Myrmedonota

This is a myrmecophilous genus of Staphylinidae with thirty species.

This genus is characterised and distinguished from the other lomechusine genera by a combination of the following character states: 1) body surface finely punctated; 2) head with occipital suture; 3) pronotum transverse, >1.5 wider than long; 4) setation on abdomen sparse to moderate; 5) cardo of maxilla covers bases of stipes and lacinia (Fig. 3); 6) lacinia extremely narrowed and parallel-sided mentum almost as long as wide apodeme of labium with medial projection 1st segment of labial palpus longer than 2nd segment each lobe of ligula with 2 setulae.

Myrmedonota are predators, and as ant symbionts either predators of ants (Eldredge personal observation, Mathis in preparation) or scavengers ( Kistner 2003 ). In Costa Rica , Eldredge has observed a Myrmedonota species fly into the midst of an agitated Pheidole Westwood, 1839 colony during nest excavation. Mathis (in preparation) has made detailed observations of aggregation and predation behavior of the two new species described below, but these will be presented subsequently.

List of *Myrmedonota* and their Host Ants
Genus and species	Author and Year	Ant Host	Distribution
Myrmedonota acutissima	Pace, 2009		INDONESIA: Irian Jaya, Nabire area
Myrmedonota aequitatis	Pace, 2009		INDONESIA: Irian Jaya, Nabire area
Myrmedonota aidani	Maruyama & Klimaszewski, 2008	ants	Ohio
Myrmedonota apicicornis	Pace, 2009		INDONESIA: Irian Jaya, Nabire area
Myrmedonota biapicalis	Pace, 2015		AUSTRALIA: NSW, 4 km NE Mt. Wog Wog
Myrmedonota borneensis	Pace, 2008		BORNEO: Sabah, Poring Hot Springs, 500 m.
Myrmedonota brevifalx	Pace, 2009		INDONESIA: Irian Jaya, Nabire area
Myrmedonota celebensis	Pace, 1993		CELEBES
Myrmedonota cingulata	Cameron, 1920		Singapore
Myrmedonota cordobensis	Santiago-Jimenez, 2014	ants	Mexico
Myrmedonota drugmandi	Pace, 2000		PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Myrmedonota gigas	Pace, 2009		INDONESIA: Irian Jaya, Nabire area
Myrmedonota goethemi	Pace, 2000		PAPUA-NEW GUINEA
Myrmedonota heliantha	Eldredge, 2010	ants	Kansas
Myrmedonota jaliscensis	Santiago-Jimenez, 2014	ants	Mexico
Myrmedonota lewisi	Maruyama & Klimaszewski, 2008	ants	Indiana
Myrmedonota shimmerale	Mathis & Eldredge, 2014	ants	Mexico
Myrmedonota xipe	Mathis & Eldredge, 2014	Azteca sericeasur	Mexico

REFERENCES

Cameron, M. 1920. New species of Staphylinidae from Singapore. Part III. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1920: 212–284. BHL [original description: p. 272]

Eldredge KT (2010) A new species of Myrmedonota Cameron from eastern Kansas (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Aleocharinae). ZooKeys 53: 17–24. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.53.493

Maruyama M, Patrick LB, Klimaszewski J (2008) First record of the genus Myrmedonota Cameron (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae) from North America, with descriptions of two new species. Zootaxa 1716: 35–43.

Mathis KA, Eldredge T (2014) Descriptions of two new species of Myrmedonota Cameron (Staphylinidae: Aleocharinae) from Mexico with comments on the genus taxonomy and behavior. Zootaxa 3768(1): 95–100. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3768.1.7

Mathis, K.A, Tsutsui, N. 2016. Dead ant walking: a myrmecophilous beetle predator uses parasitoid host location cues to selectively prey on parasitized ants. Proc. Biol. Sci. 283 (1836).

Pace, R. 2009. Aleocharinae dell'Irian Jaya (Nuova Guinea) al Naturkundemuseum di Erfurt (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae). (230° Contributo alla conoscenza delle Aleocharinae). [Aleocharinae from Irian Jaya (New Guinea) in the Naturkundemuseum Erfurt (Insecta: Coleoptera: Staphylinidae).] Veröffentlichungen des Naturkundemuseums Erfurt - VERNATE 28: 259–329. Reference page. [original description: p. 289, figs. 231-236]