Taxonomy and ecology of paddy field associated paederinae (coleoptera: staphylinidae) in palakkad and Wayanad district

Abstract

Paederinae Fleming, 1821 is the medically and ecologically important subfamily of the family Staphylinidae. This subfamily consists of around 7,600 species in more than 225 genera. Although Paederinae is a diverse group, there is no adequate study on the taxonomy and ecology of this group in Kerala, therefore this study will be remarkable and provide a baseline for future researchers in this field. The present study deals with the taxonomy and ecology of Paederinae in the paddy fields of Palakkad and Wayanad districts. A total of45 species of Paederinae were identified from four different collection sites (2 sites in Palakkad district: Arayakkad, Pattambi and 2 sites in Wayanad district: Pakkam and Ambalavayal). The most significant findings of this study are the 3 New reports of Paederinae species from India, 10 new reports from south India and 13 new reports Kerala. Checklist, modified taxonomic key and pictorial key for Paederinae in the paddy fields of Palakkad and Wayanad districts is provided. Seasonality, abundance and the influence of environmental factors, which determine the abundance and seasonality were also analysed.