An Annotated Check List of Staphylinidae (Insecta: Coleoptera Recorded from Borneo.
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THE SARAWAK MUSEUM JOURNAL |
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Title :
An Annotated Check List of Staphylinidae (Insecta: Coleoptera Recorded from Borneo. |
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Author :
Peter M. Hammond |
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Abstract:
The beetle family Staphylinidae is poorly known, but it is already clear that it is extremely rich in species. The approximately thirty thousand species already described are likely to represent less than a quarter, possibly as little as a tenth of those which actually exist. Species of Staphylinidae have been successful in adapting to almost every terrestrial environment, from the tidal zone of the sea-shore to caves, mountain tops, and Arctic tundra, although none is truly aquatic, and the group is rather poorly represented in desert regions. Adults and larvae of most species are to be found in similar habitats, often consuming the same kinds of food. All stages tend to be hygrophilous and are mostly to be found, hidden from the casual observer, in concealed situations where at least a moderate level of moisture is guaranteed. Particularly large numbers of species are associated with the soil, humus and leaf litter, dead or dying wood, and accumulations of other decaying organic material - such as dung, carrion, decaying fruit or fungi. Water-side situations of all types support a quota of species. A good number of species are specialised inhabitants of the nests of termites or ants; others inhabit the nests of birds or mammals. Few are phytophagous, but a number are plant-climbers, mostly seeking prey which are associated with the leafy parts of flowering plants. Although many Staphylinidae are predators, feeding habits are known to vary considerably within the family. A number are scavengers or consume decaying plant material, while some are parasitoids of other insects, ectoparasites of small mammals, or are mycetophagous feeding on fungal spores or hyphae..
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| DOI: XXXX |
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How to cite:
Hammond, P. M. (1984). An Annotated Check List of Staphylinidae (Insecta: Coleoptera Recorded from Borneo. The Sarawak Museum Journal, XXXIII (54): 187-218 |
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References
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