| Dalotia coriaria | |
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| Species: | D. coriaria |
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| Dalotia coriaria (Kraatz, 1856) | |
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Dalotia coriaria, the greenhouse rove beetle, is a species of staphylinid rove beetle in the subfamily Aleocharinae. It is used as a predatory biological control agent for the management of pest insects.
Dalotia coriaria is a commercially available species, sold by several Integrated Pest Management companies in the US and Europe. The beetles are employed as a biological control agent of glasshouse pests. Both adults and larvae prey upon larvae of fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.), and adult beetles also target shore flies (Scatella spp.) and thrips. [1] The species was discovered feeding on a laboratory culture of fungus gnats, stimulating a study into its efficacy as a biological control agent. [2]
Dalotia coriaria's fast generation time, high fecundity and ease of culture of have recently led to the species being developed as a laboratory model organism. [3]
Like many Aleocharinae, Dalotia coriaria has a complex taxonomic history. Initially described as a member of genus Homalota, [4] many authors placed it in the large genus Atheta, before its current placement in Dalotia. [5]
The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With over 66,000 species in thousands of genera, the group is the largest family in the beetle order, and one of the largest families of organisms. It is an ancient group, with fossilized rove beetles known from the Triassic, 200 million years ago, and possibly even earlier if the genus Leehermania proves to be a member of this family. They are an ecologically and morphologically diverse group of beetles, and commonly encountered in terrestrial ecosystems.
Aleochara is a genus in the beetle family Staphylinidae, the rove beetles. Larvae of Staphylinidae occur in many assorted ecological roles, most being scavengers, predators or carrion feeders, but the larvae of at least those species of Aleochara whose life histories are known are parasitoids. They feed in the puparia of suitable species of flies, killing the host in the process. Adult Aleochara are predators.
Delia flies are members of the Anthomyiidae family within the superfamily Muscoidae. The identification of different species of Delia can be very difficult for non-specialists as the diagnostic characteristics used for immature and/or female specimens may be inconsistent between species. Past taxonomic keys were not as comprehensive in their identification of Delia specimens; they were either too reliant on genetic characteristics, focused solely on a specific life stage, or were focused only on certain species. However current taxonomic keys aim to be more thorough by not only including morphological diagnostics for males, females, and immature specimens of various species, but also their genetic make-up or molecular barcode.
The Aleocharinae are one of the largest subfamilies of rove beetles, containing over 12,000 species. Previously subject to large-scale debate whether the subfamily deserved the familial status, it is now considered one of the largest subfamilies of rove beetles.
A gnat is any of many species of tiny flying insects in the dipterid suborder Nematocera, especially those in the families Mycetophilidae, Anisopodidae and Sciaridae. Most often they fly in large numbers, called clouds. "Gnat" is a loose descriptive category rather than a phylogenetic or other technical term, so there is no scientific consensus on what constitutes a gnat. Some entomologists consider only non-biting flies to be gnats. Certain universities and institutes also distinguish eye gnats: the Smithsonian Institution describes them as "non-biting flies, no bigger than a few grains of salt, ... attracted to fluids secreted by your eyes".
Drusilla canaliculata is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is found in Europe and Northern Asia and North America.
Drusilla is a genus of rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 2 described species in Drusilla.
Phymatura blanchardi is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae.
Phymatura is a genus of rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 2 described species in Phymatura.
Homalotini is a tribe of rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 30 genera and 200 described species in Homalotini.
Athetini is a tribe of rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 50 genera and 430 described species in Athetini.
Aleodorus bilobatus is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is found in North America.
Aleodorus is a genus of rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least four described species in Aleodorus.
Hoplandria lateralis is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is found in Central America, North America, and South America.
Hoplandria is a genus of rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are about 13 described species in Hoplandria.
Tarphiota is a genus in the family of beetles known as Staphylinidae. There are at least three described species in Tarphiota. Members of this genus are found on seashores, in association with decaying seaweed.
Falagria is a genus of rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are more than 30 described species in Falagria.
Atheta novaescotiae is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is found in North America. It lives in a marine seashore environment, and has adaptations similar to rove beetles of the genus Tarphiota, which also live in these habitats.
Atheta is a genus of rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are more than 640 described species in Atheta.
Xenodusa cava is a species of rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. It is found in North America. It is myrmecophilic, with its larvae living in ant colonies, begging for food and consuming ant larvae.
