Empelinae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: Polyphaga
Infraordo: Staphyliniformia
Superfamilia: Staphylinoidea

Familia: Staphylinidae
Subfamilia: Empelinae
Genera: Empelus
Name

Empelinae Newton & Thayer, 1992: 25

Type genus: Empelus J. L. LeConte, 1861.

Synonymy

Empelidae Abdullah, 1969: 683 [unavailable family-group name, proposed after 1930 without description or bibliographic reference to such a description (Art. 13.1)]

References
Primary references

Abdullah, M. 1969. Conspectus of the current classification of Coleoptera with synonymies. Beiträge zur Entomologie 19(3–6): 683–685. DOI: 10.21248/contrib.entomol.19.3-6.683-685 Open access.
Newton, A.F. & Thayer, M.K. 1992. Current classification and family-group names in Staphyliniformia (Coleoptera). Fieldiana: Zoology (new series) (67): iv + 92 p. BHL PDF Reference page. [original description: p. 25]

Additional references

Herman, L.H. 2001: Catalog of the Staphylinidae (Insecta, Coleoptera): 1758 to the end of the second millennium. I. Introduction, history, biographical sketches, and omaliine group. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, (265): 1–650.

The Empelinae are a subfamily of rove beetles ; their biology is virtually unknown. Their anatomy and ecology resemble many rove beetles.

Ecology and anatomy

The Empelinae are small beetles under 2 mm long. They have 11 antennae with loose trisegmented clubs. Their elytra nearly cover the whole of their abdomen. The tarsi, according to scientists, is 5-5-5. Some scientists theorize this is a result of their secluded habitats - forest leaf litter, fungi, and moss at a stream's edge. This makes collecting the subfamily's species hard. Due to the seclusion of the Empelinae, like many rove beetles, (see Aleocharinae), the subfamily's biology is nearly unknown.
Systematics

The subfamily is small, with its type genus being monotypic; the only species is Empelus brunipennis, discovered Mannerheim in 1852. One species in the subfamily is restricted to North America. However, it has been very successful there, ranging from southern Alaska to California.
References

Herman, L.H. 2001: Catalog of the Staphylinidae (Insecta, Coleoptera): 1758 to the end of the second millennium. I. Introduction, history, biographical sketches, and omaliine group. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, (265): 1–650.
Newton, A. F., Jr., and M. K. Thayer. 1992. Current classification and family-group names in Staphyliniformia (Coleoptera). Fieldiana 67: 1–92.
Newton, A. F., Jr., M. K. Thayer, J. S. Ashe, and D. S. Chandler. 2001. 22. Staphylinidae Latreille, 1802. p. 272–418. In: R. H. Arnett, Jr., and M. C. Thomas (eds.). American beetles, Volume 1. CRC Press; Boca Raton, Florida. ix + 443 p.

External links

Empelinae at Bugguide.net. Not yet available.