.

Comments.

Cryptophilus integer (Heer, 1841) is listed as occurring in Canada by ( Bousquet et al. 2013), but Esser (2016, 2017) discovered that the name is not valid and refers specimens identified as C. integer to two different species: C. propinquus Reitter, 1874 and C. angustus (Rosenhauer, 1856) (= C. simplex (Wollaston, 1857)). Esser (2017) reported that both of these species occur in the Nearctic region but listed no records from Canada for either species. We found only C. propinquus among the DNA barcoded Canadian specimens, but not C. angustus .