Strigota ambigua (Erichson, 1839)

Majka, Christopher, Klimaszewski, Jan & Lauff, Randolph, 2008, The coastal rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) of Atlantic Canada: a survey and new records, ZooKeys 2 (2), pp. 115-150 : 126

Strigota ambigua (Erichson, 1839)

NOVA SCOTIA: Digby Co.: Beaver River, 16-23.VII.1993, J. Cook, sand dunes, pitfall trap, (5, JCC). PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND: Kings Co.: Launching, 26.VIII.2003, C.G. Majka, coastal barrier beach: beneath coastline drift at the top of the littoral zone, (4, CGMC).

Strigota ambigua ( Fig 3 .) is newly recorded in Canada ( Fig. 12 ). It is widespread in the United States across a band from Connecticut, New York and New Jersey, south to North Carolina, west through Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas, to Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and California on the Pacific coast (Gusarov 2003). Almost nothing is known of the bionomics of this species. Gusarov (2001 -2003) recorded it from along riverbanks and in flood refuse. All the specimens found in the Maritime Provinces have been in sand dune and beach-drift environments. At Beaver River, NS other characteristic coastline species collected with S. ambigua include Hypocaccus fraternus , Stenus erythropus, Aegialia opifex Horn, 1887, and Blapstinus metallicus . For co-occurring coastline species found at Launching (PEI) see the preceding account on Oligota parva .

Figures

Figs 1-4. Dorsal habitus: Fig. 1, Acrotona avia; Fig. 2, Oligota parva; Fig. 3, Strigota ambigua; Fig. 4, Myrmecopora vaga.

Fig. 12. The distribution of Micralymma marinum, Aleochara litoralis, Oligota parva, Acrotona avia, and Strigota ambigua in Atlantic Canada.