Epuraea unicolor (Olivier, 1790)

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

Epuraea unicolor (Olivier, 1790) Figure 32

Distribution.

Native and widespread in the Palaearctic region. Recorded from North Africa and all of Europe to the Russian Far East and Japan ( Audisio 1993; Jelínek and Audisio 2007) One of the most common and abundant species of the genus in Europe ( Audisio 1993). Adventive in the Nearctic region (Ontario, Canada).

Canadian records.

Ontario: Guelph, 01-Nov-2009 (1 ex, CBG); Guelph, 22-Apr-2017 (1 ex, CBG); Guelph, 06-Jun-2018 (3 exx, CBG); Guelph, 30-Jun-2018 (1 ex, CBG); Rouge National Urban Park, 03-Jun-2013 to 09-Jun-2013 (1 ex, CBG).

Diagnostic information

(based on Audisio 1993). Body length 2.3-3.2 mm. Habitus elongate, subparallel, rather flattened ( Fig. 32A ). Color variable, body, legs, and antennae usually yellowish or red-brown, pronotum and elytra often laterally paler, antennal club usually darkened. Elytra variably darkened, with a rounded dark spot on each elytron at the apical third, or with more extensive, irregular but symmetric dark patterns. Antennae with club ca. 1.5 times as long as wide. Head with subcircular, moderately impressed punctation, punctures approximately the size of the ommatidia, separated by 0.5-0.6 times their diameter, interspace with fine microsculpture. Punctures on pronotum and elytra slightly larger, but with similar microsculpture and relative distance between them. Pronotum 1.45-1.65 times as wide as long, broadest in the basal third, abruptly narrowed towards the protruding hind angles, anterior edge with a deep, wide, trapezoidal emargination. Elytral apices separately broadly rounded. Metaventrite with a wide V-shaped emargination at the hind edge. Male mesotibia distally slightly widened, with a small tooth at the inner margin ( Fig. 32B ). Female mesotibia unmodified. Male genitalia as in Fig. 32C−E .

Bionomic notes.

This species occurs in decaying and fermenting organic material (e.g., fruit, fruiting bodies of fungi, tree sap), under the bark of dead trees etc., probably feeding on the microbes decomposing these materials ( Audisio 1993). Often found in anthropogenic habitats such as orchards, cultivated fields, and garbage dumps ( Audisio 1993). The Canadian specimens were collected by sifting a compost heap in a suburban backyard, in a Malaise trap in a residential area, and in pitfall traps at a riverside in Rouge National Urban Park.

Comments.

The lack of a modern revision of North American Epuraea prevents detailed comparison to other Canadian species at the moment. Epuraea unicolor can be reliably separated by DNA barcodes from all other Palaearctic and Nearctic Epuraea species sampled so far. The diagnostic information above, in particular the male mesotibia and genitalia, should allow morphological identification.

Figures

Figure 32. Epuraea unicolor (Olivier) A habitus, L. Borowiec B male mesotibia C penis D parameres, ventral view E parameres, lateral view. Scale bars: 1.0 mm (A), 0.2 mm (B-E).