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Beetles of Zihuatanejo

ORDER COLEOPTERA

Osorini Rove Beetles
Osorini (Tribe)

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Beetles (Order Coleoptera​​)

-​Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf, and Snout Beetles (Suborder Polyphaga)

-Staphyliniform Beetles (Infraorder Staphyliniformia)

-Rove, Ant-like Stone, and Carrion Beetles (Superfamily Staphylinoidea)

-Rove Beetles (Family Staphylinidae)

-Subfamily Osoriinae

-Tribe Osorini


The Osorini are a tribe of beetles in the family Staphylinidae, the rove beetles. These beetles are typically small to medium-sized and are often found in decaying organic matter, under bark, or within leaf litter, where they play important roles in decomposition and nutrient cycling. Unlike many other rove beetles, Osoriinae are less predatory and more frequently associated with fungal material, detritus, or symbiotic relationships with social insects like ants and termites.

Diet

  • Adults: Primarily predators and scavengers, feeding on small insects, insect larvae, mites and other tiny invertebrates, as well as decaying organic material.

  • Larvae: Predatory or scavenging, feeding on small invertebrates and decomposing material within soil, leaf litter and rotting wood.

  • Their flattened bodies allow them to move through narrow spaces beneath bark and within decaying vegetation.

Range

  • Osorini is a widespread tribe of rove beetles (Staphylinidae), with species occurring in tropical and subtropical regions around the world.

  • Osorini occurs in Guerrero and around Zihuatanejo, where suitable leaf litter, soil and decaying wood provide habitat.

  • Around Zihuatanejo, these beetles are occasional, but they may be locally more numerous during the rainy season when the forest floor remains moist.

Habitat

  • Found primarily in leaf litter, soil, beneath bark, rotting logs, decomposing vegetation and other organic material.

  • Around Zihuatanejo, look beneath fallen branches, loose bark and accumulations of leaf litter, especially in shaded areas.

  • Some species are associated with sandy or loose soils, where their flattened bodies allow them to move easily through narrow spaces.

Size

  • Adult length: approximately 3–15 mm (0.12–0.6 in), depending on species.

  • Body elongated and generally flattened, with short elytra leaving much of the abdomen exposed.

  • Usually brown, reddish-brown or black, often with a heavily sculptured or granular surface.

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