Army ant middens - Home and nursery of a diverse beetle fauna.

Army ants provide nourishment to a large variety of animals. This includes birds that feed on animals flushed out by army ant raids, symbiotic arthropods that consume the ants' prey or their brood, and other arthropods that scavenge on army ant refuse deposits. The latter have not received much attention, and the few published studies lack detailed species identifications. Here we provide a first systematic inventory of the beetle fauna associated with refuse deposits of Eciton army ants, with a focus on Eciton burchellii. We collected 8364 adult beetles, 511 larvae, and 24 eggs from 34 deposits at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica. We used a combination of DNA barcoding and morphology to identify a subset of 436 specimens to species level. The samples included several new species, and we here formally describe two water scavenger beetles (Hydrophilidae). Refuse deposits harbored a diverse beetle fauna. The identified subset consisted of 91 beetle species from 12 families, with rove beetles being the most abundant and diverse visitors. Of the 85 species found with E. burchellii, 50 species were collected from only one or two refuse deposits. Conversely, seven species were found in 10 or more refuse deposits, indicating a certain level of habitat specialization. We matched adults and immatures for 22 beetle species via DNA barcodes, demonstrating that army ant middens also serve as a beetle nursery. The present survey highlights the significant ecological function of army ants as promoters of biodiversity and their status as keystone species in tropical rainforests.

A new species of Zoraptera, Zorotypuskomatsui sp. nov. from Cameroon and a redescription of Zorotypusvinsoni Paulian, 1951 (Polyneoptera, Zoraptera).

A new species of the order Zoraptera, Zorotypuskomatsui Matsumura, Maruyama, Ntonifor & Beutel, sp. nov., is described from Cameroon. The female and male morphology of another species, Z.vinsoni, is re-described, and its new distribution in Madagascar is recorded. A particular focus is on the male postabdominal morphology. This is apparently a crucial body region in the very small order with an extreme variation of the genital apparatus but otherwise a very uniform morphology. The male of the newly described species shares rudimentary male genitalia and well-developed postabdominal projections with the distantly related Spermozorosimpolitus, apparently a result of parallel evolution. Whether males of Z.komatsui also perform external sperm transfer like S.impolitus remains to be shown. The collecting of the material used for this study suggests that the present knowledge of zorapteran species diversity of the Afrotropical region is very fragmentary.

Revision of the Genera Pseudatheta Cameron and Phymatura Sahlberg (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae) from Japan.

New taxonomic and distributional data for five species of the genera Pseudatheta Cameron, 1920 and Phymatura Sahlberg, 1876 from Japan are provided, and the following seven species are recognized: Pseudatheta crenulicauda (Bernhauer, 1907), comb. nov. (= Pseudatheta similis Pace, 2010, syn. nov.); Pseudatheta taiwanensis Pace, 2008; Pseudatheta hilaris (Sharp, 1888), comb. nov.; Pseudatheta cooteri Pace, 1998; Pseudatheta elegans Cameron, 1920; Phymatura japonica Cameron,1933, stat. rev. (= Phymatura cooteri Assing, 2005, syn. nov.); and Phymatura russa Assing, 2021. Pseudatheta cooteri, Ps. elegans, Ps. taiwanensis, and Ph. russa, are recorded from Japan for the first time. Platyola oligotinula (Sharp, 1888), comb. rev. is excluded from Pseudatheta and confirmed as a member of the genus Platyola Mulsant & Rey, 1875. Lectotypes are designated for two species, Atheta crenulicauda (= Ps. crenulicauda comb. nov.) and Homalota oligotinula (= Platyola oligotinula comb. rev.). Although the two genera were reviewed in this paper, there are some diagnostic problems in the two genera and in species classification and identification, and further studies, including DNA analysis, are required in the future. We also examined specimens from outside of Japan relevant to the taxonomic study of Japanese species.

Pseudothinusa sunahama, a new genus and species of the tribe Athetini (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae) from sandy beaches in Japan.

Pseudothinusa sunahama Tasaku & Maruyama gen. et sp. nov. (Aleocharinae) is described based on specimens collected from sandy beaches on the islands of Hokkaidô, Honshû, Shikoku, and Kyûshû, Japan. Pseudothinusa sunahama is the first Japanese athetine species discovered with spines on the front and middle tibiae.

Taxonomic notes on the genus Pseudoligota Cameron (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) from Japan.

The genus Pseudoligota Cameron, 1920 is discovered in Japan for the first time, resulting in two taxonomic changes: a new combination P. antennata (Bernhauer, 1907), comb. nov., and a new species P. nozakii Hashizume, Yamamoto & Maruyama, sp. nov. from Okinawa Prefecture, southwestern Japan. The former species has long been placed in the genus Oligota Mannerheim, 1830. This is the fourth genus in the subtribe Gyrophaenina known from Japan. The species P. affinis Cameron, 1939 from India and Peninsular Malaysia is placed as a junior synonym of P. antennata.

A description of the second species of the genus Platybolium Blair, 1938 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) collected from a nest of Pheidole singaporensis Özdikmen, 2010 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Thailand.

Platybolium watanai sp. nov., the second species of the genus, is described from Thailand, with illustrations of the diagnostic characters, including the defensive glands and the cuticular structures of females. The type species of the genus, Platybolium alvearium Blair, 1938, is known from beehives in a wide range of the Oriental region, but the new species was found in an ant nest of Pheidole singaporensis Özdikmen, 2010. Myrmecophily in the new species is discussed.

Wow assingi gen. and spec. n., with description of a new tribe of Aleocharinae (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae).

A new tribe, Wowini Jaoszyski, Maruyama & Klimaszewski, trib. n., based on a new genus, Wow Jaoszyski, Maruyama & Klimaszewski, gen. n., is established to accommodate an extraordinary new species of aleocharine rove beetles, Wow assingi Jaoszyski, Maruyama & Klimaszewski, spec. n. The species was recently discovered in Yunnan, China. It shows a set of characters unknown in this combination in any other nominal taxon of Aleocharinae. The external morphology and genital male structures are illustrated and discussed. A possible close relationship of the new tribe with Oxypodinini Fenyes is proposed as a working hypothesis, and a parallel evolution of unusual cephalic transformations between Wowini and Keratodegnathus Pace (Lomechusini) is discussed.

Review of the intertidal rove beetle tribe Liparocephalini Fenyes (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae) from Japan.

Japanese fauna of the intertidal rove beetle of tribe Liparocephalini Fenyes, 1918 is reviewed and six genera and 26 species are recognized. A new genus, Rotundicephala Tasaku, Ono & Maruyama, gen. n., is described to include R. pacifica (Sawada, 1971) comb. n. (type species; transferred from Diaulota), R. koreana (Yoo & Ahn, 2021), comb. n. (transferred from Diaulota) and R. koheii Tasaku, Ono & Maruyama, sp. n. Four new species are described: Diaulota decipiens Tasaku, Ono & Maruyama, sp. n., which has been confused with D. aokii, D. orientalis Tasaku, Ono & Maruyama, sp. n., R. koheii Tasaku, Ono & Maruyama, sp. n., and Paramblopusa sumikawai Tasaku, Ono & Maruyama, sp. n. Three species, Amblopusa brevipes Casey, 1893, D. submarina Ahn, 2023 and R. koreana, are reported from Japan for the first time. We provide keys to genera and species, illustrations of mouth parts and diagnostic characteristics of each genus, and diagnostic characteristics and illustrations of the genitalia of almost all species. Biogeographical patterns of Diaulota and Rotundicephala gen. n., and the tribal range and monophyly of Liparocephalini are discussed. Three genus-group: the Liparocephalus genus-group, the Amblopusa genus-group, and the Paramblopusa genus-group are recognized in the tribe, but Baeostethus Broun, 1909 known from New Zealand is regarded as incertae sedis. The genera Ashella Klimaszewski, 2020 and Ianmoorea Ahn, 2006 are excluded from Liparocephalini.

Revision of the genus Plesiochara Sawada (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae).

The Japanese species of the genus Plesiochara Sawada, 1989 (tribe Aleocharini) are revised. Four species are recognized from Japan: Plesiochara japonica (Sharp, 1874) comb. nov. (removed from Ocalea Erichson), P. nitida Sawada, 1990, P. inflexa sp. nov. and P. rufula sp. nov. Plesiochara fusca Sawada, 1989 is synonymized with P. japonica, syn. nov. All species are described or redescribed, and a key is provided.

Taxonomy and phylogeny of the Japanese species of the genus Dasycerus Brongniart (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Dasycerinae) with description of a new species and notes on D. poseidon Hu amp; Liang.

Dasycerus occultus Hashizume Maruyama, sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on specimens from Japan (Honshu and Kyushu). The holotype of D. japonicus Nakane, 1963 was revisited. The D. japonicus illustrated by Lbl Calame (1996) was found not to be D. japonicus but rather to be D. occultus sp. nov. The discussion also includes D. poseidon Hu Liang, 2021 from Taiwan. The phylogenetic relationships of this genus from Japan based on mitochondrial DNA sequences are discussed.

Synopsis of the Japanese species of Aleocharinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), with review of the type specimens II. Genus Myllaena Erichson of tribe Myllaenini,with redescription of four Japanese species.

Four Japanese species the rove beetle genus Myllaena are redescribed based on the type material. They are: M. japonica Sharp, 1888, M. lewisi Cameron, 1933, M. rufotestacea Cameron, 1933, and M. torrentum Cameron, 1933. Myllaena chinoculata Pace, 1998 described from China is synonymized with M. lewisi. All of these species are illustrated and mapped.

Taxonomy of Homoeusa Kraatz, 1856 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from the East Palearctic: I. Homoeusarufescens (Sharp, 1874) and a new allied species.

There is insufficient information to identify most species of the myrmecophilous rove beetle genus Homoeusa. In this paper, after examining the type material, Homoeusarufescens (Sharp, 1874) is redescribed in detail and its new allied species Homoeusaovata sp. nov. is described. We also observed the behavior of these two species in the field; the behavior was similar to that reported for H.acuminata (Märkel, 1842). A checklist of Homoeusa from the Palearctic and Nearctic is also provided.

Erratum: Corrigendum: Nozaki T, Maruyama M (2022) Taxonomy of Homoeusa Kraatz, 1856 (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from the East Palearctic: I. Homoeusarufescens (Sharp, 1874) and a new allied species. ZooKeys 1121: 39-58. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1121.85489.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.1121.85489.].

Review of the genera Rondoniella Kaszab, 1970 and Durandius Kaszab, 1970 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), with description of R. hosoishii sp. nov. from an ant nest in Cambodia.

The enigmatic tenebrionid genera Rondoniella Kaszab, 1970 and Durandius Kaszab, 1970 are briefly reviewed and diagnosed. Rondoniella hosoishii sp. nov. is described based on specimens collected from a nest of the arboreal ant Crematogaster sewardi in Cambodia. Because of where R. hosoishii sp. nov. was collected and its specialized morphology, the members of Rondoniella and its close relative Durandius are considered to be myrmecophilous, as was suggested in the original description. They also have reduced mouthparts, which are unknown in other tenebrionids, and they might receive food from ants by trophallaxis.

A remarkable legion of guests: Diversity and host specificity of army ant symbionts.

Tropical rainforests are among the most diverse biomes on Earth. While species inventories are far from complete for any tropical rainforest, even less is known about the intricate species interactions that form the basis of these ecological communities. One fascinating but poorly studied example are the symbiotic associations between army ants and their rich assemblages of parasitic arthropod guests. Hundreds of these guests, or myrmecophiles, have been taxonomically described. However, because previous work has mainly been based on haphazard collections from disjunct populations, it remains challenging to define species boundaries. We therefore know little about the species richness, abundance and host specificity of most guests in any given population, which is crucial to understand co-evolutionary and ecological dynamics. Here, we report a quantitative community survey of myrmecophiles parasitizing the six sympatric Eciton army ant species in a Costa Rican rainforest. Combining DNA barcoding with morphological identification of over 2,000 specimens, we discovered 62 species, including 49 beetles, 11 flies, one millipede and one silverfish. At least 14 of these species were new to science. Ecological network analysis revealed a clear signal of host partitioning, and each Eciton species was host to both specialists and generalists. These varying degrees in host specificities translated into a moderate level of network specificity, highlighting the system's level of biotic pluralism in terms of biodiversity and interaction diversity. By providing vouchered DNA barcodes for army ant guest species, this study provides a baseline for future work on co-evolutionary and ecological dynamics in these species-rich host-symbiont networks across the Neotropical realm.

A new termitophilous species of Tribasodites Jeannel from Taiwan and southern China (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae).

A new species, Tribasodites sugayai sp. nov., from Taiwan and southern China is described and illustrated. This new species was collected from colonies of the Hodotermopsis sjostedti Holmgren, 1912 termite. It is the first exact record of a termitophilous species in this genus.

A new species and new record of the intertidal rove beetle genus Bryothinusa Casey (Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae: Myllaenini) from Japan.

A new species of the intertidal rove beetle genus Bryothinusa, B. japonica sp. nov. is described, and B. koreana Ahn Jeon, 2004 is recorded from Japan for the first time. These species are illustrated and compared with similar species. A key to the Japanese Bryothinusa species and a checklist of the known Bryothinusa species are provided.

Megasybacodes brevitarsis, a new genus and species of Rhyparini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) from Borneo.

Megasybacodes brevitarsis Kakizoe, Maruyama Masumoto, a new genus and new species of the tribe Rhyparini, is described based on a single female from Borneo. It is allied to the genus Sybacodes Fairmaire, 1896, but easily distinguished by its short protarsi, broad flattened basal tarsomeres of the meso- and metatarsi, broad flattened tibiae, and wrinkled pronotal and elytral surfaces. Checklist of rhyparine species from Borneo is also provided.

Revision of the genus Tmesiphorus LeConte, 1849 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from Japan.

The Japanese species of the genus Tmesiphorus are revised: three known species are redescribed and two new species are described. They are: Tmesiphorus costatus Weise, T. crassicornis Sharp, T. princeps Sharp, T. kinomurai sp. nov., and T. okinawensis sp. nov. A key to species is provided. Four species, T. crassicornis, T. princeps, T. kinomurai sp. nov. and T. okinawensis sp. nov., are recognized as obligate myrmecophiles.

Treehoppers (Hemiptera: Aetalionidae and Membracidae) from Madre de Dios region, Peru / Membrácidos (Hemiptera: Aetalionidae y Membracidae) de la región de Madre de Dios, Perú

A list of treehoppers (Aetalionidae and Membracidae) is presented from Madre de Dios region at the southeastern Amazon basin in Peru. The treehopper specimens were collected as by-catch in a survey of the beetles in the Villa Carmen Biological Station and Los Amigos Biological Station. The list comprises 44 species, 31 genera, 16 tribes and 9 subfamilies. Ten genera are new records to Peru. The images of representative specimens of each identified species and genera are provided to facilitate the identification of the local treehopper fauna.

Se presenta una lista de los membrácidos (Aetalionidae y Membracidae) de la región Madre de Dios, en el sureste de la cuenca Amazónica, en Perú. La lista está basada en especímenes recolectados como captura fortuita en un inventario de escarabajos en las estaciones biológicas Villa Carmen y Los Amigos. La lista incluye 44 especies, 31 géneros, 16 tribus y 9 subfamilias. Diez géneros son nuevos registros para Perú. Se presentan las imágenes de especímenes representativos de cada especie y género para facilitar la identifición de la fauna local de los membrácidos.